Category: Personal Kaizen

My Take: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

 

Its been a long time since I have termed a business book “gripping”. This book was exactly that – I finished reading the book cover to cover in the shortest possible time & I enjoyed every moment of it. The author, Patrick Lencioni, brands his product as A Leadership Fable – & it sure lives up to this tag. The book is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to leverage a team – either as a manager or as a team member.

At the core of this book is the Five Dysfunctions Model – a pyramid of the five dysfunctions –

  • Absence of Trust stemming from unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group (base of the pyramid)
  • Fear of Conflict leading to artificial harmony
  • Lack of Commitment resulting in ambiguity
  • Avoidance of Accountability as seen in low standards
  • Inattention to Results accompanied by focus on individual status & ego (apex of the pyramid)

The most practical aspect of this book is post the fable – a guide to put the model to work. The guide provides three useful inputs (a) a checklist to identify which dysfunction is ailing your team, (b) suggestions for overcoming the dysfunction, and (c) role of the leader.

A question that I have pondered over many times in the recent past is How do you know when a team is collaborating? The book does provide crucial cues to answer this question (at least for now).

The Next Step

step 
(Photo courtesy Lachlan Hardy)

You have a goal & have put together a plan to achieve it. You even take a few concrete steps. But soon, you start feeling that not enough progress is being made. Maybe its a block. You know what needs to be done, but you just cant seem to get around to doing it. You start feeling frustrated, down & defeated – even if it is a temporary feeling.

What do you do?

Focus on a small next step & do it – however small it may be. By taking the next step, you will be closer to your goal than you were before taking the next step. Taking another step will also provide you the satisfaction of progress, which is critical to build momentum for your journey.

An couple of examples to illustrate this point :

  • Being physically fit is one of my goals. One day at work, the fact that I had missed my exercise routine for a few days started gnawing me. I got off my desk & climbed stairs for about 10 mins. Not only did I get over a temporary lull, but I also got back to my fitness routine the next day.
  • In the middle of the week, do you suddenly get a feeling that you haven’t been spending enough time with your child? Pick up the phone & spend a few minutes chatting with her. Send an I LOVE YOU text message.

Take the next step.

Top 5 Personal Branding Resources

(Courtesy: www.freedigitalphotos.net)

  1. The origin of personal branding – Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker (link).
  2. How to Brand Yourself is a practical starting point & guide with a good listing of online resources one will need.
  3. If you are into personal branding, you can’t miss Dan Schawbel’s work.
  4. The Personal Branding Blog provides useful information & resources on personal branding.
  5. In his blog, Seth Godin’s shares wisdom on ‘standing out’ – for businesses or individuals – amongst other things.