Patrick Lencioni’s “The Advantage”

Lencioni deals extensively with principles of teamwork in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. He focuses on five major themes critical to creating an effective leadership team, the starting point for the pursuit of any organisational strategy, especially one that can quickly adapt to new circumstances or opportunities:

• Building trust, typically based on candor, respect, transparency, and even vulnerability, among the senior leaders of an organisation
• Mastering constructive conflict, expecting and even demanding it as part of regular leadership team interactions in an “iron sharpening iron” way
• Achieving commitment, even in the face of disagreement, with continuous reinforcement and affirmation of alignment toward specific priorities and objectives
• Embracing accountability, enforced not only by senior leadership but also between peers in an open and candid manner
• Focusing on results, with a focus on what the overall organisation is pursuing, and with the flexibility to consider multiple, not single, important goals

This is the heart of any strategic plan, and is all about getting very sharp and well-shared answers to a list of powerful organisational questions. Lencioni boils this down to six:

• Why do we exist? (our “mission”)
• How do we behave? (our “core values”)
• What do we do? (a summary of our basic organisational operating model)
• How will we succeed? (our fundamental strategy)
• What is most important right now? (our immediate, highest priority focus area)
• Who must do what? (how we are dividing up our work, pursuing our goals, holding one another accountable)

Communications is a fundamental management responsibility, and the “over communicating” idea is an intentional one for Lencioni. It is simply impossible to communicate clear organisational direction, priorities, values and its fundamental purpose too frequently. Here are some basic principles that Lencioni mentions:

• Focus on the “Big Idea”. Don’t overcomplicate the messaging, or even overdesign it. Let the few biggest ideas dominate.
• Repeat these messages. A lot. Using many different platforms and voices. Repeat them some more.
• Look for rapid feedback opportunities, ideally at the same time that communications about updates, progress, priorities are happening
• Communicate face-to-face, versus depending on only remote, impersonal, or electronic communications. Communications through larger group settings helps to unify the message and streamline the time required. Email is a truly horrible substitute for assuming that real communication has taken place
• Look for opportunities to communicate key ideas and messages from multiple angles, even using the organisational “rumor mill” in constructive ways. Communications should be top down, but also peer-to-peer

That can include solid staffing (both for capacity and expertise); an effective organisational structure that enhances accountability and communication; and even softer “style” initiatives that enhance a culture of health and transparency. The big idea here is how you can use your human systems to reinforce the behavior and health that you’re targeting. That can include critical systems like:

• Hiring
• Training
• Performance management
• Leadership development
• Incentives, recognition
• Necessary staff separation/firing