Quotes from Patrick Lencioni

Conflict is nothing more than an anxious situation that needs to be resolved.

Scare People with Sincerity

The healthier an organization is, the more of its intelligence it is able to tap into and use.

I think we need to start having a Headline News every day, for five minutes. We could call it a Daily Check-in or something. That means we should get together in a conference room, standing up, and just announce what we're all doing.

A rigid, one-size-fits-all approach usually ends up fitting no one

Instead of asking candidates to self-assess a given behavior or characteristic related to humility, hunger, or people smarts, ask them what others would say about them. For example, instead of asking someone if he considers himself to be a hard worker, ask him "How would your colleagues describe your work ethic?

avoid, as much as possible, telling clients what they would do if they were to be hired; instead, they just start serving them as though they were already a client. And

We have a strong and natural tendency to look out for ourselves before others, even when those others are part of our families and our teams.

so I just go into sales meetings with the idea that I'm going to find a way to help them in some meaningful way. Then

Teams have to eliminate ambiguity and interpretation when it comes to success.

Why matrix organizational structures became so popular I'm not really sure. There is certainly an element of flexibility and collaboration suggested by them, but in reality they are forums for confusion and conflict. They have certainly not contributed to the breakdown of silos; they've merely added an element of schizophrenia and cognitive dissonance for employees who are unlucky enough to report into two different silos.

By demonstrating generosity and trust, you drastically increase the likelihood of making them a client, not to mention proving to them that you can help them.

When players on a team stop caring about the scoreboard, they inevitably start caring about something else.

Second, and this is certainly related, those executives don't see the company's reason for existing as having any practical implications for the way they make decisions and run the organization.

erring on the side of the client when it comes to fees. Because you're interested in a long-term relationship with a client, it is in your best interest to show them that you are more focused on helping them than you are in maximizing your short-term revenue.

There is always that little voice in your head saying, "What about me?" Sometimes that little voice drowns out the cry of the team, and the collective results of the group get left behind.

All too often in life, we see people do what we want them to do and we say nothing, assuming that the behavior has become natural for them, an easy standard.

The key ingredient to building trust is not time. It is courage.

Employees know that they ultimately pay the price when their manager doesn't get along with or cooperate with managers of other departments, leaving the staff to navigate the treacherous and bloody waters of organizational politics.

When it comes to establishing a norm for a team, a measure of judgment is required of a leader. While there is no doubt that the person in charge must set the tone based on a personal belief about what will lead to the best results for the organization, the leader also needs to take into account the capabilities and attitudes of the staff members. This is something of a balancing act.

The key to all of this, then, is to teach team members to get comfortable being exposed to one another, unafraid to honestly say things like "I was wrong" and "I made a mistake" and "I need help" and "I'm not sure" and "you're better than I am at that" and yes, even "I'm sorry.

Tell me about the most important accomplishments of your career." Look for more mentions of we than I.

Team Effectiveness Exercise. This exercise requires team members to identify the single most important contribution that each of their peers makes to the team, as well as the one area that they must either improve upon or eliminate for the good of the team.

The most unhappy people in a company are the ones who don't fit the culture and are allowed to stay. They know they don't belong. Deep down inside they don't want to be there. They're miserable.