The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (2002) by Patrick Lencioni, Book Review

I finished reading this last week. Insightful and challenging book. The format is simple, just like the One Minute Manager Series if you're familiar with Ken Blanchard's books. It's a leadership fable (a short fictional story with lessons) about Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's new CEO, who faces a typical and dangerous leadership crisis that will bring down the company if it's not treated quickly, namely, a dysfunctional core team. The storyline seems quite realistic to me, and the context of the story helped get the lessons across nicely.  "Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology," writes Patrick Lencioni, "it is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare." I've worked in companies and currently, in NGO and volunteer group. I say it's true. Teamwork is powerful and rare, often talk about but lacks examples.

The five (5) dysfunctions of a team model consist of: 1) ABSENCE OF TRUST. This is due to invulnerability. "Team members who are not genuinely open with one another about their mistakes and weaknesses make it impossible to build a foundation for trust." 2) FEAR OF CONFLICT. "Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in an unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas." So, team members resort to politics and guarded comments. This will lead to 3) LACK OF COMMITMENT. Why? Because there is no ownership and buy-in to the ideas or decisions. So, this naturally deteriorates to 4) AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY and 5) INATTENTION TO RESULTS. Besides invulnerability, the enemies are artificial harmony, ambiguity, low standards, and an unhealthy ego.

Well, being aware and in the know of all of these dysfunctions is not enough. Read the book to get a better picture of why teamwork is crucial today. Plus, the book also includes a team assessment and suggested tools to overcome obstacles and strengthen your team (I also would like to recommend At The Table and The Working Genius podcasts with the author). I wanted to try to apply some of them in my leadership field. But keep Mr. Lencioni's words in mind: "[The Model] is simple, at least in theory. In practice, however, it is extremely difficult because it requires levels of discipline and persistence that few teams can muster."

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #Teamwork #TheFiveDysfunctions #Leadership #PatrickLencioni #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other book reviews/summaries, CLICK HERE

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Take the Cue From Mark Zuckerberg! #LeadersAreReaders September 2022

In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg shared his New Year's resolution to focus on books. The founder of Facebook decided to read one book per week (I did it a few years ago). To show his commitment, he created a special page, "A Year of Books", where he initially share the books that he read and where other readers can find new books and participate in discussions about them. The picked books help to learn about different cultures, beliefs, histories, and technologies.

This is how Mark Zuckerberg explains his decision in a Facebook post on 3rd January 2015: "I’m excited about my reading challenge. I’ve found reading books very intellectually fulfilling. Books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today. I’m looking forward to shifting more of my media diet towards reading books." I guess that also includes social media like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp... how ironic.

Steve Jobs won't let his kids use an iPad, Bill Gates limited screen time for his kids, and Mark Zuckerberg said reading books allow us to go deeper on a topic than most media. Maybe we should take the cue: Reduce social media and device usage, and increase your time for reading books.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read other articles on reading and book reviews, CLICK HERE
All things media: https://linktr.ee/LEGASI.tv 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Read Books and Beat the Goldfish! #LeadersAreReaders February 2022

Currently, I’m rereading Chris Bailey’s Hyperfocus (2018). When I went to MPH Bookstore the other day, I saw a new book that interest me by Johann Hari entitled Stolen Focus (2022). But the price is so expensive, RM89.90! I understand the book business is having a hard time nowadays and in the same way, owning physical books and encouraging people to be readers is getting hard too (state libraries and discount bookstores like BookXcess are saviors for bibliophiles). Not that I cannot afford to buy the book but as I browse through the contents - besides having newer research and the author’s unique perspectives - I realize that the challenge of managing attention and focus today is the same as yesterday. No new book can claim that this is a new phenomenon. Thus, I reread Hyperfocus and settle with just listening and watching interviews of Johann Hari online… hoping that soon the State Library will have it available. Lord, have mercy.

“Reading a book requires a good deal of attention,” writes Chris Bailey, “and with attention becoming a rare commodity, fewer people can devote themselves to reading without distraction.” Attention is our most limited and constrained resource. According to Microsoft Attention Spans Research Report*, the average human attention span in 2000 is 12 seconds and in 2013, it decreased drastically to 8 seconds (I don’t know how they measure this, but the goldfish have an average attention span of 9 seconds. 1 second longer than the average human!). In today’s fast-paced world of information overload, we’re constantly flooded with social media notifications, text messages, and games. Smartphone users, like you and me, check our devices about 80 to 90 times a day. No wonder we are so distracted. This is one of the reasons for the decline of book-reading culture in Malaysia and the world in general.  We still read but read bits and pieces of information. We have amassed lots of random information but lack actual knowledge, depth, and wisdom. This is not just affecting the overall quality of our work-life (or study-life, if you’re a student) but also the state of our mental health and spirituality.

Therefore, you must cultivate a love for reading books. It helps to train you (or force you, at the beginning) to increase your attention spans. It requires attention and it improves your attention. Jessalyn Lau, from the neuroscience perspective, says: “Reading has been proven to increase your focus, attention span, concentration, and to improve memory.” Perhaps you say you don’t have time to read books. I get what you mean. You have works to do, family to care for, products to promote, etc. But “no time” is a myth. Unless you move at the speed of light and the theory of special relativity applied to you, we all have the same amount of time. It's not about you don’t have time but it's about you MAKE time. We have no problem carving out time for things we want to do. So, take or buy a book that interest you, set an uninterrupted time (10 to 15 minutes for a start) today, turn off or switch your smartphone to silent mode and put it away from your reach, make a cup of hot coffee or tea or chocolate and start reading! Start small but do it frequently. At first, you will still be easily distracted. However, over time it will become a habit. And soon, you will be proud of yourself because you have beat the goldfish attention span record! Congratulation!

*https://www.scribd.com/document/265348695/Microsoft-Attention-Spans-Research-Report  

#ServeToLead #Hyperfocus #AttentionSpans #BeatTheGoldfish #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my book reviews of #LeadersAreReaders FEBRUARY 2022, CLICK LINKS below:

1) On the Future: Prospects for Humanity (2018) by Martin Rees https://bit.ly/OnTheFuture

2) The Gift of Reading (2016) by Robert Macfarlane https://bit.ly/MacfarlaneReading 

3) 25 Ways to Win With People (2005) by John C. Maxwell https://bit.ly/25WaysPeople 

4) The Previous book reviews https://bit.ly/1Book1Week 

 

FB Page: https://facebook.com/LEGASI.tv/                             
Podcast: http://bit.ly/LegasiSpotify                            
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LEGASItv/                        

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

BOOK REVIEW – Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence – and How You Can, Too (2018) by Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk or GaryVee, is a Russian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker and internet personality. It’s you’re an entrepreneur (or wanna-be) and active in social media, you’ll know him. In his 2009 international bestseller Crust It!, Gary insisted that a vibrant personal brand was crucial to entrepreneurial success. In Crushing It!, 9 years later, Gary explains why that’s even truer today, offering his unique perspective on what has changed and what principles remain timeless.

How do I know Gary? Through social media, books, and podcasts. How Gary makes a difference in my life? Because of his in-your-face advice and sometimes renegade wisdom, I start again using Instagram again and created a Twitter account to share my materials on leadership, leadership, and creativity – in short, my personal brand. Also, when my blog URL was blocked on Facebook last month, I have to find another way to spread my brand. Wala!? Create videos and share them on YouTube! It’s not because of Gary alone, of course, but one of the cheerleaders is him. So you can see how valuable this book is to me personally.

There are two (2) parts in this book:

Part 1: Get Pumped. Here Gary tells the importance of building your personal brand, turn your passion into profit, eight things that really matter to “Crushing It!” (Namely, 1) Intent, 2) Authenticity, 3) Passion, 4) Patience, 5) Speed, 6) Work, 7) Attention, and 8) Content. I shared briefly in the video), advised his readers to document rather than creating, reveals the reasons what stopping people from “Crushing It!” and a chapter on giving yourself permission to just do it! I’m pumped up after I finished reading this part.

Part 2: Create Your Pillar. Basically, this part is all about practicality. There are three (3) basics thing that you HAVE to do: 1) create a Facebook page; 2) the importance of using hashtags#, and 3) encouragement to collaborate and partner with others. Then he devotes each chapter to explain about Musical.ly, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Podcasts and Voice-First. Worth reading it! Gary also tells the stories at the end of each chapter how others used his timeless principles in “Crush It!” to build their businesses and influence.

#LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

Want to Buy Book(s)? https://my.carousell.com/richard_angelus/

Blog: https://richardangelus.me

IG: https://instagram.com/richard_angelus

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelus_richard

YouTube: https://youtu.be/GW-6NTrAmRE

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

John C. Maxwell on Leadership #21 Be Impressed, Not Impressive

Too often we think that if we can impress others, we will gain influence with them. We want to become others’ heroes – to be larger than life. That creates a problem because we’re real live human beings. People can see us for who we really are. If we make it our goal to impress them, we puff up our pride and end up being pretentious – and that turns people off.

If you want to influence others, don’t try to impress them. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness, and pretence is only a way to keep people at arm’s length so that they can’t see who you really are. Instead of impressing others, let them impress you.

It’s really a matter of attitude. The people with charisma, those who attract others to themselves, are individuals who focus on others, not themselves. They ask questions of others. They listen. They don’t try to be the centre of attention. And they never try to pretend they’re perfect.

[Taken from The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization (2011) by John C. Maxwell. Published by Thomas Nelson]

Listen with the purpose of understanding today,

and benefit from the knowledge, experience, and perspective of others.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Self-Leadership #3 Play To Your Strengths

“What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths - and can call on the right strength at the right time.”

(Tom Rath)

Self-discovery is nothing if not personal both in the process and in the results. There is no formula by which you can find out what makes you tick, no standardized test that will reveal your goals in life. Looking within yourself to ask the tough questions is an individual quest, and you must not conform to what you think the results should be.

The trick is to find your own strengths and to play those strengths. As you start to answer the questions that lead to self-knowledge, certain strengths – and weaknesses – in your own character will begin to become evident (This is not a bad thing. Strong people tend to have strong weaknesses; as long as you're aware of them, they don't have to work to your disadvantage). Good leaders will work to reduce their weaknesses, but moreover, they will use their strengths to the greatest advantage. Focus more on your strengths than weaknesses.

There are many ways in which we may learn more about our own strengths and weaknesses. Some of these are techniques we can choose to practice, such as prayer, meditation or long walks in the park. These are methods by which we pay attention, in very specific ways: with intention, in the present moment and non-judgementally. Keeping a journal can also be a way to learn more about yourself. Other learning experiences are less voluntary; pain, for example, can provide invaluable insights but is rarely a method that people would choose for themselves.

The important thing is to make the commitment to self-knowledge, through whatever means works for you, and to accept and use to your advantage the results of this discovery process. You see, you can't be a good leader if you only compare yourself to others. You have to look into yourself. Your greatest strengths as a leader are those qualities that are unique to you. As you discover them, use them to your advantage. Different people find their ways through different paths, and if you take someone else's path, you may not like where you end up.

Here three (3) ways to learn more about your strengths and yourself:

#1 Choose Your Own Path: It doesn't have to be the path less traveled or the one of least resistance. What matters is that it's the right one for you.

#2 It's Not a Failure If You Learn Something: Be open to the learning process. Whether its pain, mistakes or success, every experience can teach you something. Sometimes the hardest lessons are the most important.

#3 Practice Continuous Renewal: Continuous, disciplined self-examination internalizes the lessons you're learning about yourself and allows you instinctively to play to your own strengths.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Book Review: The Happiness Project (2015) by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project (2015) by Gretchen Rubin

Do you dream of happiness? Is there a way to take all the things that you do daily and make small changes that can truly make you happier? How can you make each day something that has potential to bring you happiness, even in the middle of everyday struggles?

These are the questions Gretchen Rubin set out to answer on her 1 year-long quest for happiness. She chronicled this journey in this book (with a very long subtitle). While this extended title may make the quest for more happiness seem daunting, Rubin spread her mission across 12 months, tackling a different facet of life each month with the goal to be happier in each area. Each chapter starts with several key points and then goes on to explain how to make them happen, with easy exercises, research to support it, and reminders.

In summary:

January: Boost Energy (Vitality)

February: Remember Love (Marriage)

March: Aim Higher (Work)

April: Lighten Up (Parenthood)

May: Be Serious about Play (Leisure)

June: Make Time for Friends (Friendship)

July: Buy Some Happiness (Money)

August: Contemplate the Heavens (Eternity)

September: Pursue a Passion (Books)

October: Pay Attention (Mindfulness)

November: Keep a Contented Heart (Attitude)

December: Boot Camp Perfect (Happiness)

I've read Gretchen's other book Better Than Good and I love it! So, I thought maybe I should try to read her earlier works. I sort of like and dislike this book. I like it because how the author wonderfully arranged her materials, easy to read, lots of helpful tips and suggestions, her happiness philosophies, personal stories included, and research supported. I also have included some of her resolutions into mine this year (one of it is, update blog every day. But for me, I make it at least once per 2 days). What I don't like about this book is this... Gretchen's ways of making herself happier is not necessary my ways to be happier. Of all her main topics/resolutions, I can say that about only half (or less) of it are useful for me. This book can be shorter too. Now, do you have resolutions this year? Do you include happiness? If you don't have, add one (or more) ... You'll be happier, more positive and funnier.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.