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,

Part 2 of 6 By Al Mills Absence of Trust Key Symptom:  Invulnerability Lencioni’s first dysfunction of a team is the absence of trust.  It’s the foundational truth that drives any of us in any sort of team or relational environment.  An absence of trust will ruin every relationship, every team, and every organization it invades. Absence of trust means one can never trust another’s motives, believe what they say, or count on them to