Business Leadership Teamwork

The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues (Summary)

by Patrick Lencioni

Imagine two of your employees. One is brilliant, productive, and consistently delivers results, but leaves a trail of frustrated and demoralized colleagues in his wake. The other is kind, beloved by everyone, but can't be relied upon to get their work done. Who is more damaging to your team? Lencioni argues they are both toxic in their own way, and the solution isn't to pick the lesser of two evils, but to adopt a simple framework to find people who are neither.

Great Teammates Have All Three Virtues

The foundation of the book is that an ideal team player must possess a combination of three non-negotiable virtues: humility (lack of excessive ego), hunger (a drive to work hard and do more), and people smarts (common sense about people). Lacking even one of these creates a predictable dysfunction.

Lencioni creates archetypes for people missing a virtue. A 'Lovable Slacker' is humble and smart, but not hungry—they're pleasant but only do the bare minimum. A 'Skillful Politician' is hungry and smart, but not humble—they're ambitious and clever but work for their own advancement, not the team's.

Humility is the Most Important Virtue

While all three virtues are essential, Lencioni stresses that humility is the most critical. It's the foundation upon which the other two are built. A person who is hungry and smart but lacks humility is the most dangerous team member of all.

In the book's central fable, a brilliant but arrogant project manager named Jeff is technically skilled (hungry and smart) but constantly belittles his colleagues. His lack of humility creates a toxic culture of fear, preventing others from speaking up and ultimately jeopardizing the entire company.

Beware the 'Accidental Mess-Maker'

Some incomplete team players have good intentions but still cause damage. The 'Accidental Mess-Maker' is one of the most challenging types to manage because their disruption isn't malicious.

This person is humble and hungry but lacks people smarts. They genuinely want to help and contribute but constantly say the wrong thing, step on toes, and create awkward situations. They don't understand their impact, leaving a wake of interpersonal churn for others to clean up.

You Can Hire and Develop for Teamwork

The Humble, Hungry, and Smart model is not just a theory; it's a practical tool for hiring, assessment, and employee development. Lencioni provides specific strategies to embed these virtues into an organization's culture.

Instead of asking a generic interview question like, 'Are you a team player?', Lencioni suggests asking about their past. For 'hunger,' you could ask, 'What is the hardest you've ever worked on something in your life?' For 'humility,' ask, 'What was the most embarrassing moment in your career, and how did you handle it?'

Go deeper into these insights in the full book:
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