The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues (J-B Lencioni Series)

by Patrick Lencioni

real teamwork requires tangible, specific behaviors: vulnerability-based trust, healthy conflict, active commitment, peer-to-peer accountability, and a focus on results.

the three underlying virtues that enable them to be ideal team players: they are humble, hungry, and smart.

The ramifications of all this are undeniable. Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot. They'll be able to build stronger teams much more quickly and with much less difficulty, and they'll significantly reduce the painful and tangible costs associated with politics, turnover, and morale problems. And employees who can embody these virtues will make themselves more valuable and marketable to any organization that values teamwork.

We need to hire people who are hungry. They go beyond what is required. Passionate about the work they're doing. Hungry.”

five behavioral manifestations of teamwork: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results.

For organizations seriously committed to making teamwork a cultural reality, I'm convinced that “the right people” are the ones who have the three virtues in common—humility, hunger, and people smarts. I refer to these as virtues because the word virtue is a synonym for the nouns quality and asset, but it also connotes the idea of integrity and morality.

Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.

The next type is much less dangerous, but still worth understanding. These are the people who lack self-confidence but are generous and positive with others. They tend to discount their own talents and contributions, and so others mistakenly see them as humble.

“Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”

A person who has a disproportionately deflated sense of self-worth often hurts teams by not advocating for their own ideas or by failing to call attention to problems that they see.

What both of these types have in common is insecurity. Insecurity makes some people project overconfidence, and others discount their own talents. And while these types are not equal when it comes to creating problems on a team, they each diminish performance.

Hungry people are always looking for more. More things to do. More to learn. More responsibility to take on. Hungry people almost never have to be pushed by a manager to work harder because they are self-motivated and diligent. They are constantly thinking about the next step and the next opportunity. And they loathe the idea that they might be perceived as slackers. Hungry

some people, hunger can be directed in a selfish way that is not for the good of the team but for the individual. And in some people, hunger can be taken to an extreme where work becomes too important, consuming the identity of an employee and dominating their life. When I refer to hunger here, I'm thinking about the healthy kind—a manageable and sustainable commitment to doing a job well and going above and beyond when it is truly required.

Of the three virtues, this one needs the most clarification because it is not what it might seem; it is not about intellectual capacity. In the context of a team, smart simply refers to a person's common sense about people. It has everything to do with the ability to be interpersonally appropriate and aware. Smart people tend to know what is happening in a group situation and how to deal with others in the most effective way. They ask good questions, listen to what others are saying, and stay engaged in conversations intently.

Some might refer to this as emotional intelligence, which wouldn't be a bad comparison, but smart is probably a little simpler than that. Smart people just have good judgment and intuition around the subtleties of group dynamics and the impact of their words and actions.

There are four primary applications of the ideal team player model within an organization: (1) hiring, (2) assessing current employees, (3) developing employees who are lacking in one or more of the virtues, and (4) embedding the model into an organization's culture.

Debrief Each Interview as a Team

Consider Group Interviews

Make Interviews Nontraditional

example, instead of asking someone if he considers himself to be a hard worker, ask him “How would your colleagues describe your work ethic?” Or instead of asking a candidate if she gets along with her colleagues, ask her “How would your manager describe your relationships with your colleagues?” Or here's an interesting one. Instead of asking someone if he is humble, ask, “If I were to ask your colleagues to assess your level of humility, what would they say?”

One of my favorite ways to ensure that I'm hiring people who are humble, hungry, and smart is to come right out and tell them that these are requirements for the job. It is probably wise to wait until the end of the interviewing process to do this, but it may be the most important part.

Humble “Tell me about the most important accomplishments of your career.”

“What was the most embarrassing moment in your career? Or the biggest failure?”

“How did you handle that embarrassment or failure?”

“What is your greatest weakness?” Yes, this is a tired question, but it's still a great one.

“Tell me about someone who is better than you in an area that really matters to you.”

“What is the hardest you've ever worked on something in your life?”

“What do you like to do when you're not working?” Look out for too many time-consuming hobbies that suggest the candidate sees the job as a means to do other things. That's not to say that there is one specific kind of activity that is an indicator of not being hungry.

Humble Does he genuinely compliment or praise teammates without hesitation? Does she easily admit when she makes a mistake? Is he willing to take on lower-level work for the good of the team? Does she gladly share credit for team accomplishments? Does he readily acknowledge his weaknesses? Does she offer and receive apologies graciously?

Hungry Does he do more than what is required in his own job? Does she have passion for the “mission” of the team? Does he feel a sense of personal responsibility for the overall success of the team? Is she willing to contribute to and think about work outside of office hours? Is he willing and eager to take on tedious and challenging tasks whenever necessary? Does she look for opportunities to contribute outside of her area of responsibility? Smart Does he seem to know what teammates are feeling during meetings and interactions? Does she show empathy to others on the team? Does he demonstrate an interest in the lives of teammates? Is she an attentive listener? Is he aware of how his words and actions impact others on the team? Is she good at adjusting her behavior and style to fit the nature of a conversation or relationship?

Scale: 3 = Usually 2 = Sometimes 1 = Rarely Humble My teammates would say: ______ 1. I compliment or praise them without hesitation. ______ 2. I easily admit to my mistakes. ______ 3. I am willing to take on lower-level work for the good of the team. ______ 4. I gladly share credit for team accomplishments. ______ 5. I readily acknowledge my weaknesses. ______ 6. I offer and accept apologies graciously. ______ Total Humility Score Hungry My teammates would say: ______ 7. I do more than what is required in my own job. ______ 8. I have passion for the “mission” of the team. ______ 9. I feel a sense of personal responsibility for the overall success of the team. ______ 10. I am willing to contribute to and think about work outside of office hours. ______ 11. I am willing to take on tedious or challenging tasks whenever necessary. ______ 12. I look for opportunities to contribute outside of my area of responsibility. ______ Total Hunger Score Smart My teammates would say: ______ 13. I generally understand what others are feeling during meetings and conversations. ______ 14. I show empathy to others on the team. ______ 15. I demonstrate an interest in the lives of my teammates. ______ 16. I am an attentive listener. ______ 17. I am aware of how my words and actions impact others on the team. ______ 18. I adjust my behavior and style to fit the nature of a conversation or relationship. ______ Total Smart Score

Why is this so difficult? I suppose it's because a person who lacks hunger sometimes prefers to be this way, at least in the specific context of a given team. In other words, for some people, being less hungry than others has its benefits. More free time. Less responsibility. More emphasis on other, more preferred activities. That isn't to say that someone who prefers these things is a bad person. But quite often, he is a bad team member. (Yes, I know that sounds politically incorrect, but it's true. Plenty of fun, talented, and friendly people aren't great team players at work because their hunger is directed at activities outside of their jobs.)

All too often, employees struggle to become hungry because they don't understand the connection between what they do and the impact it has on others, be they customers, vendors, or other employees. Asking someone to be a more engaged and invested team member won't do much if that employee doesn't think the work she does matters to someone. And no, wanting to keep her job isn't the kind of motivation that turns a lethargic employee into a lively one. The most effective

the point of praise is not only to reinforce the behavior in that employee, but also to reinforce it in everyone else. Great team leaders won't be afraid to call out a simple act of teamwork when they see it. They'll acknowledge an act of humility, hunger, or people smarts not because they want to be seen as sophisticated or clever managers, but because they want everyone to know exactly what kinds of behavior they expect and appreciate. I've found that, in most cases,

#1: Absence of Trust The fear of being vulnerable with team members prevents the building of trust within the team. #2: Fear of Conflict The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles the occurrence of productive, ideological conflict. #3: Lack of Commitment The lack of clarity and/or the fear of being wrong prevents team members from making decisions in a timely and definitive way. #4: Avoidance of Accountability The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents team members from holding one another accountable for their behaviors. #5: Inattention to Results The desire for individual credit erodes the focus on collective success.