The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Nonfiction. 227 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech’s CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni’s utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
My Review:
After guzzling The Ideal Team Player, I borrowed this book from a friend to continue diving into Lencioni’s work. The Ideal Team Player referenced this one a few times, so I was definitely curious. And I’d loved the fable of the previous read, so I was intrigued to see another play out. What I didn’t realize was that the fables had a connecting character! So, that was a cool Easter egg!
Again, I loved Lencioni’s fable-style. I enjoyed watching a business act out the principles they needed to learn and develop. And, honestly, there was a little suspense and tension in this one! A few cliff hanger chapters and definitely a surprise twist at one point I didn’t see coming! (Yes, I totally invested in this fictional company in the fable XD)
The point of this fable displayed the 5 dysfunctions of a team and those were simple on the page, but a little more difficult to wrap my head around applicationally. The fable helped me to see how the dysfunctions practically played out, more so than in The Ideal Team Player I think. For me, the principles in this book were a little more complicated. Easy to understand the importance and I really appreciated that Lencioni took the time to explain the connection between the dysfunctions. But applicationally trying to make trust tangible was the one I struggled with the most. That said, I think it’s important to remember that trust must be built over time and Lencioni does distinguish that the trust he’s talking about is a willingness to be open and vulnerable with others, not seeking reliability specifically.
The dysfunction model makes a lot of sense to me and I’m glad to have broken it down. And to be cognizant of these steps specifically. Furthermore, in the end of the book, Lencioni again works on tangible applicational principles to aid readers in implementing these principles into their own businesses and lives. He looks at how to assess these dysfunctions in a team, how to counteract them with suggested activities and resources, and understanding how each of them connects and affects the others.
A great, easy, quick read that provides clarity and an actionable plan for teams to actively fight against dysfunction and work more effectively with one another. Highly recommended! (Though, as a note, I’d probably recommend reading this one before The Ideal Team Player.)