3 Traits to Evaluate for When Hiring in Order to Build a Strong and Healthy Team
Having facilitated over 850+ full day workshop sessions with clients has taught me so much, but this one thing is near the top of the list : healthier teams have stronger team work and perform better than other teams. Period.
And most people think they're great team players, the problem is that nobody has agreed on the definition of what one is. And learning and agreeing on a great definition of an ideal team player goes a long way in building high performing teams.
So…
According to Patrick Lencioni, pioneer of the organizational health movement and creator of the “ideal team player” framework, it boils down to three simple, but powerful virtues that leaders should be looking out for: hungry, humble, and smart. Team members who embody these three traits are best equipped to overcome any team challenges or dysfunction that comes their way in order to deliver results.
And while these virtues may seem obvious upon first glance, the specifics for what to look out for may surprise you.
Staying Hungry
Have you ever had someone on your team who’s always asking, “What’s next?” They’re never satisfied with just doing the bare minimum and always go the extra mile. These go-getters don’t mind staying a bit longer to nail a project or taking on extra responsibilities to help the team reach their goals. Not only does this make them a reliable teammate, but their energy is infectious across the team to inspire everyone to overachieve.
Being Humble
This isn’t about someone being a pushover or “yes man” – it’s about the team players who know that when the team wins, they also win. These people ask those smart questions that make everyone think, consistently value and solicit other opinions, and aren’t afraid to acknowledge their team members’ contributions. All in all, people who live out this virtue lack personal ego and put the ‘we’ before ‘me’.
Being Smart (Emotionally, That Is)
99% of the time when people hear “smart” they automatically associate it with a high IQ score. And while being book-smart is obviously important, emotional intelligence is what really solidifies someone as a strong team player. They know how to navigate varying team dynamics, understand how their words and actions affect others, and ultimately are people that everyone loves to work with.
The Ideal Team Player Virtues in Action
I implemented this framework with one of my clients a few months ago because they had been stuck on how to support an employee for a while.
The employee in question shared most of the company’s core values, was loved across the team, and had high emotional intelligence. But once we reviewed this framework together, my client was instantly able to pinpoint what was off: this employee was simply not hungry.
The employee often left work early, never asked for additional responsibilities, and essentially were dragging on other team members as they expected them to pick up the extra weight. By identifying what was wrong, my client was able to get clarity on what was wrong and how to address it.
For example, rather than going into a conversation with the employee with a broad question of “what’s wrong?,” which can lead to vague answers without any actionable next steps, they were able to center the conversation around what can be done to make the employee more excited about what they were working on.
Lacking even one of these virtues can make cross-team work and culture more difficult. So it’s important to be able to evaluate these virtues early when hiring candidates and continue to cultivate an environment that prioritizes staying hungry, being humble, and being smart.
I encourage you to share these virtues and the definitions with all of your team members so they can keep them top of mind and receive clear direction, when needed, on how to improve in each area.
I’ve included a short reflection exercise below to help both you and your team members evaluate where they stand with each of these virtues today, and identify which areas require improvement in order to fully live them out each day.
Reflection Exercise
Rank yourself around how you’re embodying these virtues everyday at work and reflect on what you can do to actively improve your weakest virtue so that you can become even more of an ideal team player.
Hungry: Am I continuously seeking to exceed my current achievements? Do I encourage my team to embrace challenges eagerly?
Humble: Do I place the team's success above my own? How often do I acknowledge others' contributions? Do I trust the expertise of the people I’ve hired, or do I often micro-manage projects?
Smart: How well do I understand the human-aspect of my team? Do I consider different emotions and learning styles when I interact with each of my employees? Do I foster an environment where emotional intelligence is valued as much as technical skills or business acumen?
Conclusion
Embracing these three virtues can transform the way you build and lead your team. It’s about creating a work environment where everyone on your team brings their A-game every single day because they each feel valued, driven, and understood. My challenge to consistently nurture each of these areas – not just in yourself, but in your teams too.
