Lencioni and Lessons

What important lessons did you find in Parts I and II of Lencioni’s book?

I had two takeaways from reading Lencioni's (2002) book. I've participated in many different retreats like the one described in the book and actually have participated in several of the exercises that Kathryn leads her team through to build trust. 

Some were very successful personally, some were successful for the organization, and some were complete failures. I liked the chapter called "Getting Naked." My organization has held retreats where we did this. It's a terrific opportunity to get to know a new team on a far more intimate and meaningful level. The problem is that many groups act as if it is a fire and forget missile instead of something that has to be tended to. 

What do I mean? We completed a get to know each other activity once years ago, but no sense. People have come and gone. Memories fade. People change. It's important, I believe, to have regular opportunities to "get naked" with the team. And this leads to my second takeaway.

I loved the first part of the book because it dealt so much with trust. I'm a huge fan of Covey's (2008) Speed of Trust. It helped me understand how trust is important in not just personal relationships, but also in the business world. Kathryn's work with her team is all about trust building. In the first part of the book, she is doing that by breaking down barriers and by helping to instill comfort. 

She does it to inspire conflict to help her team find the best solution. Similar to the Socratic Method, where there is constant questioning, Kathryn is hoping that by having conflict can be a greater consensus and better decision making. The only way to have conflict is through trust. Part of building that trust comes from not having as many secrets, and knowing one another on the team in a more substantial way. 

As I alluded to in the first paragraph, these are things that not only take time to produce, they also need to be fostered. I like that Lencioni's (2002) work shows that it takes many sessions to have change occur. I think the follow-on book or equal should show how the team has to engage in these exercises constantly and that a one-and-done isn't enough.  

References

Covey, S. (2008). Speed of trust: The one thing that changes everything. Simon & Schuster.

Lencioni, P. M. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Jossey-Bass.