By Al Mills In 1979 my parents purchased a farmhouse and an orchard field in Nova Scotia.  The house had been empty for a couple of years and it showed.  It was like a time capsule.  In the basement was a large wood furnace and a closet full of preserves in glass bottles (most of which fell victim to plinking sessions).  Dark wainscotting lined the hallways and equally dark were the banister and stairs.  Upstairs

Part 6 of 6 By Al Mills Inattention to Results Key Symptom:  Status and Ego I’m sure there’s not a team out there that wouldn’t become defensive when confronted with a claim that they are not results oriented.  Of course, we are results oriented, but which results, and to what end? Solid teams have absolute clarity about the goals they are pursuing, and hold each other accountable for team related results.  As a dysfunction, inattention

Part 5 of 6 By Al Mills Avoidance of Accountability Key Symptom:  Low Standards The importance of safety and security in relationships and team work is one that’s hard to overstate.  So much practical functionality is built on the matter of trust which is the foundation for teams that function well. When it comes to accountability the issue really becomes acute.  Have you ever had a conversation with someone who recently had Caesar salad, garlic

Part 4 of 6 By Al Mills Lack of Commitment Key Symptom:  Ambiguity I remember one night in high school I was going to a dance and my mother didn’t really want me to, so she told me I had to be home by 10:00 PM.  I assured her I would be home on time, but I knew I had no intention of being home ‘til at least midnight.  I always found it easier to

Part 3 of 6 By Al Mills Fear of Conflict Key Symptom:  Artificial Harmony Moving up the scale on Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions, from the foundational Absence of Trust we move on to Fear of Conflict.  It seems a bit counter-intuitive but until we trust each other, it’s not possible to have constructive conflict.  Without conflict, we just don’t seem to get much done. Lencioni points out in his book that meetings can be like movies,