People talk about high performing teams as though they are common in the workplace. I don’t know about you, but I’ve only been a part of one in my whole career. And I’ve been on more than plenty of the opposite type. Not only were they not high performing, they were downright dysfunctional. You know the type–like the ones described by Patrick Lencioni in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I’m sure you’ve been on those too!
It seems like a miracle after being in the workplace for over 30 years that I encountered few high performing teams. Sometimes it was due to an ineffective manager and oftentimes, it had a lot to do with specific team members who seemed to enjoy creating an environment that made it more challenging to show up every day. The end results were often the best people leaving and the instigators staying, and a lot of lost time for everyone.
As an organizational development consultant, I’ve worked with a lot of teams that really needed help. They had these same dysfunctional characteristics and many times, I thought we were only putting on band-aids and these teams needed so much more. Now don’t get me wrong, there have been the really dysfunctional teams and many others who were on their way of joining the miserable club. But having been on the “best team of my life,” I’m on a quest to help develop more of what I experienced while working for the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii on the “dream team.”
That’s why I’m so excited that we’ve been selected as an authorized partner for the The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™. This is the result of the partnership between Wiley Workplace Learning Solutions and best-selling author Patrick Lencioni. Now we have a team development program with a simple goal—to help team members understand, embrace, and put into practice The Five Behaviors.
Imagine your current team as you watch this video clip and tell me if you can relate to the “As Is” state and appreciate the difference when team members work together to develop into an awesome team: http://www.fivebehaviors.com/includes/video/intro_to_5_behaviors.html
Wouldn’t it be great if all teams embraced The Five Behaviors? Wouldn’t it be awesome if yours did and your boss participated? If your boss or you (if you are the boss) are considering just leaving things as they are so another leader can deal with it, think again. This is a legacy that every boss should build, just like Paul Lister did for us at the Chamber. I will never forget his leadership and the experience of being part of high performing team. It doesn’t have be to a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it should be an every day one!
Listen to how Lencioni explains why this is the most important endeavor for a leader: http://www.fivebehaviors.com/includes/video/patrick_lencioni.html
There’s never been a better time than ever for The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team! Don’t you agree?
Cathi Hight