Last week I finished a couple of books by Patrick M. Lencioni. Lencioni writes books for people in positions of leadership in businesses and other organizations. His books are very quick reads. I can finish most in an hour or two (one plane ride), and they have an interesting format. This first part of the book is a “leadership fable” in which he writes a fictional story about a problem in a business or organization that is resolved through applying the principles that Lencioni wants to teach. After the fable, he explains the principles or methods used to resolve the problem.
A couple of years ago, I read The Five Dysfunctions of A Team. It was helpful is diagnosing some problems in the team that I was leading and also to begin some steps toward resolution. He has pyramid model of how a team should function has Trust as the foundation. I think Love and Grace are foundational to trust, but beyond that difference, his model is very good.
Last week, I read Death by Meeting and Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars. The fable in Death by Meeting seemed a bit contrived but was interesting enough. It was helpful in an area where I have great difficulty which is directing and facilitating a meeting. Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars was more interesting both as a story and in the principles it presented. The interest is partly do to some recent and past experiences and things that I have seen in an organization for which a co-worker had done consulting work.
If you lead a team, business, or organization, Patrick M. Lencioni has some good principles that might help. A warning: Some of his books contain profanity. I won’t say mild, because mild is in the eyes of the beholder, and for some of us, there is not such thing as mild profanity. Also, as with anything, the principles that he teaches have to be compared to the Bible to see if they are what a believer should practice.
