What does it really mean to be a team player and what does that even have to do with starting an online business?

Does a new online business owner really even need a team to succeed?

Why does a team succeed or fail?

Patrick Lencioni, author of the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” explains:

I’m giving a training today in our executive meeting about the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team”.

What are the Five Dysfunctions of a Team?

1. The Absences of Trust
2. The Fear of Conflict
3. The Lack of Commitment
4. The Unwillingness to Hold One Another Accountable
5. The Inattention to Results

This book is specifically targeted to executives but it has been used by schools, churches, sports teams, and other groups to help build and improve their team. The book was written about an executive team.

What is politics in business?

Politics is “…when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.” I call this a “Yes Man!”

Building trust is a must to avoid politics.

A true leader has to call out “passive aggressive” or “political” comments.

A new leader on a team is tempted to not let people see them sweat; they want to be perfect. When people see that the leader has strengths and weaknesses and is willing to show both of them, trust is easier to develop.

Meetings have to be focused!

“All of my ideas come from the real world…and are very simple.” – Patrick Lencioni

The Staff of Decision Tech

• Jeff Shanley – former CEO, now head of business development, a natural networker who was
  effective at raising money and recruiting talent, but management was a different story.
• Michele “Mikey” Bebe – head of marketing, known as a brand building genius, but the least
  popular person on the Decision Tech team.
• Martin Gilmore – head of engineering and the designer of the Decision Tech flagship
  product. His lack of engagement had become an irritation to the others on the team.
• Jeff Rollins (JR) – a prototypical sales person who rarely followed through on commitments.
• Carlos Amador – a very engaged, thoughtful contributor. Though his customer support role
  was not “fully developed,” he took responsibility for product quality.
• Jan Mersino – as CFO, she was a key player at Decision Tech – a company with plans to go
  public.
• Nick Farrell – his undefined role didn’t match his impressive title – COO. Given the
  company’s slow start, he had little meaningful day to day work. He saw himself as the only
  executive on the team with the ability to take over the CEO role.

Setting the Stage for the Off-Site

“We have a more experienced and talented executive team than any of our competitors. We have more cash than they do. Thanks to Martin and his team, we have better core technology. And we have a more powerful board of directors. Yet in spite of all that, we are behind two of our competitors in terms of both revenue and customer growth. Can anyone tell me why that is?”

The off-site had one ultimate purpose – to build a team that achieves results.

The Power of Team Work

The ultimate problem with dysfunctional teams is an “inattention to results.”

Poorly functioning teams are populated by individuals who seek recognition and attention at the expense of corporate results. Great teams work together for the greater purpose of winning. Team work is a competitive advantage given the fact that most teams are collections of individual performers.

Effective teams find ways to work together to accomplish the results that lead to outstanding profits.

The Team Health Checklist

(click on the image to see a bigger view)

“Teamwork ultimately comes down to practicing a small set of principles over a long period of time. Members of functional teams overcome the natural tendencies that make trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and a focus on results so elusive.”

– Patrick Lencioni

Moller Marketing Review

I listened to this book on CD and really liked it overall. It starts off a bit slow and takes a bit of time to develop, but I was really able to see how the recognizing and working on these five dysfunctions of a team can drastically improve company morale and productivity.

I recognized how I have traits that I can improve on to better support the team I’m a part of.

I realized that trust, or the lack thereof, is something I struggle with. It leads to lack of respect and ultimately, lack of commitment and motivation.

One question I had that needed clarified was that Nick had moved his family from the Mid-West. However, he also said he played high school basketball against Kathryn’s husband’s team, which was in California. So my question is, did Nick once live in California, move to the Mid-West, and then come back, or did they mess up the character development?

Any ideas or feedback?