Every executive leadership consultant I know has a shelf full of books that have informed their views on why companies rise and fall. We continue to reach out to these books for inspiration even long after we finished the last chapter and gave them their place of honor along our walls.

One such book for me is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, first published in 2002 by Patrick Lencioni. What struck me about his perspective was how well it fit almost any team you can imagine. It’s more than a business book; it’s a guide for anyone who has ever had to lead a group of volunteers, athletes, actors, church members, or other organizations.

Mr. Lencioni builds his concept around five obstacles that teams must overcome to succeed on challenging projects and hold together for the long haul. His five dysfunctions are:

1. Absence of trust. When team members fear their leadership as well as one another, they cannot commit to their best work.
2. Fear of conflict. The desire to be nice and get along with one another can often stifle respectful disagreement.
3. Lack of commitment. When team members do not understand or agree with the project’s expectations, they become indecisive.
4. Avoidance of accountability. The fear of owning mistakes and asking others to do the same keeps teams from effectively solving problems.
5. Inattention to results. When team members pursue individual goals over collective success, the team loses sight of their definition of success.

Mr. Lencioni’s book appealed to me on two different levels. I spend much time in corporate boardrooms, but I also love basketball. Because of his broad definition of a “team,” Lencioni helped me understand what business and sports have in common. 

In both cases, you’ve got to develop chemistry among your team members to help them understand expectations quickly. The best teams trust each other and their coaches. They function as a single unit instead of a group of independent players. Without this trust, players hesitate and miss opportunities. Their teams lose games.

In 2016, Mr. Lencioni published a companion book called The Ideal Team Player. It focuses on the qualities that help individual team members succeed — and how you can look for these qualities during your hiring process.

What books are on your bookshelf? What are your leadership touchpoints? I’m curious about what titles you reach for time and time again when you need inspiration.

Keep reading and keep leading!