Patrick Lencioni is the founder and president of The Table Group and leads the podcast At the Table With Patrick Lencioni. He is passionate about organizations and teams. Prior to his keynote session, Lencioni spoke with Conference Daily about team building and what he’ll share with ATD21 attendees.
Given that so much of the workforce has worked remotely during the past 18 months, what are some tips for effective remote teamwork?
The key to remote teamwork is simple: Find a way to replicate the in-person experience using technology. And while it’s true that we will never be able to replace the intimacy of being together face-to-face completely, the past year has made it clear to me that we can achieve relatively high levels of teamwork even on Zoom. I’ve been amazed at how well many teams have learned to embrace the virtues of trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and collective results while looking at a computer screen in their home office or bedroom.
However, that won’t happen if people are unwilling to get uncomfortable with one another. I remember in the first week after the shutdown occurred, it wasn’t until my team and I had our first argument on Zoom—and worked through it—that we were able to break through and operate like the team we needed to be.
The theme of ATD21 is “It starts with us.” If individuals are not team leads, how can they positively affect their team?
Individual contributors can have a profound impact on their teams as long as they are willing to have courage and be selfless. Don’t get me wrong—the team leader is by far the most important person in setting the tone for teamwork. But I’ve seen so many individual contributors provoke cultural change by speaking the kind truth to their team leader and by pouring into their colleagues without any expectations of it being reciprocated. Ironically, that is how many individual contributors show themselves to have the potential for one day leading a team.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion has garnered significant attention recently. How can team members start the conversation around DEI to improve their working relationships, productivity, and efficiency?
The most important part is helping team members understand that the essence of teamwork is vulnerability-based trust. People must understand and embrace how we are each uniquely wired to contribute to work in different ways. Vulnerability enables us to appreciate and celebrate others’ unique talents and perspectives regardless of their background. For that to happen, it’s critical that people really know one another so that they can tap into their diverse skills and contribution areas. The best teams do that consistently and build it into their cultures.
What do you hope participants will take away from your keynote session?
I hope that people walk away with an understanding of how they can quickly and dramatically improve their employees’ work lives and their teams’ effectiveness. I mean it when I say that I want every person with a job to find fulfillment and dignity in their work. The people who attend ATD21 are in the best position to make that happen, and I believe the six types of working genius can help them.