Patrick Lencioni has done it again. His latest book, The Ideal Team Player, is brief and brilliant.
In this fable, followed by a model outline, Lencioni shares a hiring secret of his own company, The Table Group, and shows us that we can apply this to any team. They look for three virtues that they’ve learned are essential for any team player.
The three virtues are:
Humble: Humble people are not meek folks with low self-esteem, but rather they share credit, emphasize team over self, and are never arrogant, because they care more about organizational goals than personal goals. The Group Dynamic equivalent – the Humble team player is one who is consistently at levels 3 and 4 on the Four Levels of Maturity.
Hungry: Hungry people work hard. They don’t need to be asked to deliver; instead, they habitually look for more work and go above and beyond. They don’t do this for self-gain, or allow work to consume their identity, but they do have great ambition. The Group Dynamic blog post that covers this concept is Leaders Do – And Teach – These Two Keys to Success.
Smart: Ideal team players are people-smart – they understand how their actions affect others, and are conscious of feelings; they ask the right questions and have high emotional intelligence. In Group Dynamic writings, this concept is best expressed when we talk about the leader’s mindset of meeting needs.
The Table Group has learned that every team member needs to display these three virtues. And, if someone doesn’t, it is possible to lead and coach them to a better place.
This is important, because if your team members lack 1 or 2 of these qualities, they can damage the team. For example, someone who is only Hungry can be an insensitive ambitious bulldozer. And someone who lacks Hunger and is only Humble and Smart can become the “lovable slacker”.
There are great resources available online from The Table Group, and I encourage you to check them out, and even buy the book.*
*Disclaimer: items purchased through this link may result in a small commission for me.
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