The Ideal Team Player

Lencioni shifts away from the narrative style of “The Fable” toward a more instructional, analytical style. As this section begins, Lencioni further breaks down the concepts discussed in “The Fable,” starting with the three defining traits of a team player: hungry, humble, and smart. He provides analysis for all three and discusses how each of the traits manifest themselves in real-world settings. He then presents the history of how the three-virtue model came into being. The model has its origins in a management consulting firm that Lencioni and some colleagues had started called The Table Group. After using the three values to help define their own culture, soon other companies with whom the group worked wanted to adopt a similar kind of culture built on the three values. After working with various organizations and companies, it became even more clear that for companies that want to make teamwork an integral part of their culture, the three values were a critical component.

Lencioni points to a Venn diagram with each circle representing one of the three traits of a team player. In the middle section where all three circles overlap is the ideal team player. He maintains that these traits are not static, nor are they embedded in one’s DNA. He then breaks down the diagram into categories according to how the circles overlap. He begins by discussing what someone who does not fall into any of the circles is like and proceeds from there. Someone who lacks in all three qualities is highly unlikely to be a team player. For those who exhibit only one of the three qualities, the likelihood of being a good team player is small but possible. Lencioni gives monikers to those who possess only one of the three traits. Those who are only humble are “pawns” and generally do well in workplaces that value harmony. Those who are only hungry are “bulldozers,” and while they are determined, they are usually selfish and can be more easily identified than others. Those who are people smart are charmers, and while their social skills can make them likable, their lack of humility and hunger often leads to them wearing out their welcome. Lencioni follows the same general pattern when he discusses those employees who have two of the three qualities, giving each a name and a corresponding description. After offering a warning to managers to be careful when categorizing employees using the suggested monikers, Lencioni describes the ideal team player who possesses all three attributes.

Lencioni shifts toward ways the model can be applied in real-world situations, beginning with the hiring process. While conceding that it is impossible to fully guarantee that all people hired will possess all three traits, it is crucial to use some form of a screening process to look for them in potential hires. Lencioni provides recommendations on how best to conduct the interview process. He encourages managers to deviate from the traditional interview process in which interviewers simply ask questions of the candidate, as prospective employees can rehearse and prepare for these kinds of interviews. As such, the interviewer is less likely to see if the person possesses all three qualities and to what degree. Lencioni also provides examples of revealing questions that an interviewer can ask and describes how interviewers might interpret possible candidate answers. He mentions that the point of the interview is to determine, as best as possible, if the candidate shows all three of the qualities that comprise a team player.

After discussing the hiring process, Lencioni examines the next application of his model: assessment. The assessment has three possible outcomes: confirmation, further development, and termination from the company. Lencioni advises that letting an employee go should only be the absolute last resort after all efforts to help that person develop their teamwork skills have been exhausted. Assessments are also important for managers as well, and self-evaluation is a useful tool to make sure that leaders are abiding by the same principles they expect from their subordinates. He also recommends that employees perform self-evaluations. While there are exceptions, he asserts that the vast majority of employees will provide honest and accurate reflections. He argues that the most effective line of questioning for self-evaluations is to frame them in terms of how others might view the employee. He provides a sample questionnaire that illustrates the kinds of questions that make for an effective self-evaluation. Lencioni advises against peer evaluations, which he believes are fraught with unintended consequences. Instead, he suggests peer discussions, which are not as formal but can still yield honest and fruitful conversations.

Lencioni transitions into the next application: development. He breaks down how development methods can be applied for those who lack in each of the three qualities. Common across each recommendation is clear and transparent communication and leadership modeling. If a manager seeks a desired behavior, then that manager must emulate that behavior. This is more likely than anything else to get the desired outcome. Lencioni argues that a lack of humility is the most sensitive shortcoming of the three qualities and that, generally, a person lacks humility because they have a deeply rooted self-esteem issue. He also claims that a lack of hunger could be difficult to improve because the person generally ascribes personal benefit to being somewhat lazy at work. He positions smarts somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty correcting.

Lencioni maintains that when it comes to development, a tough-love approach is always best as long as it is respectful and honest. Often, managers are reluctant to openly communicate with struggling employees. Lencioni argues that this is a damaging pattern. Managers must frequently communicate with employees and urge them toward improving in one of the domains. An employee will either make the necessary adjustments or leave the company. The worst-case scenario is for an employee to be let go and feel blindsided by the termination, which could lead to legal issues. Therefore, leaders must be vocal and consistent in their messaging to employees.

The final application is embedding all three values into the culture. In this section, Lencioni lays out the processes by which an organization can accomplish this. Lencioni advises companies to be explicit about their values and to consistently point out when employees exhibit these values. He also urges managers to call out behaviors that run contrary to these values, especially smaller, more subtle violations.

Lencioni closes the book with a short section that examines how the content of this book is compatible with his other book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lastly, Lencioni devotes a section to humility, claiming that it is the greatest of all virtues and that Jesus Christ embodied humility. Lencioni expresses hope that all who read the book will come to appreciate the divine gift of humility.