The Ideal Team Player
- Frank Manfre
- Aug 27
- 2 min read
In his best selling book The Ideal Team Player https://www.tablegroup.com/product/ideal-team-player/, Patrick Lencioni defines the model team player by highlighting three virtues. These people are:
Humble - They lack excessive ego or status concerns, emphasizing team success over personal praise.
Hungry - Self-motivated and diligent employees who constantly look for more responsibility and ways to learn.
Smart - People who possess emotional intelligence and common sense when navigating interpersonal group dynamics.
Be Humble
Lencioni writes that while all the three teamwork characteristics are crucial but one of these qualities is even more important than the others: humility.
He defines a humble person as someone who’s not concerned with status. They prioritize the success of the team over their own personal interests, don't seek a lot of attention, and readily give credit to others.
He notes that team leaders often fail to recognize how important this trait is. This often causes leaders to hire a person because they’re capable and skilled in the requirements of the job even if that person is arrogant and self-centered. Unfortunately, a selfish person can hamper the team’s performance even if they’re skilled at their job, making them ultimately subtract, rather than add, value to the organization.
Successful Organizations Prioritize Humility
In The Infinite Game https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-gameSimon Simon Sinek argues that organizations should prioritize team dynamics over job proficiency. He notes that this doesn’t mean team members should be unskilled - an ineffective person can cause problems for a team just as much as a poor team player. But assuming team members meet a basic standard of ability, Sinek writes that the most important quality in a team member is a sense of humility and personal responsibility, which he summarizes as “trust.”
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