Why isn't your team working?
I've been on teams that are loaded with talent but are not nearly as effective as they could be. How does a group of talented people become a dysfunctional team? The first time I read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni I was blown away by what I learned. This wonderful book is a business fable that is easy to read and full of valuable lessons, it's also loaded with truth.
One of the challenging lessons in the book is the first dysfunction of a team is absence of trust, a symptom of invulnerability in the team. Guess who has to be the first to be vulnerable? You and I. When I decided to read the book I was convinced it would show me what everyone else was doing wrong. I wouldn't have guessed that the dysfunction started with me! Not only was I not leading with vulnerability but I wasn't creating space for anyone else to be vulnerable. I just wanted results!
Lencioni says in the end of the book,
Teams that lack trust waste inordinate amounts of time and energy managing their behaviors and interactions within the group. They tend to dread team mettings, and are reluctant to take risks in asking for or offering assistance to others. As a a result, morale on distrusting teams is usually quite low, and unwanted turnover is high.
If you're looking around wondering why the team isn't working, if in any way it feels dysfunctional the first thing to evaluate is if there is an absence of trust. The book has great suggestions how to develop a greater level of vulnerability on a team. If you need help fostering vulnerability this will be a great resource for you.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a book every leader should have on their shelf. Click here to purchase your own copy.