The Uncomfortable Truth

Why Teams Fail

Neil Patel

-Helen Keller

“Alone we can do so little,

together we can do so much."

It’s a surprising fact the reason why most new businesses fail is not

because of product/market fit, finances or using the wrong technology,

it’s because the team members do not get on with

each other.

What would you do if someone took credit for all your work, would you

confront him or her risking a confrontation or not say anything at all, which

would build up resentment?

On of the best books on this subject is called The Five

Dysfunctions of a Team – by Patrick M Lencioni.

Originally released in 2002

the author explains reasons why teams fail by telling a

story about a new CEO facing a team is such disarray

that it threatens to bring down the entire company.

This presentation explains

the 5 main reasons why teams fail, some of this may be

very obvious to you but in reality very difficult to

implement.

1. Absence of Trust

● Team members are not open with one

another about their mistakes and

weaknesses because of fear of reprisals.

● Results will not be achievable without trust in

the team.

2. Fear of conflict

2. Fear of Conflict

Team members feel uncomfortable when it

comes to confrontation. By not confronting

this situation, it can damage relationships in

the long-term.

3. Lack of Commitment

If a decision needs to be made and certain

team members have not been consulted or

their opinion not even listened to, it will have a

detrimental effect in reaching goals and targets.

4. Avoidance of accountability

Even the most focused and driven people often

hesitate to call their peers on actions and

behaviors that seem counterproductive to the

good of the team.

5. Inattention of results

Failure to hold one another accountable

creates an environment where team members

put their individual needs or even the needs of

their division above the collective goals of the

team.

Ways to overcome this

Take each team members into a room and ask them what the goal and

objectives of the project is, if you get five completely different views then is

the problem and you know something’s not right. You then have to

communicate to everyone within the rest of the organisation.

1. Make sure everyone is going in the

right direction

In a recent podcast Tim Ferris the author of the best selling 4-hour work

week and serial investor, has ways to check if he wants to work with a

team before investing. He takes them for a drink to see if there is a fit. Also

do they pass the shopping mall test i.e. if you saw this person in a

shopping mall would you look the other way or greet them.

He believes that if the investment does go wrong and most investments in

start-ups do go wrong, do you really want to spend that time working with

someone you don’t actually like.

2. The experts view

3. Hackathons

A great way to spend time with someone you are thinking of working with in the

future is to attend a hackathon. A hackathon is a gathering where developers,

designers, marketers and entrepreneurs come together to work on projects and

come up with a business ideas over a short period of time, usually over a

weekend.

By spending a short and intense amount of time together is a great way of

accessing each other strengths and weaknesses to see if there’s a good

working relationships.

Final Thoughts

--Ken Blanchard

"None of us is as smart as all of us."

Final Thoughts

If you work in a business or a start-up where things don’t always go the way

you’d expect them. Read this book; making teams work involves a considerable

investment of time and energy.

Because as human beings we are complicated and flawed but by using this

simple framework, it is possible you can get your team rowing in the same

direction.

By getting everyone working in the same direction you can monopolize any

industry, in any market against any competition.

Thanks For watching & lets connect!

Twitter @neilp666

www.neilpatel.co

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick M. Lencioni

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0787960756/ref=rdr_ext_tmb