In his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni laid out a groundbreaking approach for tackling the perilous group behaviors that destroy teamwork. Here he turns his focus to the individual, revealing the three indispensable virtues of an ideal team player.

In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues. 

Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players.  Whether you’re a leader trying to create a culture around teamwork, a staffing professional looking to hire real team players, or a team player wanting to improve yourself, this book will prove to be as useful as it is compelling.

PATRICK M. LENCIONI is founder and president of The Table Group, a management consulting firm specializing in executive team development and organizational health. As a consultant and keynote speaker, he has worked with thousands of senior executives and their teams in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high-tech startups to universities and nonprofits. Lencioni is the author of 11 best-selling books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage.

To learn more about Patrick, and the products and services offered by his firm, The Table Group, please visit www.tablegroup.com.

Introduction ix

The Fable 1

Part One: The Situation 3

Part Two: Diagnosis 11

Part Three: Discovery 55

Part Four: Implementation 89

Part Five: Indicators 135

The Model 153

The Three Virtues of an Ideal Team Player 155

Defining the Three Virtues 157

The History of the Model 162

The Ideal Team Player Model 165

Application 174

Connecting the Ideal Team Player Model with the Five Dysfunctions of a Team 212

A Final Thought—Beyond Work Teams 215

More Resources 216

Acknowledgments 217

About the Author 219