Dysfunctions of a team… Vulnerability / Trust
I reread a classic book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni during the week. It’s a book about teamwork that I’ve had for a few years now. The book is a theory on how teams work and don’t work. I sometimes wonder how much people understand as to how teams best operate or what a team really is? Anyone who is a part of an organisation or club encounters teamwork so what makes a team great?
Teamwork is really important. I’ve always believed that the ideas of many are much better than the ideas of one. It’s simply that many individuals with unique experiences can bring a lot more to a table than one person. Naturally they have differing views that need to be synthesised to create progress, but the scope is there to create something that generally is greater than the power of a single individual. Of course this requires leadership!
So what are the 5 dysfunctions of a team?
Absence of Trust
Fear of Conflict
Lack of Commitment
Avoidance of Accountability
Inattention to Results
They can also be spun in a positive way - how a team functions best. A team:
Trusts one another
Engages in unfiltered conflict around ideas
Commits to decisions and plans of action
Holds one another accountable
Focus on the achievement of collective results
It sounds so simple but of course it’s not! Each part builds on the next, with trust at the bottom and results at the top. Yet they are all so important.
So where to start with my thoughts? I’ll focus on the first one today: Trust
There is an interesting take in the book on trust. Trust in a traditional sense is trusting that people will behave in ways that they have done in the past… being dependable or reliable.
Yes, this is trust, but there is a second version that is perhaps more pertinent to teams, relationships and perhaps life in general. It’s being open and vulnerable and trusting that one is safe to be this way.
Vulnerability is a key theme that I have been thinking about and encountering a lot lately. How willing am I to be vulnerable? It’s the vulnerability of sharing, of being open, of being able to admit mistakes, of freely expressing ones opinions in a non-judgmental way. It’s exposing a part of oneself where one can be rejected or disliked and being ok with that. It’s about taking chances realising that failure is a possibility. It’s never about being reckless, but it’s about living life to its full.
Vulnerability is so interesting and is a choice in our hands. I can choose to be vulnerable or not.
In my experience, being vulnerable is quite uncomfortable. I have liked to avoid it, but I am trying to be more vulnerable. Yet at the same time as it being uncomfortable, the act of being vulnerable in itself is extremely valuable. Even with the possibility of failure or rejection. A growth mindset helps to get over setback, but it’s the fact that one was vulnerable, that one can learn from the experience rather than avoiding it and living in fear. Vulnerability is in itself is actually liberating! And that feeling is great!
How can we be more vulnerable? It’s expressing our inner selves, our unfiltered thoughts. It’s taking risks especially interpersonal ones. It’s allowing the true me to be seen, letting down my guard and realising that who I am is good enough, a work in progress.
The benefits of vulnerability are immense. Through vulnerability we create true connections. Through vulnerability we allow others to come closer. Through vulnerability we create and grow. Through vulnerability we are able to be ourselves. Vulnerability is about recognising ones weaknesses, deficiencies and shortcomings. It’s being able to make mistakes and owning them and being able to ask for help.
Relating to a team environment, trust is about allowing vulnerability, feeling safe enough that these weaknesses will not be used against the individual. With trust, rather than using valuable energy to protect oneself or manage ones’ own image, it allows is people to focus fully their energy on the task at hand.
How to do this? Well it starts with being able to share personal information, feelings, experiences. It’s giving insight into who one is. It’s also about being able to share ones weaknesses or ask for help.
Here are a few from myself:
I struggle with commitment. I’m not great at making up my mind or making decisions. I rarely treat myself or do nice things for myself. I’m awful at recognising others and expressing gratitude.
If I do commit to something I am very loyal and will see it through and give my all. I love working out concepts and exploring ideas. I am usually quick to understand how things function.