Stuff That Matters In Life

Thom Rainer mentioned this book in one of his podcasts. He didn’t talk about it, he just mentioned that it was a good book. Since it was available at the library, I read it.  If it wasn’t free to read, I don’t think I would’ve bought it. Not that it’s not a good book but it’s not a topic that I would’ve wanted to invest money in. I did want to read it though, because much of what we do in life, in fact almost everything, is teamwork.

After reading the book, I searched Youtube for Patrick Lenioni’s lectures. He’s a great speaker. Also found out he’s Catholic, which makes sense given some Christian references in the book. His company is a consulting firm for many companies and organizations, including churches.

The book starts with a fable to display how the 3 characteristics of an ideal team player is played out in a construction company. That made it more interesting and faster to read. Lencioni starts off by saying that the 3 characteristics of the ideal team player is simple and obvious. But when explained the way how the 3 interacted together, it was very insightful.

So the 3 characteristics are Hungry, Humble, and Smart – people smart.

There is always room to grow in all areas. But if anyone is deficient in an area, it would affect the entire team. If everyone on the team is an ideal team player according to the definition, productivity would excel as well as having an ideal environment to work in. The idea is not to fire people who come up short, or to label people a certain way. It is a helpful way to pinpoint ways to help people grow that would be most effective.

This is a good framework to use to see how I can grow and help those I work with to grow. It’s simple enough to remember, which I think is Lencioni’s intent, yet can have maximum impact.