the five dysfunctions of a team cliff notes

They just need to be heard, and to know that their input was considered and responded to. … Most reasonable people don’t have to get their way in a discussion. But that isn’t how it usually works, and so consensus becomes an attempt to please everyone.

I mean, if everyone really agrees on something and consensus comes about quickly and naturally, well that’s terrific. P.94: When people don’t unload their opinions and feel like they’ve been listened to, they won’t really get on board. I’d trade that false kind of harmony any day for a team’s willingness to argue effectively about an issue and then walk away with no collateral damage.

But if it comes only as a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, then it’s a bad thing. Harmony itself is good, I suppose, if it comes as a result of working through issues constantly and cycling through conflict. It’s the lack of conflict that’s a problem. P.88: Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think. He calls the team’s center into his office to talk with him one-on-one about the first half, and then he does the same with the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, and the power forward, without any of them knowing what everyone else was talking about. P.83: Imagine a basketball coach in the locker room at half-time. P.79: Revenue, expenses, new customer acquisition, current customer satisfaction, employee retention, market awareness, and product quality. Even the most trusting teams mixed it up a lot… Why do you suppose there is so little passionate discussion or debate among this group? P.46: Every effective team I’ve ever observed had a substantial level of debate. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal. P.44: Great teams do not hold back with one another… They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. The fact remains that teams, because they are made up of imperfect human beings, are inherently dysfunctional. P.vii: If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry in any market, against any competition, at any time.

The five dysfunctions of a team cliff notes