The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

 

Description:

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.

 

Table of Contents:

 

The Fable

LUCK

LUCK

PART ONE Underachievement

BACKSTORY

KATHRYN

RATIONALE

GRUMBLINGS

OBSERVATIONS

THE STAFF

JEFF—FORMER CEO, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

MIKEY—MARKETING

MARTIN—CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST

JR—SALES

CARLOS—CUSTOMER SUPPORT

JAN—CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

NICK—CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

PART TWO Lighting the Fire

FIRST TEST

END RUN

DRAWING THE LINE

NAPA

THE SPEECH

PUSHING BACK

ENTERING THE DANGER

GETTING NAKED

GOING DEEPER

POOLSIDE

REBOUND

AWARENESS

EGO

GOALS

DEEP TISSUE

ATTACK

EXHIBITION

FILM NOIR

APPLICATION

PART THREE Heavy Lifting

ON-SITE

FIREWORKS

LEAKS

OFF-SITE NUMBER TWO

PLOWING ON

ACCOUNTABILITY

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR

THE TALK

LAST STAND

FLACK

HEAVY LIFTING

RALLY

PART FOUR Traction

HARVEST

GUT CHECK

THE MARCH

The Model

The Model

AN OVERVIEW OF THE MODEL

TEAM ASSESSMENT

UNDERSTANDING AND OVERCOMING THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS

DYSFUNCTION 1: ABSENCE OF TRUST

Members of teams with an absence of trust …

Members of trusting teams …

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 1

Personal Histories Exercise

Team Effectiveness Exercise

Personality and Behavioral Preference Profiles

360-Degree Feedback

Experiential Team Exercises

The Role of the Leader

Connection to Dysfunction 2

DYSFUNCTION 2: FEAR OF CONFLICT

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 2

Teams that fear conflict …

Teams that engage in conflict …

Mining

Real-Time Permission

Other Tools

The Role of the Leader

Connection to Dysfunction 3

DYSFUNCTION 3: LACK OF COMMITMENT

A team that fails to commit …

A team that commits …

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 3

Cascading Messaging

Deadlines

Contingency and Worst-Case Scenario Analysis

Low-Risk Exposure Therapy

The Role of the Leader

Connection to Dysfunction 4

DYSFUNCTION 4: AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 4

A team that avoids accountability …

A team that holds one another accountable …

Publication of Goals and Standards

Simple and Regular Progress Reviews

Team Rewards

The Role of the Leader

Connection to Dysfunction 5

DYSFUNCTION 5: INATTENTION TO RESULTS

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 5

A team that is not focused on results …

A team that focuses on collective results …

Public Declaration of Results

Results-Based Rewards

The Role of the Leader

SUMMARY

Back Matter

A NOTE ABOUT TIME: KATHRYN'S METHODS

A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO TEAMWORK

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR