I. Brief Summary
This book was recommended to me by my boss at Builders Vision. His management style is inspired by the ethos from this book. Using a compelling narrative about a company in crisis, Patrick Lencioni provides practical tips on identifying key traits in job interviews and fostering them on your current team.
II. Big Ideas
- The book opens with a story about a new CEO taking over a family construction business. Facing impending deadlines and a dysfunctional staff, he must rapidly align his current team and hire new talent at every level to ensure the company's survival.
- The three key traits of an ideal team player:
- Humble: This person lacks excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own.
- Hungry: This person is self-motivated and diligent. They are constantly looking for more responsibility and rarely have to be pushed to work harder by a manager.
- Smart: This refers to “people smarts,” not just intellect. This person has strong common sense regarding people, instinctively understanding how their words and actions impact the team.
- The author categorizes people based on combination of these virtues:
- 0 for 3: Disaster
- 1 for 3:
- Pawn: Pleasant, kind-hearted, and unassuming individuals.
- Bulldozer: Determined to get things done, but focused on their own interests.
- Charmer: Can “play the game,” but lack humility to care about people or the team, and don’t have hunger to contribute.
- 2 for 3:
- The accidental mess maker: Humble and hungry, but not smart.
- The lovable slacker: Humble and smart, but not hungry.
- The skillful politician: Hungry and smart, but not humble.
- 3 for 3: The ideal team player
- Insecurity is presented as a core reason why people fail to be ideal team players, as it leads to either arrogance or a lack of self-worth.
III. Quotes
- I believe that teamwork is not a virtue, but rather a choice. It's a strategic decision and an intentional one, which means that it's not for everyone.
- Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot.
- Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. — C.S. Lewis
- It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.
- Humble is pretty obvious. We can't abide big egos. Hungry is all about working hard and being passionate about our work. And smart has to do with being aware of the people around you and dealing with them in a positive, functional way.
- Look for the candidate to demonstrate a genuine appreciation for others who have more skill or talent. Humble people are comfortable with this. Ego-driven people often are not.
- We need to hire people who are hungry. They go beyond what is required. Passionate about the work they're doing.
- So many people there are so concerned about being socially conscious and environmentally aware, but they don't give a second thought to how they treat the guy washing their car or cutting their grass.
- 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 five behavioral manifestations of teamwork: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and results.
- Many people will try to get a job even if they don't fit the company's stated values, but very few will do so if they know that they're going to be held accountable, day in and day out, for behavior that violates the values.
- No one is perfect. Even a person who is humble, hungry, and smart occasionally has a bad day, or a bad week, or even a bad time in their life.
- An insecure person with low self-worth may be too passive to advocate for their own ideas or point out team shortcomings, hindering progress.