The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Many years ago I read an excellent book on leadership by Patrick Lencioni called The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. I recently reviewed this list of bad behaviors for the Nth time the other day with a colleague over breakfast in London. Throughout the past two decades or so identifying and eliminating these dysfunctions has proven for me to be an amazingly effective way to build high performing teams, and when I have been unsuccessful in this endeavor it has inevitably come down to my inability to correct one or more of these dysfunctions in the org. 

It all starts at the bottom and builds from there...if you want to deliver consistent results that matter to your business there is really no other way.

Successful teams will have...

Trust - The team is confident in the fact that their their thoughts and opinions are highly valued. Nothing has to be left unsaid, and team members do not harbor resentment or fear repercussion when difficult decisions must be made as a group.

Conflict - The team embraces open and honest communication and is willing to passionately debate without fear. No idea is stupid, no question should not be asked. When teams leave it all on the floor in a difficult meeting they become more energized, more excited and more focused than ever on the mission at hand.

Commitment - When decisions are made the team buys in because people feel engaged in the process and know their words are thoughtfully considered by their peers and their leaders. Engagement drives personal commitment and ownership of the deliverable.

Accountability - Nobody hides when things get tough as everyone is bought into the mission. People pull each other up and go the extra mile to make things happen. People ask for help when needed and others are willing to jump in because the team is personally invested in success.

Results - A team that has trust, embraces conflict, commits to the mission, and is accountable to themselves cannot help but deliver the desired results because they are relentlessly focused on the goal and not concerned with making themselves look good in failure.

If you want to build a high performing team then look for where that chain breaks down in your organization and start there. Be ready for some serious soul searching and personal behavior modification because like it or not we are all lacking in one or more of these areas. Learning how to recognize where we are personally deficient and how to overcome the insecurities that cause those deficiencies is a major part of the process.

The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. A nice short book about leadership and one of the most powerful reads on that subject I have ever come across.