Last week, I was fortunate to go to Lords cricket ground in London to watch the test match.

In a game that ebbed and flowed, England secured a fantastic victory over New Zealand in what was a wonderful contest and a great advert for cricket.

There were fantastic individual performances and great displays of team work and the sun shone brightly on the day I was there!

It was an important victory for England, as the team is in transition. It is entering a new era and implementing many changes including their approach to the game and integrating new personnel both on and off the pitch.

The build up to the game had been dominated by the coach being sacked. There was also a lot of furore over the decision by the newly appointed England and Wales Cricket Board director of cricket Andrew Strauss concerning the playing future of star player Kevin Pietersen. Strauss had told him that he will not be selected this summer because of “trust issues.”

Absence of trust is one of the five dysfunctions of a team detailed by Patrick Lencioni in his book ‘Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team’ . Andrew Strauss referred to this work a couple of years ago in a newspaper article that he wrote when Pietersen was dropped from the England team. This was before Strauss took up his current duties.

Lencioni believes that the true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results that it sets out to achieve. To do that on a consistent, ongoing basis, he states that a team must overcome five dysfunctions listed below by embodying the behaviours described for each one.

Dysfunction number 1: Absence of Trust:

• Members of great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level and are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears and behaviours. They get to a point where they can be completely open with one another without filters. This is essential because….

Dysfunction number 2: Fear of conflict:

• Teams that trust one another are not afraid to engage in passionate dialogue around issues and decisions that are key to the organisation’s success. They do not hesitate to disagree with, challenge and question one another, all in the spirit of finding the best answers, discovering the truth and making great decisions. This is important because…

Dysfunction number 3: Lack of commitment:

• Teams that engage in unfiltered conflict are able to achieve genuine buy-in around important decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree. That’s because they ensure all opinions and ideas are put on the table and considered, giving confidence to team members that no stone has been left unturned. This is critical because…

Dysfunction number 4: Avoidance of Accountability:

• Teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards. What is more, they don’t rely on the team leader as the primary source of accountability; they go directly to their peers. This matters because…

Dysfunction number 5: Inattention to Results

• Teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team. They do not give in to the temptation to place their departments, career aspirations or ego driven status ahead of the collective results that define team success.

This week, why not take a moment to think about teams that you are part of professionally or personally. Are there steps or actions that need to be taken to make the teams more successful? What personal action could you commit to in order to help develop performance?

Quote for the week:

“Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it.” Brian Tracy.

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