Inspired to think differently as a leader...

First off, I'm a huge Patrick Lencioni fan. I recently read The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business, and this book reads differently than his typical writing, in that it's not written in fable format. Being a fan of his typical style, I still found this book very engaging, and extremely thought provoking. It actually builds upon concepts and principles in his other books, and includes so many great approaches for leaders.

When I read any of Lencioni's books, I become inspired to think differently. I begin to analyze my environment with a critical but solutions-focused mindset. I look at people and processes to understand what's working and why, but also to assess where the opportunity lies, even among the seemingly small things.

This book looks at the whole organization from a health perspective, and I think the challenge for us who hold middle-management leadership roles, is to take the concepts shared, and wrap our arms around what we can influence from where we sit. We often don't determine the values our company will embody, the details of the recognition program, or the strategic or tactical areas of focus from an organizational perspective. With that in mind, I have to think about what we do determine, and what we can influence.

I'm planning to dig into this further with my team, to see how we can leverage the following questions from the book, and what that means for our future success and health.

1. Why do we exist?
2. How do we behave?
3. What do we do?
4. How will we succeed?
5. What is most important, right now?
6. Who must do what?

If you are a leader (whether you manage a team or not), read this book. Seriously, it's worth your time.