This week I am honored and fired up to be speaking with Patrick Lencioni.  Pat is the founder of The Table Group, author of 11 books which have sold over five million copies, and one of the world’s leading experts in team performance and organizational health.  His mega-bestselling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, is one of the best books ever written on the subject and continues to be on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list, even 16 years after it was released.  His latest book is called The Ideal Team Player.

In this interview, Pat talks about what got him interested in the subject of teamwork and leadership, gives a glimpse into writing his writing process, and shares some specific tips that allow leaders and teams to thrive.  We also talk about how to create a culture where people put the needs of the team, organization, and vision above their own, and why vulnerability is key to trust.

Key Takeaways:

[3:31] Pat discusses the two seminal experiences that interested him to seek a path working in leadership and organizational health. The first was in his youth witnessing his dad complain about the management at his own job, and the second was working at a management firm and seeing the need to fix dysfunction from the inside out before adding even more projects to the list.

[4:56] The Five Dysfunctions of a Team came out in 2002; Pat explains why his books tend to sell better over time. They are short, compelling, and there are truth and soundness in the model. People discover that the methods work and spread the information by word of mouth.

[6:53] Pat has been a writer from his early adolescent days, and he was the first to go to college in his family. He took his love of writing to creating and developing books where he could help others and give them permission to be authentic.

[12:01] The team’s performance is what matters most. We must care about the team’s overall performance first and foremost and yet it is common for employees to defend their own department.

[14:13] There are moments where we do need to defend our team because we think it is for the overall good of the mission. The key is to be transparent about the need to defend your department and upfront about why you feel this way.

[17:19] We build trust by showing others that we are vulnerable and take accountability for our actions. It is important to create a culture where leadership displays vulnerability for others to model and show that it does get rewarded.

[20:12] Pat names his company’s core values, which he later discovered were the prerequisites to overcoming the five dysfunctions: Be humble, hungry to go above and beyond, and smart about how you treat people and how it impacts them.

[23:37] When it comes to organizational health and a culture that breeds pride, just because it’s not quantifiable or tangible doesn’t mean it’s doesn’t make a huge difference.

[31:39] We must slow down to go fast. The more we detach from our adrenaline addiction, the more time and space we have to create the life we really want.

[35:42] Pat got sage advice early on to not let work get in the way of his family and involvement at home.

Resources:

Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work and gain access to bonus material

Mike Robbins Website

Mike Robbins Podcast

Mike Robbins on Facebook

Mike Robbins on Twitter

Mike Robbins on Instagram

Pat Lencioni

The Table Group

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, by Patrick Lencioni

The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues, by Patrick Lencioni