The Ideal Team Player
In his classic, best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni laid out a groundbreaking new approach for attacking the dangerous group behaviors that destroy teamwork. Here, he turns his focus to the individual member of a team, revealing the three indispensable virtues that make some people better team players than others. The Ideal Team Player presents a powerful framework and easy-to-use tools for identifying, hiring and developing ideal team players in any kind of organization. Whether you’re a leader striving to create a culture of teamwork, a human resources professional looking to hire real team players or an employee wanting to make yourself an invaluable team member, this book will prove to be as practical as it is compelling.
<p>The Source for Organizational Health
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HIRING IDEAL TEAM PLAYERS:
AN INTERVIEW GUIDE TO HELP YOU
IDENTIFY CANDIDATES WHO ARE
HUMBLE, HUNGRY AND SMART
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Insight: Look for more mentions of we than I. Of course, it isn’t about being so simplistic as
to count the responses. In the event that someone refers to himself or herself individually more
than as a member of a team, probe for whether he or she was working alone or with others.
Question: What are the most important accomplishments of your career?
Insight: Look for whether the candidate celebrates that embarrassment or is mortified by
it. Humble people generally aren’t afraid to tell their unflattering stories because they’re
comfortable with being imperfect. Also, look for specifics and real references to the candidate’s
own culpability.
Question: What was the most embarrassing moment in your career? Or the
biggest failure?
HUMBLE
Insight: Look for specifics about how the candidate accepted responsibility, what they
learned from it, and if they actually acted on what was learned.
Question: How did you handle that embarrassment or failure?
Insight: Yes, this is a seemingly tired question, but it’s still a useful one. The key is to look for
answers that are real and a little painful. Candidates who present their weaknesses as strengths
(“I take on too much” or “I have a hard time saying no”) are often afraid to acknowledge real
shortcomings. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to coach candidates with prompts like: “I really want
to know what you’d like to change about yourself, or better yet, what your best friends would say
you need to work on.” The key to the answer is not what their weaknesses are (unless of course
the candidate is an axe murderer), but if they’re comfortable acknowledging something real.
Question: What is your greatest weakness?
Insight: Look for and ask for specifics. Humbl