I had the great pleasure of listening to Patrick Lencioni speak today at the Art of Leadership in Calgary today.
Pat hit on an idea that resonated, and I thought worth sharing.
He talked about (1) smart teams – those loaded with intelligent, experienced people and (2) healthy teams – those that are built on trust, and have an above average tendency to engage in constructive conflict.
These two types of teams aren’t exclusive, and some of the best organizations today have teams that are smart AND healthy. But here was the interesting part:
In the long run, healthy teams beat smart teams. Always.
And here’s why:
Healthy teams have a natural tendency to become smarter; to learn from their experiences, and sus out better decisions. Smart teams, however, do NOT have a tendency to become healthier. In fact, exceptionally smart teams (teams comprised of brilliant and experienced people) can breed EGO. Ego creates barriers that can drive people apart, and destroy collaborative growth.
And yet, sadly, most executive teams focus on SMART far more than they focus on HEALTHY. Developing healthy teams is messy. It involves engaging with the human beings in the team, having difficult conversations and being vulnerable at the risk of being embarrassed. It’s also the only way to win… the only way to be passionately engaged in your work.
Be smart, but not the expense of being healthy.
(For those interested in learning more about Patrick Lencioni’s work, check out our interview with Pat from a few months back.)
