The Five Dysfunctions of A Team: A Leadership Fable

The value of “teams” is possibly one of the most deeply ingrained beliefs in American culture, yet so often our teams are little more than the sum of their parts. Why is this and how can we change it?

In this book, Patrick Lencioni identifies the five basic dysfunctions and discusses how to overcome them to make your team stronger, more committed and more effective. 

The Five Dysfunctions are:

➞ Absence of Trust
➞ Fear of Conflict
➞ Lack of Commitment
➞ Avoidance of Accountability
➞ Inattention to Results

If you think about it, almost every problem that teams face falls into one of these categories. 

For example, let's say your team misses deadlines. This is a symptom of Lack of Commitment and Inattention to Results. And if no one takes the blame, then you've also got a problem with Avoidance of Accountability, which can easily lead to Absence of Trust - since no one will trust that person or the team to perform in the future. And when people are uncomfortable holding others accountable, it's usually due to a Fear of Conflict. 

What I especially love about this book (about all of Patrick's books) is that it's written as a fictional narrative, so you're reading a story, rather than a bland boring business book. 

Let me know what you think!

The Four-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere & Join the New Rich

This is my first in a series of posts on books that have fundamentally shifted or shaped my beliefs. Some of them are "business books," while others take a broader view on life or humanity in general. 

I've read The Four-Hour Workweek at least four times and have given it away to friends, colleagues and clients. It really made me question some of my basic assumptions about life and work - like the 9 to 5 workweek. If you're unhappy with your job or your life, this is a great book to read - on the other hand, maybe not, because you'll probably want to "take this job and shove it" after reading the first couple of chapters!

Some of the best things I took away from this book include:

→ Being more productive with email (i.e., batching)
→ Reevaluating my approach to work/life balance
→ Creating passive revenue streams
→ Finding my "muse"
→ Outsourcing what I don't do well, or don't like to do