48 pages • 1 hour read
Patrick M. LencioniThe Ideal Team Player
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Index of Terms
Bulldozers
Bulldozers possess hunger and are highly motivated employees. However, their lack of humility and interpersonal skills tends to create problems. Lencioni says, “These people will be determined to get things done, but with a focus on their own interests and with no understanding or concern for how their actions impact others. Bulldozers are quick destroyers of teams” (167). Generally, their personalities draw much attention, and, for this reason, managers will have a much easier time identifying them compared to pawns.
Charmers
Charmers generally have great people skills and are highly likable. However, they lack humility and hunger, which means they tend to get nothing done. Lencioni says of charmers that “[t]heir social skills can sometimes help them survive longer than bulldozers or pawns, but because their contributions to the team are negligible, they often wear out their welcome quickly” (168-69). Charmers, therefore, eventually stand out for the wrong reasons, even if the opposite is initially true.
Pawns
Lencioni defines pawns as “[p]eople who are only humble but not at all hungry or smart” (167). As he examines how inadequacy in one or multiple values manifests in a company, he says that those who possess only humility tend to be “pleasant, kind-hearted, unassuming people” (167), but they do not feel a great need to get things done and don’t have the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues. Pawns tend to exist off the radar and do not usually bring attention to themselves, which helps them to survive at companies longer than those who likewise lack two of the other three values.
The Accidental Mess-Maker
According to Lencioni, accidental mess-makers are employees “who are humble and hungry but decidedly not smart” (169). Their lack of interpersonal skills causes problems. Because these employees are not motivated by selfishness, “of the three types that lack just one of the characteristics of an ideal team player, this is the least dangerous to a team” (170). In the “The Fable” section of the book, Nancy is most representative of this type of employee.
The Lovable Slacker
The lovable slacker is humble and possesses excellent interpersonal skills; however, they are not motivated or hungry. Lencioni says of these employees, “Lovable slackers need significant motivation and oversight, making them a drag on the team’s performance” (170). While these employees are generally likable and not selfish, their lack of initiative can still create dysfunction for the team.
The Skillful Politician
Skillful politicians are motivated and have great interpersonal skills; however, their lack of humility causes real problems for teams. Lencioni says, “These people are cleverly ambitious and willing to work extremely hard, but only in as much as it will benefit them personally” (170-71). Because they lack humility, they tend to be arrogant and only really care about themselves. They can be quite convincing because they are good at establishing and maintaining relationships. In the “The Fable” section, Ted Marchbanks is emblematic of this kind of employee.
