I’m a big fan of Patrick Lencioni and have read almost all his books. Most of them are in the form of ‘business fables’ - they have a fictional plot through which a particular model related to management or leadership is presented. Each book typically also has a section where the model is also presented in a more conventional manner. I found the books easy to read and a good way of conveying the message that Lencioni is trying to deliver. It’s perhaps not everyone’s cup-of-tea, but it works for me.
The Ideal Team Player is perhaps not his best work, but nevertheless a worthwhile read with some interesting points to make. I wouldn’t start here if you are coming fresh to Lencioni (I would recommend trying Five Dysfunctions of Team first) but if you have read his other books, you’ll likely enjoy this too.
Model
The Three Virtues
- Humility: Humility is the single most important attribute of a team player. Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. The share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually.
- Hunger: Hungry people almost never need to be pushed by a manager to work harder because they are self-motivated and diligent.
- People Smarts: Smart refers to a person’s common sense about people. It is the ability to be interpersonally approriate and aware.
An ideal team player has all three virtues combined. If even one virtue is missing, teamwork becomes much more difficult if not impossible.
- Humble only: The Pawn
- Hungry only: The Bulldozer
- Smart only: The Charmer
- Hungry and Humble, but not Smart: The Accidental Mess-Maker
- Humble and Smart, but not Hungry: The Lovable Slacker
- Hungry and Smart, but not Humble: The Skillful Politician