By Dr. Lindsay Judah
Many individuals who are striving toward or have risen to senior leadership positions in public safety have been exposed to the work of author Patrick Lencioni, whether by a quote while attending a class, discussing leadership philosophies, listening to a podcast, or reading his books. What I appreciate most about his books are their actionable, instructive, and straightforward delivery.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Lencioni, 2002) principles were shared with me on numerous occasions over the past decade via conversation and class/conference attendance. Roughly one year ago, I was chatting with a confidant about some of my experiences and he asked, “Have you read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team?” Despite the past references to the book and my voracious appetite for reading, I hadn’t! Quickly, I purchased and read the book, realizing then how applicable the five dysfunctions were, when considering effective team dynamics. There’s a pyramid image that commonly displays the five dysfunctions, by starting at the foundation:
Several industry-related topics come to mind when examining these dysfunctions, such as climate and culture, conflict management styles, emotional intelligence, moral injury, and psychological safety. Some emergency services agencies provide formal leadership training, which may be offered sporadically or routinely, such as an annual program. Some agencies hire passionate and talented individuals to provide instruction to personnel, virtually or in person. Other agencies may send personnel to attend classes/conferences. There is significant value in discovering and implementing known workable strategies as they pertain to developing and nurturing a successful team.
Expressing vulnerability and showing genuine interest in enhanced team development may be effective in initial engagement or reengagement of personnel. There are many methods in addressing climate and culture within an organization. This work requires creative thought, evaluation, and intentionality. There must be a sense of authenticity present if the leader is seeking positive transformation. As shared by Amy Edmundson in The Fearless Organization (2019), “A lack of psychological safety can create an illusion of success that eventually turns into serious business failures.”
In a Social Science & Medicine journal article by Teun Eikenaar titled, “Relating to Moral Injuries: Dutch Mental Health Practitioners on Moral Injury Among Military and Police Workers,” research shows that moral injury can occur when people’s faith in their organization is destroyed. In one example, internal investigations were referenced; if something goes wrong, the individual, crew, shift, or entire organization can be exposed to immense examination (Eikenaar, 2022). Some personnel believe this focused attention or examination should take place in peace time conditions [a more proactive approach to addressing needs]. This is often referred to in our industry as “blue skies.” In a military-focused example, mission preparations may require six months of training; however, ethics training is covered in four hours. In the words of a military integrity officer, this is minimal (Eikenaar, 2022). If leaders establish trust and work toward understanding and overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team, they will be better situated to serve. In summary as shared by Lencioni, “…teamwork ultimately comes down to practicing a small set of principles over a long period of time…embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.”
The first time I’d heard of The Ideal Team Player (Lencioni, 2016)was during a conversation with Fire Chief Alec Oughton in Orlando, Florida, after attending a Women In Fire conference. We were chatting about diversity, leadership, and teamwork. For context, the diversity aspect comprised of the need for inclusion and representation of diverse people working in today’s fire service, as well as intentional strategies for successful implementation. This dovetailed into dialogue on leadership and the necessity of effective communication, purposeful messaging and setting expectations. Which brought us to the notion of teamwork within command staff and shift supervisors. We talked about the criticality of continuous evaluation; overall alignment and focus with the organization mission, vision, and values; as well as operating with a unified approach.
That’s when Chief Oughton asked me if I’d read The Ideal Team Player. I hadn’t, so he shared a brief overview starting with the iconic and relatable fable style that Patrick Lencioni often uses. Then he shared the concept of what three virtues an ideal team player has: be humble, be hungry, and be smart.
Humble: Lack excessive ego, acknowledges the contributions of others, team over self, and collective success.
Hungry: Looking for more to do and learn, self-motivated, diligent, evaluating the next steps.
Smart: Emotionally intelligent, effectively works with others, good judgment and intuition around the impact of their words and actions. (Pat and The Table Group, 2023)
In a recent interview, Chief Oughton shared his insight regarding collaboration of fire and police agencies. He shared that municipal services can often collaborate and support one another. Fostering partnerships among chiefs and executive staff is beneficial and most effective when egos are set aside. He shared a glimpse of The Ideal Team Player, “If teams come together approaching from a position of humility, if they’re motivated to grab ahold of the rope and pull it in the same direction as everybody else and they’re emotionally intelligent, they have the ability to connect with people, then you have an ideal leadership team and workforce.” He emphasized the efficacy of bridge and relationship building (The Aurora Channel, 2023).
Succession planning and team building require substantial effort and resources, such as a nonrenewable resource–time. One area where time can be intentionally integrated is when decision making takes place. As described in Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success (Morgan, Lynch, 2017), employ the concept of buying time to exercise cognitive discipline and act reasonably, “Stop and Wind the Clock.” Communicating with humility can be very helpful, as described by Admiral W. McRaven in The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived (2021), “The power of humility is that it brings us closer together, and the role of every hero is to unite people, not divide them.”
If individuals are made aware of The Ideal Team Player virtues, they may contribute more efficiently. Beginning these conversations may feel awkward; however, creating a safe environment and focusing on small wins are essential. This also highlights the need for intentionality when hiring, considering the values, abilities, and skills that the organization needs. As Ray Dalio shares in Principles: Life and Work (2017), “Don’t hire people to fit the first job they will do; hire people you want to share your life with… the kind of people you want to share a long-term mission with.”
A few months ago, I was gifted a copy of The 6 Types of Working Genius (Lencioni, 2022) by Fire Chief Joe Pennino. He’s been a chief for his organization approaching two years, and since he began his role he’s shared some experiences involving intentionality, leadership, and team building. I’ve admired his deliberate nature and immeasurable dedication to serving as chief for the Roswell (GA) Fire Department. After sharing the book with me, he stated that he and his command staff were completing the assessment associated with the book. His intent was to help identify the team’s
Working Genius: Associated with a natural gift which gives us energy, joy, and passion.
Working Competency: Things we can accomplish that don’t necessarily fuel or drain us.
Working Frustration: Associated with areas we are not skilled in and rob us of energy and joy (The 6 Types of Working Genius, Lencioni, 2022).
Upon completion of the brief assessment, the individual receives a pairing of two working geniuses.
The 6 Types of Working Genius are:
Wonder: identifies need for change
Invention: generates ideas and solutions
Discernment: assesses workability of ideas or solutions
Galvanizing: generates enthusiasm around ideas or solutions
Enablement: initiates support and implementation of the ideas or solutions
Tenacity: commits to the ideas or solutions and ensures desired results are achieved
The author provides a 4-step process for applying the Working Genius to a team.
- Have everyone complete an assessment (15 mins.).
- Sit down and reveal your results with one another (30 mins.).
- Review the Team Map together, which displays team member Genius and Frustrations. Making adjustments can lead to increased team fulfillment and productivity (30 mins.).
- Discuss reorganization of roles to leverage Genius and reduce Frustration (60 mins.).
Words from Chief Pennino:
The 6 Types of Working Genius can provide value to any team. The book and the assessment help to explain why some people are naturally good at, and genuinely excited about, things that other team members dread. While each job comes with specific responsibilities, long-term misalignment of a person’s geniuses and their primary job function can create frustration and burnout. The key to team performance and engagement is correctly aligning job functions, projects, and tasks with the appropriate team members’ strengths. Using concepts like the 6 Types of Working Genius provides a platform to be intentional about spending time together as a team. This can improve communication and helps team members to gain a better understanding of how each person operates and approaches different situations.
In conclusion, operationalizing these foundational leadership principles within the organization can aid in increased engagement, personnel fulfillment, and productivity. These methods may work for a new leader aiming to build and inspire a team, just as they can influence a shift for a seasoned leader who is in interested in elevating the organization and enhancing their community-focused efforts. Many industries and individual agencies are positioned to attempt to accomplish more with less. In instances where we are not plush with resources, especially the resource of human capital, it is imperative that we optimize the efforts of the dedicated personnel that we’re fortunate for.
Know better, do better.
Author Bio: Lindsay Judah, DPA, CFO, CTO, currently serves as a consultant and previously served as a district chief in Florida. She’s also an adjunct professor and alumna of Valdosta State University, teaching courses in Organizational Leadership and Public Administration. Her doctoral research focused on implementing innovation in the fire service, specifically UAV programs. She is an Everyone Goes Home® Advocate and serves on the Awards and Scholarship Committee for the Florida City County Management Association and the IFSTA Validation Committee for Chief Officer 5th ed.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent any organization.
References
Dalio, R. (2017). Principles: Life and Work. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Edmundson, A. (2019) The Fearless Organization: “Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth.” New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Eikenaar, T. (2022) Journal of Social Science & Medicine. “Relating to Moral Injuries: Dutch Mental Health Practitioners on Moral Injury Among Military and Police Workers.”
Lencioni, P. (2022). The 6 Types of Working Genius A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team. Dallas, TX: Matt Holt.
Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team a Leadership Fable. London, England: Jossey-Bass.
Lencioni, P. (2017). The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
McRaven, W. (2021). The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing.
Morgan, A., Lynch, C., & Lynch, S. (2017). Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success. New York, NY: Harper Business.
The Aurora Channel. (2023). Interview: Alec Oughton. Community interview with finalist for Aurora Fire Chief Alec Oughton.
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