Yeah, the sheer joy I've gotten from being part of a few collaborative teams in my career was amazing. It was like we all got smarter by working together.
That kind of full-bore magic has only happened for me once. But it was fun while it lasted!
This seems like a good time to point out something an early mentor shared with me: you can rate all jobs on 3 scales.
1. Do you enjoy the actual work?
2. Do you enjoy the people you're working with?
3. How's the pay?
If you get all 3 of those metrics over a "C", you're incredibly far ahead of most people. My golden-team job was a AAA job. My current job (where I get a taste of great teamwork, though since I'm leadership now it's different) is an B, and A, and a C+/B-. I've been here 18 years as a result.
I’ve come to think those magic teams where the chemistry is just right are rare in a career.
I’ve been a part of two out of my dozen or so teams.