Following the example of the great Patrick Lencioni and his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” here are three ways to wreck a good leadership team.
First, Micromanage. Very few effective and motivated leaders enjoy their boss looking over their shoulder all the time and not letting them do their jobs. During my first CEO assignment, I would at times, revert back to the COO role. I was fortunate to have a good COO who, the first time I did that said, “Dennis, you have a COO, go be the CEO.” Good advice, thank you, Larry. When I backed off and let him do his job, the hospital, Larry and I all did much better.
Second, Fail to Delegate. A good leader delegates everything that someone else could or should do better. None of us are infallible or irreplaceable, or know everything. When your team sees you keeping responsibilities that you should be giving to them, they will be devalued and frustrated. Take advantage of their strengths and let them flourish.
Third, Encourage Infighting within Your Team. I’ve never seen an organization that had the energy to fight the competition and fight within the leadership team. Effective teams trust and rely on each other and that’s impossible to do when you’re not sure your team members have your back. During my time as a CEO-in-training, I worked with a team that was amazing. We all knew that we were unified, were all working toward the same goals, and trusted each other implicitly. What a great experience that was.
Thank you, Cathy, Cully and Lavah, you taught me so much!
