It’s like ‘Where’s Waldo’ out there trying to find the ideal team player. Especially with automated application systems, outsourcing recruiting to a company that doesn’t understand your culture intimately, and utilizing outdated standard interview questions. Where is that individual that will get the culture, have little ego, does the job well, have interpersonal skills, and in terms of the book, “isn’t a jackass”?
Well, there’s a book for that! The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick M. Lencioni.
Sure, you are skeptical; there are tons of books on tons of subjects. What makes this different? Awesomeness, that is what. OK, but seriously, I started it in the later part of the morning and finished late that evening. If I didn’t have other activities in between, it would have been a lot sooner. I did not want to put it down! Was it short? Yes, compared to a Tom Clancy novel. The thing was it is not like your typical non-fiction business book. It was pretty fun to read.
Two-thirds of the book is a fable about a company’s executive team prepping to take on two huge projects that require them to hire 60 people…then, while at the same time, trying to fix some employee concerns. The fable is well written with great dialogue. The other third of the book is more along the lines of what you would expect to find in a business book; however, it is at the end. It basically just explains and dives deeper into the three virtues discovered in the fable.
So, are you ready to find your Waldos and Waldettes? Good, go throw down 13 George Washingtons, get this book, open up your favorite note taking app, set aside four hours, and have some fun. You will not regret it.
So here is a question to the community:
“What is your favorite business book?”
Thank you for your time,
Volume 8 Issue 4 (40) Original Post: 02/22/2017 Updated: 02/22/2017
