Many of us have experienced the natural progression that occurs for virtually all of us, as we move from dependence to independence to interdependence.  And organizations are an excellent arena to observe how this development occurs.  In other words, the vast majority of us will find ourselves working in teams at some point or another in our careers. Patrick Lencioni’s book, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, does a great job of summarizing some of the biggest roadblocks to teamwork success.  And it also points to how language – internal and external conversations – are centrally involved as drivers of both individual and team performance.   The dysfunctions he shares are: Absence of trust Fear of conflict Lack of commitment Avoidance of accountability Inattention to results Trust is the foundation.  How can trust be built – or rebuilt?  We don’t need a hammer and nails for this… instead, it will take new conversations and the capacity to be authentic and honest, even courageous, in those conversations.  If the elephant of distrust is in the room, how else will it be dealt with?  Different people may have different standards for what constitutes trust or a breach of trust… but again, without a conversation, how can new team standards be established?  How can concerns be raised?  How can new agreements about future actions be made?  And without new agreements among team members, what sort of real progress can we expect? Commitment is established in promises or agreements, of course.  And without clear and specific agreements, how will we ever improve accountability?  We all know how difficult it is to hold others accountable on the basis of vague or unclear agreements.  And it’s even worse if we attempt to work together via silent expectations or unspoken assumptions.  It simply doesn’t work. Do team members have shared understanding of desired results?  If not, how might these conversations be convened? This framework – and the understanding that each potential roadblock is addressed through new conversations, over time – opens up new possibilities for dramatically improving teamwork. Like this Tool Tip? Get Lots More in these eBooks! [wpsc_products category_id='80' ]