The Five dysfunctions of a Team

Have you ever been in a place or situation that it’s so tense and the air is so thick that you could cut it with a knife? I’ve been there and living it.  I think many people don’t think before they speak, or maybe we just don’t see it coming, but as for me, I have to say that I am thinking more than I speak this day.

This made me think of a book that I read in December of last year, it’s called the Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni.  It’s over 200 pages, and I read it in one sitting because it’s that good.  The book is about a lady by the name of Kathryn Peterson who took a job as Decision Tech’s CEO, she faces the ultimate leadership crisis and has to unite a team that is in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company.  This book defines the dysfunctions of a team, but I think it can also be applied to any relationship, not just work related.

The first dysfunction is absence of trust. Trust is the foundation of real teamwork, and so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another, great teams do not hold back with one another, they are not afraid to air their dirty laundry, they admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal, and the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

The second dysfunction is fear of conflict, if we don’t trust one another then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict, and we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony. The conflict here is not the same as passive, sarcastic comments, and false harmony is a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, and I agreed with the book that I’d trade that false kind of harmony any day for a team’s willingness to argue effectively about an issue and then walk away with no collateral damage.

Change

• Wind of Change by Scorpions

Before I left for Laos, one of my friends told me that the autumn leaves must be real pretty in Laos since it’s fall.  I thought to myself then that we don’t have fall in Laos, but sure enough, these trees leaves start changing color to bright red, I’ve never seen leaves this color before.

One of my co-workers gave me a newsletter to read that she received in the mail written by Adult Specialty Team Life Program, Inc., and I thought it’s interesting and amazed of all the changes.

Change. What does change exactly mean? Change means different things to each of us. Sometimes we realize change may be hard to adapt or easy for others to accept. We begin to change from birth to the day we transition from this earth. As we mature, not only do we change physically, emotionally but psychologically as well. So what I am trying to articulate in an odd manner is change is based on your perception and how you react to the environment based upon life experiences. You learn to cope, deal with, simply ignore or suppress stressors that may have detrimental consequences to your well-being. The important thing to remember about change, it is inevitable.

Let’s look at the United States for instance, things have changed tremendously since the 1900’s. Daily life is totally different from 100 years ago. Here are some interesting facts of the U.S. Statistics for the year 1907:

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian $1,500 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

Ethics

• Return to Innocence by Enigma

I want to talk about something serious today, something that I’ve been reading and that is ethics.

What is ethics?  For some of us, there is a fine line that it’s difficult for us to decide of what to do when facing a decision.  Webster’s Dictionary defines Ethics as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation,” and as “a set of moral principles or values.”  The word moral is defined as “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior.”  Ethics has also been defined as the science of conduct, but ethics is really a philosophy.

The first great ethical philosopher is believed to be Socrates, which Socrates believed that as a foundation, knowledge could provide a system of virtue, and that virtue is knowledge.  I do find fault in this because the belief is saying that a man who knows good is incapable of performing evil.  Of course, most that share this philosophy believe that the most important thing that man can possess is knowledge, and that the most important of all knowledge is knowledge of good.

Then a later group of thinkers came along, they were the utilitarian, and one of their primary focuses was the distinction of law as they felt it should be and law as it actually is.  I do find fault in this because it clearly states the separation of law from morality.

One famous utilitarian named Austin wrote in his “The Province of Jurisprudence Determined” that all human laws, including ethical rules, should conform to Divine law, or what we called natural law.  He wrote further that if humans write laws that don’t conform to natural law, then humans will be punished, as such laws can’t by definition be binding on humans:  “no human law which conflicts with the divine law is obligatory or binding; in other words, that no human law which conflicts with the Divine law is a law…”  The utilitarianism theory is a relatively simple one because they believe the moral, ethical thing to do is the thing that will produce the greatest amount of happiness.  So, when faced with two or more possible courses of action, the utilitarian takes the course that s/he believes will bring about the most happiness for everyone affected by the decision, therefore it is ethical if it brings about happiness.  Reading up to this part, if I may ask, “Are you happy?”, I hope your answer is yes.

Living In a Grateful World

• Phil Collins – True Colors

Rainbow Parrots Photo by Mike Jones

I came across the teachings of Ven. Master Chin Kung, words of inspiration and motivation, as for some of us need it more than others…I know I do.

Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you, for they have reinforced your determination.

Be grateful to those who have deceived you, for they have deepened your insight.

Be grateful to those who have hit you, for they have reduced your karmic obstacles.

Be grateful to those who have abandoned you, for they have taught you to be independent.

Be grateful to those who have made you stumble, for they have strengthened your ability.

Be grateful to those who have denounced you, for they have increased your wisdom and concentration.

Be grateful to those who have made you firm & resolute and helped in your achievement.

• Photo: Mike Jones Photo
• Book: The Teachings of the Buddha by Dharma Master Chang Hsing

Inspiring Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson

A friend is one before whom I may think aloud.
All our progress is an unfolding, like a vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.
As we grow old…the beauty steals inward.
Character is higher than intellect… A great soul will be strong to live, as well as to think.
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm.
None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.
If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.
Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
The world belongs to the energetic.

Source.