The Fellowship Forum

Today we watched a 30 minute segment on Gentrification and it’s impact on the people that are affected by it.  Rather than post our fabulous discussion on it or try to summarize the video, please read Bob Lupton’s article here.

by Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni is a gifted story teller. That is probably an understatement.  His book format is simple.  The first half masterfully illustrates his hypotheses (usually insightful business principles), and the later half detail out specifically what the business principles are and how to apply them.  Don’t be tempted to skip to the back half of the book.  The narrative fleshes out the application of the principles which provides nessary context, and the front half proves a quick read.

In the 5 dysfunctions book, Lencioni shows a five tier pyrimod of a broken executive team, discusses how those levels interact and posits ways for team leaders to take the dys out of dysfunction.  According Lencioni, teams fail to reach their potential because they experience:

1. An absence of trust (due to invulnerability) which leads to …
2. A fear of conflict (as it tries to maintain an artificial harmony) which leads to…
3. A lack of commitment (allowing the team to accept ambiguity) which leads to…
4. An avoidance of accountability (drawing the team toward low standards) which leads to…
5. An Inattention to results (as team members focus on individual status and personal ego).

This is not the impossible death spiral it may sound like. In fact, as team leaders, we have a great amount of input into the reversal of these negative possibilities of a group.  We can foster groups that “trust one another, … engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas, [that] commit to decisions and plans…, [that] hold one another accountable…, [and that] focus on the achievement of collective results.” (p.190).

Patrick finish his book with many suggestions that are very pragmatic and achievable for combating these 5 dysfunctions.  From developing trust and understanding to encouraging accountability and fostering an environment of results orientation, several application principles are drawn out for each of the dysfunctions.  The starting point for a leader lies in vulnerability and honesty. All of the suggestions in team development depend on the development of trust, and the first step for any leader is to step out in front and risk for the sake of the team.

This is a great read for those that lead a team.  If you are taking on a new leadership role, then this book is important to read early in your new leadership role.  Most of us work with others as a team, so nearly everyone can benefit from this book.  I would recommend this book to every one of our staff members as a simple and yet profound book that can help us all work more efficiently and graciously to build the Kingdom of God in people’s lives.

Book information: ISBN-10: 0787960756, ISBN-13: 978-0787960759, 240 pgs, published by Jossey-Bass

Buy it from: Amazon, Barnes, or from Patrick himself (he’d appreciate it).

Last Forum, we used Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  It was impossible to take notes during the discussion, and rather than making a few notes I thought I’d try something new.  The book review.  So check out the book reviews of both the book we discussed in the Forum and The Four Obessions of an Extraordinary Executive by the same author.