I was reminded a couple of times recently about a great book I first read some time ago while in grad school – the 5 disfunctions of a team by Patrick Lencioni. It really is a great way of looking at how underlying dysfunctions will prevent a team from reaching its full potential, and it provides practical strategies to address and overcome these dysfunctions and become much more high performing.

How do you and your leadership team stack up on these?

1. Absence of Trust: Do you have a foundation of trust among the leadership team. Is there vulnerability among your peers? Do you all openly admit mistakes, weaknesses, or lack of knowledge. Without a foundational base of trust, the other dysfunctions can become much more prevalent.
2. Fear of Conflict: Do you have transparent, passionate debates and/or constructive disagreements about concerns and issues?
3. Lack of Commitment: Do you work through different opinions or disagreements? If not, you likely will have a team commitment challenge.
4. Avoidance of Accountability: Do you have clear plans that every team member is focused on and responsible for? Accountability by all is a must.
5. Inattention to Results: When team members aren’t held accountable, they often put their agendas ahead of the collective results of the team. This dysfunction is often a result of the prior dysfunctions 1-4 being systemic.

This way of looking at how a leadership team will – or will not – work well together is something I have used over the years to help make positive change happen.