Describe a time recently where you demonstrated your strongest quality. The book is structured in 2 parts: a business fable to illustrate the ideas, followed by an explanation of the 3 virtues. You confirm an employee has the qualities of a team player. Typical interviews follow a generic format and questions that provide only a general sense of the candidate—for instance, you come away thinking, “She seems capable.”. (Shortform note: Read our summary of Good to Great here.). They’re attentive to coworkers. They are always looking for more—more things to do, more to learn, more... Smart Nancy was humble and hungry, but definitely not smart about people. Cutting out the fluff: you don't spend your time wondering what the author's point is. The opposite of arrogance is humility, which was the quality they were looking for. Jeff knew Craig because their kids went to the same school, and Craig was more welcoming than Nancy had been. The book includes a list of interview questions and manager/employee assessment questions for each of the 3 virtues. Those with people skills understand where others are coming from. Humility means focusing on the greater good, instead of focusing on yourself or having an inflated ego. Of the three qualities, which is your strongest? If you can’t decide whether an employee has what it takes to improve, keep working with them until you know for sure. The ideal team player is humble, hungry and smart. Book Summary - Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Book Summary - Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Psychology, Economics, Sociology & General. Humility Great team players … Meanwhile, Jeff had done some successful consulting work with Valley Builders’ executive team—he and Bob liked and respected each other. Being a team player who can work effectively with others to achieve a group goal is more important than ever in our interdependent and changing world. As leaders, we say we want team players, but we often can’t clearly define the individual qualities we’re looking for. to do more, learn more, or take on more responsibility. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Ideal Team Player” by Patrick M. Lencioni. In the book / our full book summary, we (i) break down the nuances, common behavioral traits and signs of lack for each of the 3 virtues above, (ii) explain what happens if 1 or more of these virtues are missing, and (iii) elaborate on if/how such gaps can be addressed/nurtured. Thanks to Jeremiah Shepherd for use of this graphic. Digest these powerful tips in minutes with our summary & infographic! The third quality they’d identified was a lack of ego. Ideal team players are smart. As leaders, we say we want team players, but we can’t clearly define the individual qualities we’re looking for—and so we end up hiring people who undermine teamwork (it doesn’t take many to destroy a team). You can improve the effectiveness of a team by assessing how people measure up to the virtues of an ideal team player, and by helping those who fall short to develop the right qualities or move on to something else. While the virtues sound simple, developing and living them is more complicated. They’re rarely hired, however, because they stand out as the jackasses or jerks that no one wants to work with. However, true team players are surprisingly uncommon, in part because many organizations are unclear on what being a team player means, and as a result, often end up hiring people who undermine teamwork. The Ideal Team Player (2016) explores the role teamwork plays in today’s business environment and shows you how to build a team geared for success. Yet ideal team players are uncommon. Bob assured Jeff they had the capability—they just needed to significantly... Jeff visited the Oak Ridge building site to get a feel for the problems there. People who have all 3 virtues are passionate about their work, go beyond their call of duty, and are willing to … Here's a preview of the rest of Shortform's The Ideal Team Player summary: One of the most important ways to succeed in your workplace and life is by developing the ability to be a team player. There are many guides available for framing behavioral questions. But many leaders hire for skills and competence instead. Click here for more resources and free tips! Do get a copy of the book for the full story or get our complete 11-page summary for a detailed outline. Those who do increase their value to current and future employers. Here are some ways to do that: Leaders who believe in teamwork should talk about their commitment to the three virtues to everyone—customers, partners, vendors, and job candidates. It was something like emotional intelligence but less complicated. Summary: The Ideal Team Player. He introduced himself to the difficult project manager, Nancy Morris, who was reticent in answering his questions. As a manager, what is your process for interviewing job candidates? and smart. Hiring was hit or miss. This book places a focus on how being a team player will bring success in business. That helps establish the expectation among people dealing with the company that employees will be humble, hungry, and smart and encourages employees to behave that way. The other quality they’d talked about, being smart about people, was different from being intelligent. In the book Good to Great, author Jim Collins writes that successful companies prioritize hiring the “right” people—those who fit the company’s culture. Many leaders and organizations say they want teamwork, but they can’t define what they mean by a team player, or prioritize identifying team players in their hiring process. But what do each of these traits mean? The end-goal is for everyone in the organization to be able to articulate and uphold the culture. One of the professional development training items on the books for FY18-19 at work was the book The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni. It was knowing how to act and what to say and not say, plus being aware of the impact of your words and actions on others. In the book / full summary, we elaborate on various tips for interviewing and probing for these 3 virtues in the selection process. The ideal team player is humble, hungry and smart. This section of the book further explains the ideal team player model and how to use it in your organization. None of Bob’s siblings or children was involved in or interested in running the 200-employee company. They decided that Craig, the other project manager, was also humble, hungry, and smart. Ideal team players are humble. They don’t try to get attention and readily give credit to others. They lack overbearing egos or an obsession with status. What is that person's weak trait? Humility is the most important team player attribute, yet many managers put up with self-centered people because of their skills, and don’t call out their arrogance even though it undermines the team’s performance.