Last week I wrote about the foundation of trust, and why it’s the starting point for any high-performing team.
But trust alone doesn’t get the job done.
In fact, once trust is in place, the real work begins.
In Patrick Lencioni’s model of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, trust is just the beginning. Let’s break down what follows when teams don’t intentionally work on themselves:
- Fear of Conflict
Without trust, teams avoid tension. But even with trust, many still avoid tough conversations. Healthy teams lean in to disagreement – not to create drama, but to create clarity. Conflict isn’t dysfunction. Avoiding it is. - Lack of Commitment
When people don’t get to challenge or debate a decision, they rarely commit to it. They might nod along – but they’re not bought in. Real commitment is forged in the fire of constructive conflict. - Avoidance of Accountability
Once there’s a decision, teams need to hold each other to it. Not in a top-down way, but peer-to-peer. If we agreed to something last week and it hasn’t happened, can we talk about that? If not, standards slip – and culture follows. - Inattention to Results
Finally, the most subtle dysfunction: when individuals put personal wins or siloed goals above the collective. When ego or comfort trumps team success, results suffer.
The CEO I met last week, whose team had grown from 3 to 13, was seeing some of these dysfunctions in real-time. Tensions, drop in performance, misalignment. And underneath it all? An erosion of trust.
Just like the Equity Partner team who are stepping into a new chapter without their founding leader, both teams are facing the same truth:
You can’t lead a business forward without evolving as a team.
Not just in roles and goals, but in how you work together.
It’s not always easy. But it’s worth it.
Because the strongest teams? They fight for each other, not with each other.