Accountability
it.” He gave up looking. “Anyway, we haven’t really started yet. I haven’t been able to pull together a meeting.”
“Why not?” Nick was more patient than Kathryn ex- pected.
“Well, quite frankly, because many of your people haven’t been available. And I’ve been busy helping Mar- tin with the demo.”
Silence.
Nick decided to be constructive. “Okay, which of my people haven’t been available?”
Carlos didn’t want to point fingers. “I’m not complain- ing about them. It’s just that . . .”
Nick interrupted him. “It’s okay, Carlos. Just tell me who needs to be more responsive.”
“Well, I think that Jack is key. And Ken. And I’m not sure if . . .”
Now Kathryn interrupted. “Does anyone see a problem here?”
Nick answered first. “Yeah, I need to communicate with my staff about our priorities and make sure they’re ready to support them.”
Kathryn acknowledged that this was true, but she was looking for something else. “But what about Carlos? Don’t you think he should have come to you about fixing this problem before today? Not one of you challenged him when he said he hadn’t even started the competitor analysis.”
Uncomfortable silence again.
Carlos was secure enough not to overreact to his boss’s
38Lencioni/Accountability 2/10/02 3:45 PM Page 147
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
question. For the moment, he seemed to be considering it objectively.
Martin jumped in. “It’s hard to come down on someone who is always pitching in.”
Kathryn nodded and then added firmly. “You’re right.
But that’s not a good excuse. The fact is, Carlos is a vice president of the company, and he needs to prioritize better according to what we agreed to do, and he needs to chal- lenge people in the organization who are not responding to his requests.”
Sensing now that Carlos was beginning to feel picked on, Kathryn addressed him directly. “I’m using you as an ex- ample, Carlos, because you are an easy person to let off the hook. But this could apply to anyone. Some people are hard to hold accountable because they are so helpful. Others be- cause they get defensive. Others because they are intimi- dating. I don’t think it’s easy to hold anyone accountable, not even your own kids.”
That brought a few nods of acknowledgment from some of the team members. Kathryn continued, “I want all of you challenging each other about what you are doing, how you are spending your time, whether you are making enough progress.”
Mikey challenged, “But that sounds like a lack of trust.”
Kathryn shook her head. “No, trust is not the same as assuming everyone is on the same page as you, and that they don’t need to be pushed. Trust is knowing that when
38Lencioni/Accountability 2/10/02 3:45 PM Page 148
Accountability
a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.”
Nick clarified. “But we have to push in a way that doesn’t piss people off.”
His statement sounded like a question, so Kathryn re- sponded. “Absolutely. Push with respect, and under the as- sumption that the other person is probably doing the right thing. But push anyway. And never hold back.”
The team seemed to be digesting the point well, and Kathryn let it sink in for a moment. Then she asked Nick to continue.
He gladly obliged. “Okay, we’re on item number three, which is the sales training program. I own that one my- self, and we’re on pace. I’ve scheduled a two-day training session for our salespeople, and I think that all of us should be there too.”
Mikey seemed incredulous. “Why?”
“Because we should all consider ourselves to be sales- people. Especially if closing those eighteen deals is really our top priority.”
Kathryn left no doubt. “It is.”
Nick continued. “Then we are all going to be involved, and we need to know how to help our sales reps.” Nick gave everyone the date of the training, and they wrote it in their calendars.
Mikey still seemed peeved.
“Is there a problem, Mikey?” It was Nick who asked.
38Lencioni/Accountability 2/10/02 3:45 PM Page 149
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
“No, no. Go ahead.”
Nick wouldn’t accept that. Containing any frustration that he might have felt, he pushed on. “No, if you think there is a good reason for you not to be at sales training, then I’m open to hearing it.” He paused to see if she would respond, and when she didn’t, he continued. “Frankly, I can’t imagine anything else being more important.”
Finally, Mikey responded sarcastically. “Okay, and I’d like everyone to attend next week’s product marketing meeting.”
Nick restrained himself again. “Really? Because if you think we should all be there, and it makes sense, then we’ll do it.”
Mikey didn’t even consider his offer. “Forget it. I’ll be at the sales training. I don’t need any of you, other than Mar- tin, at the product marketing meeting.”
Right at that moment Kathryn became certain that Mikey would have to go. Unfortunately, the next five min- utes would make that harder than she would have liked.
38Lencioni/Accountability 2/10/02 3:45 PM Page 150