Patrick Lencioni on team trust, vulnerability, and the MBTI® assessment

Who doesn’t like to hear a good story? Stories make life fun. Good stories are a great way to share information and connect people.

And if you’re looking for MBTI^® stories to share with clients, potential clients or even just to remind yourself of how MBTI concepts get used every day, we’ve found a great podcast that crackles with energy and puts a smile on your face. 

It’s by Patrick Lencioni – and there’s no denying he’s a storyteller.

You probably know him best as the author of 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, the management theory best-seller, and you might have seen his talks online. Lencioni has authored 11 books, sold more than 6 million copies, and is a leading name in the global organizational health movement.

He’s also a fan of personality assessments – a huge fan. Especially the Myers-Briggs^® assessment.

“This is maybe the most excited I’ve been to do one of these podcasts because I love talking about this…because I really don’t understand how a person can go about leading a team, working with other people, managing an employee, or working for a boss without understanding their unique personality types...This is so powerful...” ~Patrick Lencioni, At The Table podcast

Remember, Lencioni’s approach to organizational success focuses on organizational health. A healthy organization thrives, unlike unhealthy or dysfunctional organizations. And the source of dysfunction is the absence of trust. Trust is the foundation of team success, as anyone familiar with his 5 Dysfunctions model knows. 

The trust Lencioni talks about, however, focuses on vulnerability. 

This isn’t the kind of trust we usually think of. Typically, our notion of trust comes from comes from knowing people, situations, or behavioural responses (this is predicted trust).

Vulnerability-based trust is the sort of trust that lets people say “I don’t know” or “I need help” – and to be OK saying it.  

For this kind of trust to exist in a team, it’s crucial that the leader ‘goes first’. They need to lead by example. “You can’t trust someone who doesn’t know who they are, who protects their ego,” says Lencioni. Leaders need self-awareness, and so does the rest of the team. 

And a great way to start that conversation is with the MBTI assessment.   

Hear Lencioni talk about the power of personality

In an At The Table podcast from May 2020, Lencioni and two colleagues talk about the MBTI assessment. It’s a high-energy chat, flowing with enthusiasm. They show how the MBTI framework has helped them at work and at home. They share tales and client stories. And they reveal why Lencioni and his colleague cannot be trusted to travel on their own, based on their personality types. 

Get the idea? Then listen to the podcast: Episode 8, The Power of Personality Profiles

It’s 35 minutes but the time flies. You’re in very good company.

You could even bookmark the podcast and note the key timings so you can share key quotes with clients and colleagues. As we said earlier, people respond positively to a great story. Why not use one of the biggest names in the field to help tell ours?

Sources
At The Table podcast, Episode 8: The Power of Personality Profiles 

Patrick Lencioni Five Dysfunctions of a Team OC - YouTube

The Table Group 

Peopleleaders.com.au
How to Interpret Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a Team - People Leaders