September 9th - 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: Trust

In my BS program I read the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, so I was looking forward to getting into the followup guide, "Overcoming the FIVE Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide" (Lencioni, 2005). The book starts out with a great one page overview of the 5 dysfunctions.

The first dysfunction is the absence of Trust. It seems to be the most important characteristic a team can have. Trust is the foundation for being able to work together. As Patrick Lencioni says (pg 14), "trust is all about vulnerability." I would agree and as Patrick mentions, people who can admit the truth about themselves are not likely to be counter productive to the team. People have the desire to preserve themselves. However, I believe that this is more than just self-preservation, it comes from selfishness, pride, and fear.

People are selfish by nature and aren't willing to give up what they may have worked hard to achieve or are perceived to be or have. To admit weakness would destroy the facade they've erected, which could impact their job, their future, and the power they have (or are given by others). Also, pride keeps people from being honest and open before others because they don't want to admit their weaknesses and miss the benefits afforded to them by our society which tends to give preference to those that "don't make mistakes," are the "driver," "innovator," and the "strong" or "successful". Fear is another big reason people aren't willing to be honest. People are afraid that if they are perceived as weak, no one will respect them, like them, or give them more opportunities. People are afraid that if they make mistakes, people will look down on them and judge them and the work they do.

The first chapter of this book talks about the use of a couple of tools or methods for helping people break through these mostly self-imposed barriers and start the team on a journey of trust, the Personal Histories Exercise, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). While I haven't experienced the former, I have done the latter. In my Myers-Briggs evaluation I found confirmation that I am an ENTJ/ENFJ. I'm an extrovert, who takes in information from patterns and the big picture and like to focus on future possibilities. I am about even between objective fact based decisions and decisions based on values and subjective evaluation of personal concerns. I like a planned and organized approach, but occasionally like to be spontaneous.

Because I'm a people focused learner I tend to build trust in other's quickly. I find myself willing to accept them for who they are, but the Intuition part of me is always looking forward to the future and how I can make use of that trust, in a positive way, for future gains. I tend to be quite optimistic and ready for whatever challenge comes along - in fact I often volunteer or put myself in situations where I will be uncomfortable and forced to meet or address weaknesses head on. This also tends to make me pretty hard on myself and sometimes others if expected results are not achieved.

My review of this characteristic of trust and my own personal MBTI values has challenged me to be more aware of helping other's gain trust in me and helping my trust of others be a catalyst for team interaction and shared trust. I know that if we can establish an honest vulnerability based trust in our cohort, we will help each other reach our goals in this MBA program.

I suppose the question remains of how I can help our group achieve that. The Ropes course was a really great start, and maybe getting everyone to go through the MBTI would be a good help as well. I know that primarily I can make sure that I'm honest and vulnerable in my communications, willing to listen and encourage others to talk through their concerns, notice and encourage introverts to share their insights at the appropriate times, and do my best to be a good example of a trustworthy person. If I take the path of support for my peers then possibly I can help interject a question in the right moment to enable their growth, or give encouragement where needed to reinforce that our environment is one of safety and trust. I will seek to do these things as we work together and seek to draw more from the instructor in relation to this area of trust.