How Can You Find the Right People for a High-Performing Team?
Patrick Lencioni answers this tricky question in his book, ‘The Ideal Team Player.’
Patrick Lencioni answers this tricky question in his book, ‘The Ideal Team Player.’
I am a true believer that what differentiates thriving companies from the rest is their people. It’s not about the technology, business model, or any other advantages. It’s all about the people and how they work together. No business advantage can prevail without the right people. The tricky question is, how can we find identify the high-performers? Stick with me, and I will get you there.
Jim Collins once said: “Look, I don’t really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then we’ll figure out how to take it someplace great.”
Recently, I read another book by Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player. It’s fascinating how Patrick can turn complex problems into simple concepts. I admire his writing style, it’s engaging, and you can learn quickly from it. In my opinion, The Ideal Team Player is a masterpiece because it helps us understand what virtues high-performers have.
Let me share with you what I learned from this book. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have a clear picture of what makes someone an ideal team player.
(Note: The link mentioned in this article is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase these books through these links, it will help me earn a small amount of money — at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)
What Are the Key Traits of an Ideal Team Player?
When I first thought of what makes someone an ideal team player, my mind traveled far away. I thought about too many details and complex skills. My thoughts overwhelmed me. Inevitably, I fell into the analysis paralysis. But is it that complicated to identify an ideal team player? Actually, not.
Patrick Lencioni defines three essential virtues to search for: hungry, humility, and smartness. You may think that’s not enough; it’s too simple. Well, actually, that’s brilliant. Simplicity is the key to this concept. Let me explain to you why. First, we have to understand what is the meaning of each virtue:
Hungry: professionals who want to progress in their careers. They are passionate about what they do. They don’t need someone else to motivate them because they are self-motivated and eager to develop themselves.
Humility: everyone is equal. Humble people treat every the same way no matter their hierarchy level. These people don’t have an inflated ego. They leave their ego at the door when they go to work.
People Smart: knowing how to collaborate is vital in any team. People smart is close to emotional intelligence, meaning that you care about how others feel and why they feel like that. Before you act, you think if it’s a good way to collaborate with your colleagues.
The combination of these three virtues together makes a person an ideal team player. However, if you can’t observe some of these virtues, the person won’t be the high-performer you are searching for. The ideal team player presents all three characteristics combined.
The ability to identify ideal team players is critical to form high-performing teams. Great leaders know how to find the right people for their teams.
“Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot.”
― Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues
What Does the Lack of Hungry, Smartness, or Humility Lead To?
Patrick Lencioni makes crystal clear what happens when someone lacks one or more ideal team player virtues. His explanation makes total sense, and it helped me understand why some people behave as they do. The following image summarizes the different combinations.
Let me guide you throughout the six possible variations;
The Pawn: when the person is humble but lacks hunger and people smarts, she is like a pawn. She exists but doesn’t strive for progress and also lacks empathy with others. She does as she is told, nothing more, nothing less.
The Bulldozer: if someone is hungry but neither humble nor smart, it’s a dangerous combination. This person strives for progress, and she wants to grow in her career. Yet, she doesn’t care about the others, nor is she humble. People have a hard time working with team players like this.
The Charmer: a person who is emotionally intelligent but lacks hunger and humility is a charmer. The others may like working with her, but she is neither eager to learn more nor humble to treat everyone the same.
The Lovable Slacker: humility, in addition to people smarts, is a tricky combination because when hunger is missing, a lack of progress is presented. Still, team players like working with lovable slackers. They are humble and empathize with others but are low-achievers.
The Accidental Mess-maker: Many people are hungry and humble, but they don’t know how to work with the others. The lack of emotional intelligence leads to many misunderstandings with coworkers. Ultimately, nobody wants to work with such people.
The Skillful Politician: I consider this to be the most dangerous combination. People who are hungry and emotionally intelligent tend to grow in their careers. They know what to do to get what they want, yet they are bad for the team because they are not humble. Their individualism is incredibly harmful for the organization.
After understanding such combinations, it became clear to me the consequences of the lack of hunger, emotional intelligence, or humility. Patrick Lencioni perceives humility as the most crucial virtue of all three, though people misunderstand what being humble means.
“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
― Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues
Can Anyone Raise to the Qualities of an Ideal Team Player?
It’s possible to develop any of the virtues of an ideal team player. However, first, the person should desire to improve herself. Without the self-motivation, it’s impossible to evolve. Leaders have to identify who needs to grow and be consequent when the team player perceives differently.
“It’s important not to misread my advice as permission to tolerate people who don’t fit. Too often, leaders know that an employee really doesn’t belong and would be better elsewhere, and they fail to act because they lack courage.”
― Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues
Final Thoughts
The book ‘The Ideal Team Player’ is worth reading. I’d recommend that to everyone. It’s great for self-reflection and a guide on how to identify the potential high-performers for your team.
After reading the book, you will understand how to evaluate the virtues of the ideal team player. It helps you not only to recruit new people but also to evaluate the people you work with.