Teaming: The Non-Negotiable Imperative for Founders and Leaders

“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.” – Patrick Lencioni.

I am drawing the proverbial line in the sand. Teaming eats strategy and finance for lunch.

In one fashion or another, every leader seemingly intends to be on their own respective journey - their own relentless pursuit of performance excellence.

Yet precious few are on the correct path to such greatness. There exists a dichotomy that every Founder, CEO, and leader must confront. It is the stark choice between deliberate, intentional success or the slow, insidious descent into mediocrity. This choice is not merely about strategy, market positioning, nor product innovation. It cuts much, much deeper—it is about how you build, sustain, and continuously forge your team. This is the essence of teaming—a concept so critical that ignoring it in favor of seemingly more urgent tasks is a sure trajectory to mediocrity or outright failure.

I must confess. Every article I write is forged in a hard lesson I have learned directly or through the people I am privileged to serve. Two of my Clients in the past 18 months have scaled teams only to scale them back down to a degree or completely start over. Why? Because they hired the wrong people AND they failed to get serious about teaming. 

Teaming is not a one-off event or a box to be checked during a yearly offsite. Teaming is the muscle every leader must get adept at or they will pay the price of missed opportunity and outright mediocrity - one way or another. I am talking about the intentional, active, ongoing practice of cultivating a cohesive unit that not only executes tasks but also adapts, evolves, and grows stronger over time. In today’s fast-paced, hyper-competitive environment, this is not just important—it is indispensable.

So What Is Teaming?

Teaming is the deliberate process of constructing a team that is more than the sum of its parts. It is about creating a dynamic, resilient, and high-performing unit that can weather challenges, innovate continuously, and deliver exceptional results. The act of teaming requires a strategic focus on trust, communication, and accountability—elements that do not materialize on their own but must be actively nurtured and reinforced.

For Founders and CEOs who are committed to hiring A-players and building high-performing elite teams, teaming is not a luxury; it is much like breathing. It is the difference between a team that operates at peak performance with capacity to spare and one that is merely going through the motions. It requires consistent effort, deliberate action, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about how the team operates.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Framework for Strategic Teaming

There is good news. This is NOT rocket science. To truly master the art of teaming, it is essential to integrate the discipline outlined in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team model. So much of what is needed is right there in that little book. You just have to pick it up, read it, talk about it, and do the work. Lencioni's model provides a clear roadmap for identifying and addressing the common pitfalls that can and will derail even the most seemingly talented teams. By systematically countering these dysfunctions, you can build a team that not only functions effectively but excels.

1. Absence of Trust

Trust is the bedrock of any successful team. Without it, collaboration is superficial, and team members will hesitate to be vulnerable, leading to a lack of genuine connection. And let's be crystal clear. This is more than just trust - doing what you say you will do or telling the truth. That must go without saying. Building vulnerability-based trust requires consistent, intentional actions that demonstrate vulnerability, reliability, and transparency. This is not a one-time effort; it is an ongoing commitment that must be woven into the fabric - the culture code of how your team operates. Trust must be actively cultivated through open communication, shared experiences, and a culture where vulnerability is not only accepted but encouraged and EXPECTED.

2. Fear of Conflict

The fear of conflict is a silent killer of innovation and progress. In a high-performing team, conflict is not just tolerated—it is welcomed as a necessary ingredient for growth. Productive ideological debate is essential for arriving at the best ideas and making informed decisions. However, this requires an environment where team members feel safe to voice differing opinions without fear of retribution. Leaders must actively foster this environment, ensuring that conflict is constructive and focused on achieving the best outcomes. This is not about creating discord; it is about harnessing the power of diverse perspectives to drive excellence. This is about cultivating an idea meritocracy. 

3. Lack of Commitment

Commitment is the glue that binds a team together. Without it, the team’s efforts become fragmented, and progress stalls. Commitment is born out of clarity and buy-in—every team member must feel that their voice has been heard and that they are fully invested in the team’s goals. This requires leaders to be clear in their communication, ensuring that everyone understands the team’s objectives and their role in achieving them. Commitment is not a passive state; it is an active choice that must be reinforced regularly through deliberate actions and consistent follow-through.

4. Avoidance of Accountability

Accountability is the engine that drives performance. When teams lack accountability, mediocrity becomes the norm, and the drive for excellence fades. High-performing teams hold each other accountable, not just to avoid mistakes, but to push one another to achieve their best. Leaders must establish clear expectations and create a culture where accountability is expected and embraced as a positive force. This involves regular check-ins, honest feedback, and the courage to confront underperformance head-on. Accountability is not about blame; it is about ensuring that everyone is contributing to the team’s success.

5. Inattention to Results

The ultimate goal of teaming is to achieve collective results that exceed what any individual could accomplish alone. However, this requires a relentless focus on outcomes and these outcomes are possible only through a mindset of First Team. When team members prioritize personal agendas or departmental goals over the team’s objectives, progress stalls. Leaders must cultivate a collective mindset where the team’s success is the primary focus (First Team Concept). This means celebrating wins together, analyzing failures as a team, and continuously striving to improve. Inattention to results is a sign that the team has lost sight of its purpose; it is the leader’s role to continuously realign the team’s focus on achieving its goals.

The Consequences of Neglecting Teaming

When leaders sideline teaming in favor of more immediate tasks or strategies, they set the stage for dysfunction. The drama and friction that ensue are inevitable. Without intentional teaming, trust erodes, communication falters, and accountability becomes an afterthought. The team, once full of potential, begins to crack under the pressure of unmet expectations and unresolved conflicts. This is not a hypothetical scenario; it is the reality that many organizations face when they fail to prioritize teaming.

Consider the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. These dysfunctions do not appear overnight; they creep in when teaming is neglected and if allowed to - become a part of the culture code and become a not-so-hidden drag on the team's potential. When leaders ignore the importance of building and maintaining a strong team, these dysfunctions take root, leading to underperformance, missed opportunities, and ultimately, failure.

The friction and drama that emerge from poor teaming are not just internal issues—they have far-reaching consequences. The best and brightest team members - your A-players head for greener pastures. Customers feel the impact through inconsistent service or subpar products. The market notices as the company fails to innovate or respond to competitive pressures. And ultimately, the bottom line suffers as the organization loses its edge.

Teaming: A Strategic Imperative

Like all things worthy of pursuit, you have to do the work of strategic teaming.

Strategic teaming requires a continuous, unwavering commitment. It cannot be relegated to a once-a-year offsite or only addressed when dysfunction becomes too great to ignore. Founders and CEOs who are serious about winning—who are committed to building the strongest teams possible—understand that teaming is a daily discipline. It is about setting the tone from the top, fostering an environment where trust is paramount, where conflict is viewed as a necessary catalyst for growth, and where every team member is held accountable for delivering results.

This is not a soft approach; it is a hard-edged, no-nonsense strategy for building a team that consistently delivers excellence. It is about making the tough calls, having the difficult conversations, and ensuring that every team member is aligned with the company’s vision and goals. It is about recognizing that the work of teaming is never done—it is an ongoing process that requires vigilance, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of improvement.

Take Bold, Decisive Action

In the high-stakes world of business, there is no room for hesitation. The choice before you is clear: take bold, decisive action to build and maintain a strong, cohesive team, or risk the slow decay - the slow trajectory into mediocrity. There is no middle ground, no half-measures. You must decide—will you commit to the ongoing, important work of teaming, or will you allow the urgent to overshadow the vital?

The path to success is paved with intentional, strategic decisions. The choice to prioritize teaming and systematically address the Five Dysfunctions is one of the most critical decisions you will make as a leader. It is the difference between a team that thrives and one that merely survives. It is the difference between winning and losing. Choose wisely, for the consequences of neglect are too great to ignore.

The time to act is now. Decide. Do. The future of your organization depends on it.

And should you wish to dialogue to discuss how to get your team on track, click here to schedule a dialogue. 

Chris Young is a Trusted Advisor To Founders / CEOs | Certified Scaling Up Coach | Builder of People, Leaders, Teams & Economic Moats | Strategist and proud founder of The Rainmaker Group.