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

– Patrick Lencioni

In our modern workplaces eroding trust, constant employee turnover, and high stakes financial hurdles have become business as usual. The challenge for leaders is clear: prioritize the cultivation of robust, high performing teams to overcome these perpetual challenges.

Nowhere is this more vital than in healthcare, where teamwork lies at the center of the delivery of safe and effective care delivery. Whether as part of a committee, a peer group, or by discipline, we all function as integral members of a team. Nurse leaders today are continually challenged to create an environment where employees feel valued, engaged and supported. In short, they are expected to create cultures where their people thrive. This kind of environment is not created by mere chance. It’s through the collective efforts of these individuals that a team’s performance and quality are forged.

However, in my experience working with Nurse Leaders, I’ve noticed a concerning trend: team building is often overlooked as a crucial component of intentional development and performance strategies. Is this oversight yet another symptom of inadequate support for education and development? Or could it be attributed to the fact that Nurse Leaders currently shoulder spans of control and responsibility higher than those of any other leaders in the hospital? The reality is, they often find themselves lacking the time and mental bandwidth to devise a strategic approach to cultivating high-performing teams.

Now considered a foundational team-building text and necessary reference, Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,¹ provides diagnostic insights into team dysfunction but also practical solutions with universal relevance. Lencioni labels the first dysfunction as “Absence of Trust.” He contends that when team members fear vulnerability and are reluctant to open up about their weaknesses, mistakes, or concerns, this lack of trust leads to guarded communication, hidden agendas, and a lack of collaboration. It ultimately hinders the team’s ability to achieve its goals.

This Harvard Business Review article “How High Performing Teams Build Trust” ² also links trust to high performing teams. In the article psychologist Ron Friedman, Ph.D. makes this important point, “Conversations about cultivating trust at work often focus on the relationship between managers and employees. While useful, this approach represents only half the equation. As important — if not more so — is establishing trust between teammates. After all, most employees work in teams, and the lion’s share of their daily experience involves interacting with colleagues, often in the absence of a boss.”