LEAD 610 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY Style Matters Inventory Assignment _2024.pdf

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Style Matters: Inventory Assignment

Submitted to Dr. Homer Anthony

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

LEAD 610 (D03)

Team Leadership and Conflict Resolution

July 27, 2024

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY 10

ABSTRACT

Humility, Hunger, and Smart (Lencioni, 2016), and explains each characteristic clearly with

throughout the book. Shanley’s challenges as the CEO coupled with his personal life and

professional aspirations, provide the reader with lessons learned and genuine insight as a leader

searching for an ideal team player and suggestions for developing an ideal team. The selected

examples utilized to emphasis Lencioni’s points are modern and relevant for today’s leaders,

which fosters relational application. For example: many of the local, regional, and global

companies of today, throughout a multitude of industries, continue to struggle at meeting their

vision and accomplishing their goals. Some of the current reasoning can be tied to the 2019

Coronavirus disease (COVID) administrative protocols, the economy, and the supply & demand

of resources. Many businesses, to include churches, have not been able to fully recover from nor

return to the pre-COVID conditions, though, several are starting to rebound now. Shanley’s

company is struggling, and the ideal team player model is being applied to assist this CEO

increase employee relationships and competencies, which generates productivity and profit.

CEO. He must foster an environment and lead with such modesty that unites his employees

(placing others before self) in the task to accomplish the company’s mission. The second ideal

team player trait for Shanley to encourage within his team is hunger. This characteristic is also

ideal team player to see a task completed from beginning to end. An employee that hungers will

Smart as one that possesses more than intellect; the addition of empathy and collaboration with

other team members is necessary for efficiency and effectiveness (Lencioni, 2016).

leadership for the hiring and retaining of effective team players. Lencioni notes organizations can

overlook (and fail) to be intentional at recruiting and hiring quality team players. Neglecting this

significance has the potential to dull the organization’s competitive edge. The author’s guidance

for an ideal team player’s characteristics is indispensable for organizational leadership and team

builders to develop effective employees, and to get those employees focused at being part of the

team and accountable to one another for a common purpose.

a relational experience for me while reading this book. I retired from the United States Army

with 27 years of service. Being a member of a team is a core component commonly shared by

each branch of the United States military. Individuals are part of a team. Team leaders and team

followers are equally important for mission success. Team members (players) rotate in and rotate

out for a variety of reasons and during different seasons. Team cohesion (Esprit de corps) must

exist throughout the year as team members transition into and out from the team. Having an ideal

many business organizations actively recruit Servicemen and women for the civilian workforce.

the “self” image from every action beginning with how one speaks. There is no “I.” Everything

becomes “team” focused and the welfare of the team takes precedence over self. Humility is part

of my past that is incorporated into my church ministry leadership style. Ministry is for Him and

for the welfare of others. I am second.

teams. Hunger is part of my past profession that is incorporated into my church ministry

leadership style today. I possess ambition in my duties and responsibilities, and I enjoy

motivating and being motivated by the team players. I am an advocate for promoting the vision

and explaining the message to generate buy-in from the team. I am a champion for the cause and

for the success of the team to inspire (attract) others towards a common goal.

fair and balanced intellectual foundation is established for each Service member regardless of

one’s aptitude. The military molds one through training evolutions, to become a critical and

logical thinker at the tactical, operational, and strategic level over time and through experience.

The ideal team player is a Smart leader because he/she is a seasoned “follower” well before they

begin leading a team. They are Smart because they have been part of a dynamic team or a

dysfunctional team, a time or two. The ideal team player has experienced first-hand the essential

counseling. I must become proficient at crawling before I can start walking which is well-before

majority of corporations to include churches, cannot afford to adopt the military model. The

expectations are simply not practical. The military model uniquely serves a distinct purpose.

Lencioni’s ideal team player guidance is very appropriate for corporate America and churches to

develop and build teams. To that point, team players that possess characteristics developed by the

military or through civil service, are a hidden jewel for corporations and churches. Lencioni’s

book has reminded me to consider new adoption methods at meeting ideal team player potential

within my church.

example yet, he illustrates an everyday application in a contemporary setting for the reader’s

application. Example: one can incorporate these characteristics within a job description, the

duties, and responsibilities and during the employee recruitment campaign. These three

characteristics can attract the ideal candidate (player) as a new addition for the creation of an

ideal team. Employers can structure their employee interview questions around Lencioni’s three

characteristics as a technique to select the best player and build an ideal team.

chosen profession can dull one’s edge over time. Lencioni’s examples would serve as a great

Lencioni’s book are: Resolving conflict and managing Hungry employees. I appreciate learning

ways of de-escalating tensions within a team. Lencioni provides the key characteristics for hiring

and developing an ideal team player. That much is clear. How does one sustain the cohesiveness

of the team? What are the characteristics or patterns/behaviors that require a leader’s attention

before an ideal team player falls? Does Lencioni have any preventative measures or triage

formulas to nurse an ideal team player back to health? Lencioni should offer and discuss

solutions for the difficult (red flag) team players.

(myself included as one who fits the over ambitious name). The hunger to excel in every aspect

of one’s performance can often drive animosity within the team and creates a silo working

environment. The heart of an ambitious leader often overextends him/herself and willingly

absorbs complete ownership of the task at-hand, which can lead to tension within the team and

employee burn-out. Lencioni should apply a bit more caution to the team leader concerning the

hunger characteristic. Hunger with self-control.

disciplined practices, motivation, and hard work while being alone. However, the level of

through the accomplishments of the generation before him/her. Throughout history, each

accomplished leader can review their past and see the unwavering support they received that

helped each one arrive at the top of their peak. It was and remains a team event.

others throughout the process. The ideal team player protects the team from harm; picks up the

team members whenever a member falls. These qualities are part of the idea behind unity of

effort (teamwork) to accomplish a common objective. The following verse provides a reminder

of this truth about teamwork, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their

labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has

no one to help them up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Each team member is accountable to one another

for the ownership of the team, which is set to accomplish the same goal. The loss or failure to act

by one team member becomes a shortcoming that applies to the entire team and likewise, one

team member’s accomplishment is a success shared by the entire team. The result is a

manifestation of the team.

at my church needs to be adjusted to include team building activities. Implementing this proposal

them work within their own “silos” regularly. Each church staff member acknowledges they do

working environment: individual perspectives are invited, and bilateral feedback can be shared

freely as a means to promote relational growth amongst one another and to increase collaboration

and productivity.

participates in at least one discipleship growing community, so feedback should not be a difficult

proposal to adopt at the church staff level. The Ideal Team Member Assessment can be the peer

assessment survey resource utilized to highlight one’s Humble, Hunger, and Smart attributes as

members of the church staff. I believe this can assist each member of the team to answer the

following questions: Are we leading one another correctly? Are we shepherding the flock

biblically? Are we supporting one another’s ministry sufficiently? Are we viewed more

frequently by one another as team members or individuals? Informal peer assessment forms can

be utilized throughout the year for feedback and to mark one’s growth and the cohesion of the

team, as directed by the pastoral leadership.

within or external from a team can easily manipulate one’s perspective, turning praise and value