Ministry in Motion (MIM) Ezine, November 10, 2006

-- Book Review: "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable," By Patrick Lencioni, reviewed by Tom Hanover.

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Christians typically squawk when evolutionists raise the possibility of humans being related to apes. But I’ve got a humbling confession to make. I feel a strong kinship to monkeys.

Let me qualify that. I’ve heard that Africans have a sure fire way of catching monkeys. The method is so simple it’s ridiculous. They put a banana in jar. When a monkey spies the fruit, he reaches inside and grabs hold of the banana. Monkeys are so greedy they won’t let go even when in danger of being caught. He values the possession more than his freedom.

Sometimes I’m like a selfish monkey, holding onto my possessions with clenched fists. This first became evident to me while co-leading the communications team for our church’s building campaign. While creating materials to motivate others to give of their time and talents I found myself inwardly grumbling about the cost of my time spent on the campaign. As a freelance communicator I mourned the loss of time I could have spent generating income.

I was hardly a cheerful giver. The campaign jolted me into self-awareness. My fist was tightly clenched around the banana. I learned that everything I owned--my time, money AND resources should be willingly shared.

I once heard a parable that compared three different objects to three different types of givers. The first type of giver is like flint: a hard, cold stone that gives off chips and sparks only after much hammering.

The second type of giver is like a sponge that releases its water only after you wring it out. The third type of giver is like a honeycomb that overflows with its own sweetness.

Generosity should drip from us like the sweetness of the honeycomb. For some it does. But for others, like me, it doesn’t come naturally. Generosity is akin to kindness, the fruit of the spirit. I see it as a hybrid fruit. Both have everything to do with how we react to the needs of others. We are faced daily with situations where we have the opportunity to do something selfless for someone else. God seems to ask us “are you going to release the banana or hold on for dear life?”

Teena Stewart is a published writer, a ministry consultant and coach, and a product developer for Ministry in Motion. You can email her at smartwords@sbcglobal.net. To learn more about Teena, her writing, and consulting services, click here.

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Thanksgiving is almost here and I’m all atwitter with anticipation. In celebration, I plan to once again partake in the age-old tradition of gorging myself with an embarrassing amount of food, creating gastro-intestinal problems the like of which are rarely experienced in industrialized countries.

This year my family and I are planning on eating out Thanksgiving Day, and are in serious discussions regarding the restaurant we want to go to.

Restaurant selection is a big decision that you don’t want to botch. The main issue, as I see it, is whether you want to be waited on or would rather serve yourself at a buffet.

If you choose to be served, then your greatest challenge, of course, will be your waiter. Waiters are a strange and mysterious group of people who have their own language and moral code, not unlike the ancient Druids or the David Hasselhoff Fan Club. Those attempting to interact with them must be aware that their language and ours do not necessarily mean the same things.

For example, when the waiter gestures toward your empty plate and says, “Can I get that out of the way for you?” he really means, “It’s time for you to go now.”

When a waiter places your check on your table and says, “Can I get anything else for you?” he really means, “It’s time for you to go now, but leave your credit card.”

When a waiter serves your food in a timely manner with a smile on his face, it means he did something gross to your entree back in the kitchen.

Eating at a restaurant with a wait staff has other drawbacks too, like being served by an overworked staff who would just as soon see you choke on a roll than have you ask them for another glass of tea. Because they’re desperately trying to avoid having one more thing to do, these waiters often wait until your mouth is packed like a chipmunk’s before asking if you need anything else.

There’s no way to win in this situation. Your best alternative is to attempt the complicated motor activity of chewing while shaking your head “No.” You’ll most likely wind up looking like a bobble-head doll but that’s infinitely better than the alternative which is holding up your empty tea glass and saying something like “May ah pweeb haf pum more pea?” {Click here to read more of this article}

Visit his Web site at www.charlesmarshallcomedy.com or contact him via e-mail at charles@charlesmarshallcomedy.com.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

This book is a little older than most of the books we review on our MIM web site. We try to assess books that are hot off the shelf, and sometimes - when a publisher is generous - a little ahead of release date.

This work by Lencioni, however, significantly applies to many ministry settings. Pastoral leaders must often develop teams. Some teams work closely with the leader and others are developed to run with a project with only loose connection to the ministry leader.

What makes a team work? Why are some teams very effective and others dysfunctional? How can a leader grow a healthy team? Lencioni writes his fable in a business setting, but his principles apply to churches, schools, and anywhere else leaders are forming groups.

Through the course of the story he not only identifies the five dysfunctions, but how an effective leader can address those issues. Through the eyes of Kathryn Peterson, who takes over a computer tech company, the reader follows Lencioni’s thinking as Peterson teaches and coaches her executives to become a healthy team.

Team building is a skill that is critical to effective ministry leadership. Leaders who recruit compassionate and competent individuals will fall short of the accomplishments of leaders who can forge a collection of individuals into a team. Lencioni’s work helps a leader to learn how to do that.

Lencioni is president of The Table Group, a San Francisco Bay Area management consulting firm, author of several popular books, and a sought-after public speaker.

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MIM Ezine November 10, 2006

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable