What is the primary function of a team leader?

At the Confident Communicator, we use Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team model to help teams overcome their internal communication challenges.

This week, the Daily Tip will share strategies and language that you, as a leader, can use to turn a group of individuals into a team.

Here’s the model:

The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team

Lencioni says the foundation of a cohesive team is trust, which he defines as the comfort to be vulnerable with each other. Why? Because teams that trust each other can engage in creative conflict around issues and decisions that are key to the organization’s success.

This constructive conflict (not the back-stabbing kind) is critical to finding the best answers and making great decisions. Even if it’s uncomfortable.

With unfiltered conflict, a team is more able to commit to important decisions, even if team members initially disagree.

Which leads to the next quality of communicative teams. They hold each other accountable for their decisions and standards.

When all this is happening, team-mates will not give in to the temptation to place their departments, career aspirations, or ego-driven status, above the collective results of the team.

It’s up to you as a leader to create a culture where this kind of communication is the norm. Yes, it takes time and sustained effort, but shouldn’t this be the primary work of a team leader?

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the foundational element to a highly communicative and effective team, vulnerability-based trust.