The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (part 2)

“Teamwork remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”
Patrick Lencioni

Teamwork is the main theme of Patrick Lencioni’s book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. In this book, the author outlines how to effectively work as great teams by eliminating five of the most common roadblocks that impede a team from achieving success. Teamwork is vital to any successful group, and the author argues that great teamwork propels any team to great success regardless of circumstances.

In my last blog I wrote about the first two most common dysfunctions of a team, absence of trust and fear of conflict. In today’s blog, I will discuss the final three most common dysfunctions that keep a team from achieving great results.

A lack of commitment is the third dysfunction of team. This lack of commitment is often a result of ambiguity and a lack of understanding of what the team is truly trying to accomplish and what the ultimate goals of the team are. Without clear direction and a set vision, a lack of commitment from team members is often the result. To obtain real commitment from each member, there must be clarity and buy-in around the team’s vision and ultimate destination. Only then can decisions be made based on the team’s goals. Removing ambiguity and painting a clear picture of the team’s purpose will instill a strong sense of commitment from each member.

The fourth most common dysfunction of a team is an avoidance of accountability. This often results from poor communication and the acceptance of poor performance from team members. When poor performance it tolerated, others assume this low standard is not only acceptable but expected. Thus, team members must not tolerate poor performance, but instead they must hold each other to high standards to achieve success; teams that do not will fall victim to the 4th dysfunction.

The final most common dysfunction of a team is an inattention to results. This dysfunction exists when team members put their personal egos, wants, and needs ahead of the team. By doing this, team members often sacrifice what is best for the team for what is best for them individually. To avoid this, everyone must feel personally responsible for what the team does or does not accomplish. Team members must also understand that if the team fails, everyone fails. Therefore, to be successful, teams must be focused on collective results first!

Avoiding and eliminating the five most common dysfunctions of a team is difficult, and that is why so many teams underachieve. Teams that are able to eliminate the five dysfunctions will well out perform other teams, and they will ultimately have great success. Indeed, the author of this book states the power of teamwork is so strong that a team that truly eliminates the five most common dysfunctions could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time. As leaders, let’s work at building great teams!!

Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Part 1
See how I ranked this book

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (part 1)

“I don’t think anyone ever gets completely used to conflict. If it’s not a little uncomfortable, then it’s not real. The key is to keep doing it anyway.”
Patrick Lencioni

Teamwork is the main theme of Patrick Lencioni’s book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. In this book, the author outlines how to effectively work as great teams by eliminating five of the most common roadblocks that impede a team’s ultimate success. Teamwork is vital to any successful group, because it can distinguish a team from others as it is uncommon--yet so powerfully effective when achieved. Undeniably, the author argues that great teamwork propels any team to great success regardless of circumstances.

One of the first points made in the book is that building a team is not rocket science. Indeed, eliminating the five most common dysfunctions of a team is simple in theory. However, actually striving to eliminate the five dysfunctions of a team on a day to day basis with real people can be challenging—yet it is possible for any group committed to true teamwork.

The first dysfunction which is the most critical is an absence of trust. If team members do not trust one another and are not willing to be open and honest with each other, than the team will be ineffective. Team members must be willing to be vulnerable when working together, and the manifestation of trust amongst a team is demonstrated by the amount of open debate and productive arguing they engage in. This leads us to the second dysfunction which is fear of conflict. These two dysfunctions are the most common and the most critical to any team and for this reason, I wish to elaborate on them.

True trust among team members exists when people openly and honestly express what they think. The author contends that if a team is unwilling to participate in frequent constructive conflict, then their chances for success are through. Thus, effective teams do not avoid hard facts or confrontation, but instead they actively engage in conflict. Great teams do not hold back because trust exists among them.

An important part of these dysfunctions is that team members must realize arguments are based on what is good for the team. A team that has members who trust each other avoids oversensitive and insecure feelings that open and honest debate can often produce. Instead of threatening or offending, honest opinions encourage and inspire. Team members that trust each other never leave a passionate argument with hurt feelings, or damaged egos.

To build further on the importance of these dysfunctions, the author points out that most people do not necessarily expect to get their way, however they do expect to be heard. When trust exists in a team, members engage in open discussion and people are able to unload their personal opinions. This allows members to feel not only listened to but also like an important contributor to the team. This in turn results in more engaged and committed team members.

In the end, all great relationships require conflict in order to grow. Teams that are able to build trust and engage in constructive conflict will eliminate the first two most common and harmful dysfunction of a team. Building trust as a team and engaging in constructive conflict will open the doors to success.

Next week I will continue with the other three most common dysfunctions outlined in the book…

Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Part 2
See how I ranked this book

Motivating Others Through Difficult Times

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Zig Ziglar

Probably now more than ever, it is critical for leaders to successfully motivate others to perform their best each day. Many people’s hearts and minds are occupied with personal and financial worries that impede or distract them from focusing on what will ultimately lead to success. As leaders, we can motivate others to stay focused on what is important by helping them to forget about their worries and work hard in order to feel good about the contributions they are making. Below are some quick reminders of how we can successfully recapture the hearts and minds of those we lead by motivating them.

#1 Offer Encouragement

Things are so negative these days. Body language, small talk, water cooler conversation, the news, etc. are all full of pessimism. As leaders, we need to provide a spark of encouragement to everyone we interact with by building others up, and focusing on the good. We cannot get caught up in the negative talk that surrounds us; we must look for the positive and the potential in every person and in every situation. Consistently and frequently offering encouragement will motivate others to do their best.

#2 Be Reassuring

A lot of people are quickly allowing worries to overcome them, and many are losing confidence in their own abilities. As a leader, reassure others in their progress towards a goal or achievement. Let people know you notice when something is done correctly. Express your confidence in others’ abilities. Offering reassurance during difficult times will provide motivation to continue trying.

#3 Celebrate

When things go well, celebrate. When a goal is achieved, celebrate. When things are done correctly, celebrate. Whenever you find something positive or good, celebrate. A great way to motivate others and focus on the positive is to celebrate as often as possible. These do not have to be major celebrations for every little thing, but they can be quick and easy celebrations for a job well done. As the general population is focused on the bad, people are not finding many reasons to celebrate; provide it for them. Now more than ever, helping people to celebrate success will instantly boost confidence levels and motivate them to do better.

#4 Be Enthusiastic

Enthusiasm is contagious. If you are excited about something, others will become excited about it as well. As a leader, finding ways to be upbeat and positive each and every day will go a long way in motivating others.

#5 Be Grateful

As leaders, we must show gratitude for the efforts and contributions others are making. Be especially grateful to those who make your life or job easier each day. Expressing sincere gratitude every day will make you happier, and it will motivate others to do better. Being sincerely grateful is essential to successfully motivating others.

Now is the time for great leaders to prove themselves by successfully motivating others during these difficult times. It won’t be easy, but remembering the tips above will certainly help. Those leaders who are able to effectively motivate others during tough times will accomplish great things despite difficult circumstances that surround them.

Are You a Leaper or a Croaker?

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
Babe Ruth

“There is an old story that is told about an army of frogs that went leaping through the forest one day when two of the frogs suddenly fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the hole to look down on their two fallen comrades. They all began to sadly shake their heads and to croak out dismal warnings. "It's too deep!" croaked one frog. Another croaked that there was no way that they would ever be able to get out of that pit alive.

The two fallen frogs began to continuously jump as they tried to get out of the pit, but the frogs that were watching kept croaking louder at them that they might as well stop because they were as good as dead and just wasting their time. One of the two frogs finally gave up and heeded the pessimistic advice of the frogs at the top. He quit jumping and literally "croaked" and died.

The other frog just kept right on jumping and leaping harder than ever in spite of all the loud croaks of disapproval from the frogs that were watching around the top of the hole. They kept croaking shouts at him to quit jumping and save himself from all the pain and suffering he was incurring as he leaped and fell back down to the bottom of the pit over and over again.

Finally, he leaped even harder than ever and to the surprise of all the other frogs he jumped right out of the deep pit. The other frogs asked him, "Why did you keep leaping even though we yelled and croaked at you to stop?" It was then that the frog explained to them that he was deaf and he had thought they were cheering for him and yelling words of encouragement to him the entire time!”
Pamela Perry Blaine

There are many important lessons we can learn from this story, but I would like to point out three very quickly. First, our words are powerful and have the ability to uplift or destroy. Let’s be the kind of people that encourage and lift others up despite their supposed weakness and flaws—for we never know what they may be able to accomplish with encouragement.

Second, it is important to surround ourselves with supportive people in supportive environments. Whether we believe it or not, each of us is influenced by those who surround us and the environments we put ourselves in. We must actively seek to be surrounded by good and encouraging things in order to be our best.

Finally, as I wrote about last week, perseverance and never giving up despite the difficult circumstances we may be facing, will lead us to do amazing—sometimes seemingly impossible things. Especially during these challenging economic times, we must never give up. The choice is ours to always be a leaper or a croaker. Let’s be leapers!!