LEARN TO EARN

Today, this article is based on the fabulous book written by Patrick Lencioni. The book is “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team- A LEADERSHIP FABLE”. The article is not entirely dependent on this book. It gives a little idea about the book and rest is my thoughts.

We have already given an article on LEADERSHIP. And we all know what LEADERSHIP is and how important this is. So, let’s not waste any time and quickly move onto the five dysfunctions.

• LACK of TRUST AMONG TEAM MEMBERS
• FEAR of CONFLICT
• LACK of COMMITMENT
• AVOIDANCE of ACCOUNTABILITY
• INATTENTION to RESULTS

So, let’s talk about the first dysfunction- “LACK OF TRUST AMONG TEAM MEMBERS”. This is a very serious problem because it leads to next dysfunction. Suppose if our Indian Cricket Team members don’t trust each other. What will happen in this scenario? Answer is quiet simple; the team will lose every match. Similarly, for any organization to become successful, its members must trust each other. If they don’t trust each other; they will hesitate in asking for help and they will never tell each other about their flaws.

 This distrust leads to next dysfunction-“FEAR OF CONFLICT”. Due to this, team members hesitate to share their views on a particular topic, and they say ‘ÝES’, even when they don’t agree with a particular business model. Hence, no new ideas come around. This one kills the creativity. And the team members agree on a particular thing not because they actually like that idea, but this is because they are trying to avoid a conflict that might happen on their disagreement. Just to maintain the harmony. How would such a team succeed? And again this dysfunction leads to next one, which is, “LACK OF COMMITMENT”. This lack of commitment, according to me is the most miserable thing that can happen to a team. Because if your team is not ready to commit, then how in the name of god you are going to succeed. Having a bunch of people as a team who are not committed to your goal or mission is just useless. So, select those who are ready to commit. Because you are the team leader and everything is basically in your hands, because you are the one who is leading.

This again leads to next dysfunction-“AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY”. Due to this, the team members are not ready to take risks with the whole team. They are not ready to tolerate the interpersonal discomforts that they might face while working as a team. And this one again leads to next dysfunction, which is “INATTENTION TO RESULTS”. The members who are inattentive to the results don’t care about the mission or the collective goal of the team. They only care about their personal benefits. They care more about their personal achievements. So as a team leader, you tell me, is such a person needed in your team? Would you prefer a selfish person who don’t give a damn to your mission and only cares about his/her personal growth? Obviously, the answer is no. No one wants such people as their team members.

So, as a team leader, it’s your sole duty to make a team, whose members trust each other. I believe that if we succeed in making a team of loyal members, who are loyal to themselves as well as to the team, is sufficient enough to avoid all other dysfunctions. What are your thoughts regarding this, write in comment section.