Team Building  by Jeff Bills

Patrick Lencioni is a management consultant and author of several highly acclaimed books on business management. I have heard Mr. Lencioni speak on several occasions at various leadership conferences. My first exposure to his work was about five years ago when he spoke about the topic of one of his books, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I was blown away by what he described as the five reasons many companies fail to achieve their highest potential. As he went through each, it became clear to me that he could have just as easily titled his talk and his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Church. The very things that cause companies to stumble, trip up churches as well.

The five dysfunctions as described by Lencioni are:

• An Absence of Trust
• Fear of Conflict
• Lack of Commitment
• Avoidance of Accountability
• Inattention to Results

In Lencioni’s model, these five dysfunctions form a pyramid with the base being an absence of trust among team members. Without a foundation of trust, people are afraid to express a point of view that may cause conflict which lowers commitment to the group and its goals. Without commitment, people avoid accountability because they know they are under performing and the result is…a lack of results.

The “fix” for a team that has an absence of trust among its members according to Lencioni is vulnerability and honesty. In other words, building trust requires the people on the team to be women and men of character. Character is not something that is learned at a seminar or bestowed when you get your degree. Character is built over a lifetime by making one choice at a time. Integrity, commitment, growth, courage…these are a few of the touchstones of strong character that inspire trust among people.

For those of us who truly follow Jesus Christ, character is being forged and formed as we are in the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ for the sake of others.

So, whatever “team” you are looking to build in your professional life, your family, your small group, or the church as a whole, it starts with character. And, character is built through our relationship with
Jesus Christ.

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