The 5 Core Dysfunctions Holding Your Team Back
Whether you're leading a small nonprofit, scaling a startup, or managing a large department, your people are your biggest asset—and potentially your biggest roadblock. In my work with businesses and nonprofits, I’ve seen that most workforce development issues don’t start with recruitment or training gaps.
They start with dysfunctional teams.
Borrowing from Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, this post breaks down how these dysfunctions quietly sabotage organizational growth—and how I help teams overcome them with proven tools and hands-on facilitation.
🚧 Dysfunction 1: Absence of Trust
The Root of Fear, Silence, and Stagnation
Teams that lack trust don’t speak up, don’t ask for help, and don’t challenge ideas—they protect their image instead of focusing on the work.
🔧 How I Help:
I facilitate vulnerability-based trust-building activities like personal history exercises, team feedback sessions, and personality assessments (e.g., MBTI, DISC). These help team members drop the mask and show up with authenticity, so they can start collaborating instead of competing.
“Trust is not just knowing someone will do their job—it’s knowing they’ve got your back even when you mess up.”
🔥 Dysfunction 2: Fear of Conflict
The Silent Killer of Innovation
If people can’t disagree, they can’t innovate. Many teams confuse healthy disagreement with toxicity and avoid difficult conversations.
🔧 How I Help:
Through real-time coaching, conflict style assessments like the TKI (Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument), and structured dialogue formats, I create safe spaces for courageous conversations. Conflict isn’t something to avoid—it’s something to train for.
“Healthy conflict saves time and sharpens ideas. Without it, teams revisit the same problems over and over again.”
🤷🏾♂️ Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment
When Everyone’s in the Meeting, But No One’s Aligned
Without open dialogue and clear decisions, teams leave meetings confused, and progress stalls. The desire for consensus or perfection leads to indecision and delays.
🔧 How I Help:
I guide teams through tools like cascading messaging, scenario planning, and low-risk decision-making simulations. These build clarity and confidence so teams can decide quickly and commit fully—even when not everyone agrees.
“A decision made is better than a perfect one delayed.”
🚫 Dysfunction 4: Avoidance of Accountability
Great Culture Means Holding One Another Accountable
When there’s no accountability, underperformance and silence become the norm. High standards erode, and resentment grows.
🔧 How I Help:
I support leaders and teams in building a culture of peer accountability, using tools like public goal-setting, regular feedback check-ins, and team-based performance tracking. I also coach leaders to stop being the sole source of accountability—and empower the team to own the standard.
“Accountability isn’t personal—it’s about respect. It says: I expect better from you because I believe in you.”
🎯 Dysfunction 5: Inattention to Results
If It’s Not About Outcomes, What Are We Doing?
Without a clear focus on results, teams get caught up in status, internal politics, or just “surviving.” Effort becomes the measure instead of impact.
🔧 How I Help:
I help organizations set public-facing goals, define measurable outcomes, and align rewards and recognition with team success—not just individual performance. I also help team leads model a results-first mindset without sacrificing morale or motivation.
“Results aren’t just profit—they’re progress. And progress is what keeps people inspired to show up and do great work.”
🔁 From Dysfunction to High Performance: My Approach
As a leadership consultant and workforce strategist, I work with organizations to:
Facilitate team development workshops
Train leaders on emotional intelligence, communication, and decision-making
Build accountability systems and peer review frameworks
Deliver personality assessments that unlock deeper collaboration
Coach teams through conflict navigation and goal-setting
Whether your team is stuck in a cycle of indecision, lacking trust, or just struggling to hold people accountable—there’s a path forward.
🛠 Let’s Build Something That Works
If you're leading a business or organization and facing:
High turnover
Low engagement
Poor communication
Talent retention challenges
…then it may not be a hiring problem. It might be a team dynamic problem.
Let’s fix that—together.
📩 Contact me to set up a Team Health Assessment or schedule a workshop tailored to your organization’s needs.
#TeamDevelopment #WorkforceSolutions #LeadershipMatters #FiveDysfunctions #BusinessGrowthStartsWithin #CultureStrategy #AccountabilityInAction
