Home > Work > The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
1 " Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think. "
― Patrick Lencioni , The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
2 " Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability. "
3 " Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal. "
4 " Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team. "
5 " 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 "
6 " conflict is productive "
7 " Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in "
8 " It's as simple as this. When people don't unload their opinions and feel like they've been listened to, they won't really get on board. "
9 " Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare. "
10 " If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time. "
11 " A team that is not focused on results ... • Stagnates/fails to grow • Rarely defeats competitors • Loses achievement-oriented employees "
12 " Some people are hard to hold accountable because they are so helpful. Others because they get defensive. Others because they are intimidating. I don’t think it’s easy to hold anyone accountable, not even your own kids "
13 " A fractured team is just like a broken arm or leg; fixing it is always painful, and sometimes you have to rebreak it to make it heal correctly. And the rebreak hurts a lot more than the initial break, because you have to do it on purpose P.37 "
14 " If we don’t trust one another, then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict. "
15 " Members of teams that tend to avoid conflict must occasionally assume the role of a “miner of conflict”—someone who extracts buried disagreements within the team and sheds the light of day on them. They must have the courage and confidence to call out sensitive issues and force team members to work through them. This requires a degree of objectivity during meetings and a commitment to staying with the conflict until it is resolved. Some "
16 " The ultimate test of a great team is results. And considering that tens of thousands of people escaped from the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., there can be no doubt that the teams who risked, and lost, their lives to save them were extraordinary. "
17 " To achieve results. This is the only true measure of a team P.42 "
18 " How many of you would rather go to a meeting than a movie?” No hands went up. “Why not?” After a pause, Jeff realized that her question was not a rhetorical one. “Because movies are more interesting. Even the bad ones.” His peers chuckled. Kathryn smiled. “Right. But if you really think about it, meetings should be at least as interesting as movies. "
19 " Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. "
20 " Therefore, it is key that leaders demonstrate restraint when their people engage in conflict, and allow resolution to occur naturally, as messy as it can sometimes be. This can be a challenge because many leaders feel that they are somehow failing in their jobs by losing control of their teams during conflict. Finally, as trite as it may sound, a leader’s ability to personally model appropriate conflict behavior is essential. By avoiding conflict when it is necessary and productive—something many executives do—a team leader will encourage this dysfunction to thrive. "