Monday Minute // The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Have you ever set in a meeting or been around your team and thought to yourself  “I wonder if there is any Dysfunction here.” I know that ...

Have you ever set in a meeting or been around your team and thought to yourself  “I wonder if there is any Dysfunction here.” I know that I have. Almost everywhere I go there seems to be some dysfunction on some level. Often pointing out the negative things is an easy task. Understanding that these are all interconnected is where it gets tricky.

Patrick Lencioni (for more on him go HERE) writes this amazing book walking you through these issues. He does it in a way that I would have never thought to be effective. He tells you in story form. He begins to paint a picture of what these look like by unraveling a story before your eyes. Before you know it you are rooting for certain characters and rooting against others. The beautiful part of the whole thing is that you start to see pieces of you in the characters who are intertwined in the story. It forced me to take a good long look in the mirror and evaluate my leadership on some levels. It was an absolutely fantastic read.

Below are the 5 Dysfunctions

Absence of Trust – this is when team members are not comfortable being vulnerable, open, and honest with one another.

If there is an absence of trust it leads to . . .

Fear of Conflict – People on a team need to have freedom and feel comfortable enough to have good healthy and even spirited debate about ideas and direction.

When there is no conflict it leads to . . .

Lack of Commitment – When people won’t commit to a decision. When people don’t weigh in on a topic they wont buy into a topic. Conflict will often enable people to commit to something.

When there is no commitment it leads to . . .

Unwillingness to Hold One Another Accountable – When someone is committed to an idea or a decision because they had conflict to work through it, there will be a willingness to hold one another accountable, because you are bought in. If those things aren’t there no one on the team holds anyone else accountable.

No accountability leads to . . .

Inattention to Results – People are not focused on the collective results of the team, but on their own ego, or their own budget, or department, or their career in general. It becomes all about “me” and no longer about the goal.

Great read. Every leader should read this book. If you are in a transition to a different leadership role then you owe it to yourself and your team to read this book.

What dysfunction have you seen most often?

Would you add anything to this list?

My addicition doesnt define me. Its a disease that I live with, but i will always be more than just an addiction. I fight every day to put the pieces back together. Thank you for taking part in my journey. You are not alone!

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