Today starts a new weekly series here on Career Opportunities — Career Books. Each week I will highlight a new book or publication that might interest you. If you have suggestions for books I should highlight, please send them along. While most of these posts will simply be introductions to new books, I will also be posting more detailed reviews for those books I find time to read myself. I’ll use Amazon links to provide more information on each book, but many of these books may be available at your local library. Check there first! — Douglas
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
Dysfunctions is structured more like a short story or novelette than a traditional business book. This allowed me to get very involved in the story. Indeed, I believe a good story is always the best way to approach life and business. Whether you are writing a resume or trying to solve difficult business problems, a good story can illuminate the issue better than any combination of charts and reports.
The end of the book contains a more “business-like” restatement of the lessons, for those who want a more traditional review.
More importantly, I saw many aspects of my past business dealings echoed in the book. I think that anyone who is involved in business, in any form, has faced many of these same problems and issues. I requested this book from the library after seeing a short mention, possibly just the title in some magazine I was reading. I had no preconceptions about what I might find within, and I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and importance of Dysfunctions.
While telling a good story helped to clearly explain the concepts, there were a few times when the characters came around too quickly to the lesson.The main character, a newly minuted CEO brought in to build a better executive team, seems a bit too assured with her process, but yet exhibits some moments of fear and regret.
Overall, this is a great book and I would highly suggest that it be recommended to your employees and your peers as a way of explaining how teamwork can and will develop if everyone is committed to making it happen.
