In my last column, I reviewed Patrick Lencioni’s “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” I’m quite impressed with Lencioni’s model for building functioning, cohesive teams – and agree with him that – unfortunately, executive teams usually fall short of that description.
The dysfunctions are: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. I pointed out that trust is the key building block that forms the basis of creating true teamwork. Since then, some BizTimes Milwaukee readers emailed or phoned asking me to write more about this word “trust” and how a leader can generate it within a team.
So I delved more into parts of the book dealing with overcoming distrust. Also, I phoned Lencioni’s office and talked with a member of his staff (the author was off consulting in the U.K.) about how they work with teams to engender trust.
We all know that the word “trust” has been used so often that it has lost some of its meaning. Lencioni describes it specifically, in the context of building a team as “…the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group.” It is all about team members getting comfortable being vulnerable with one another. This level of trust isn’t created overnight of course. A further challenge that makes vulnerability-based trust difficult, is that it flies against what many executives have learned – to be competitive with their peers and protective of their reputations. True teamwork requires that they learn to turn off those instincts for the good of the team – which ultimately translates into the good of the organization and greater market share.
When team members gain that level of trust, they will admit mistakes and vulnerabilities, and ask for help. They are open to input about their areas of responsibility – and open-minded enough about their peers behaviors that they give each other the benefit of the doubt before forming a negative conclusion. They take risks, appreciate each other’s unique contributions and focus on vital issues rather than politics. Apologies are given and received easily…and they look forward to meetings as time to work together energetically and honestly with accountability to each other and a focus on common goals.
Whew. I hope you’ve had the experience of that level of teamwork—in business, sports or any other endeavor. I have a couple of times and it sure is more fun that dodging political maneuvers.
So, Mr. Patrick Lencioni, how can a leader influence the creation of a highly functional team?
He offers a few tools, probably best integrated into a series of off-site team meetings with consistent follow-up back at the office on a daily basis.
No matter how long the team members have been together, he suggests beginning with a “personal history” exercise. The leader asks each member to answer a few questions about themselves, nothing uncomfortable. The list might include thing like hometowns, favorite hobbies, challenges growing up, first jobs etc. (I like to ask about secret talents as well.)
Next is the “team effectiveness” exercise, where members identify the single most important contribution that each of their peers brings to the team, as well as the one area they need to improve upon. This exercise is much like the “stop, start, continue” one used with teams where members tell each other that—what they’d like each to stop, start, or continue. I’ve always been surprised at how useful this can be, and how it can be done with much less tension that you’d think.
Another tool is the use of personality and behavioral preference profiles. There are several good ones, and Lencioni favors the Myers Briggs Personality Type Inventory (MBTI) as do I.
Other tools might come into play, including those experiential exercises like whitewater rafting trips. These more dramatic practices are often fun (or not). They’ve not particularly resulted in ongoing trust.
Selection and delivery of these methods requires leadership in itself. And again, all of this starts with the leader’s modeling vulnerability and authenticity, even when it is difficult and scary.
I hope these ideas spark your thinking about trust in your own organization. A reader called me after a previous column about trust. He said trust is a two-way street. You can’t get it if you don’t give it.
May your holidays be filled with warmth and laughter and may the coming year be your best yet.
