Teamwork requires some sacrifice up front people who work as a team have to put the collective needs of the group ahead of their individual interests.

— Patrick Lencioni

The kind of people that all teams need are people who are humble, hungry, and smart: humble being little ego, focusing more on their teammates than on themselves. Hungry, meaning they have a strong work ethic, are determined to get things done, and contribute any way they can. Smart, meaning not intellectually smart but inner personally smart.

— Patrick Lencioni

The lack of conflict is precisely the cause of one of the biggest problems that meetings have: they are boring

— Patrick Lencioni

There is almost nothing more painful for a leader than seeing good people leave a growing organization, whether it's a priest watching a Sunday school teacher walk out the door or a CEO saying goodbye to a co-founder.

— Patrick Lencioni

The sad fact is that it would be fair to say that United is a generic, bureaucratic, tired company. A sort of DMV in the sky. No real culture. No real strategy. No real expectations for employees or customers. All of which is a shame.

— Patrick Lencioni

The truth is that intelligence, knowledge, and domain expertise are vastly overrated as the driving forces behind competitive advantage and sustainable success.

— Patrick Lencioni

Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team.

— Patrick Lencioni

Trying to design the perfect plan is the perfect recipe for disappointment.

— Patrick Lencioni

What's amazing is that so many leaders who value teamwork will tolerate people who aren't humble. They reluctantly hire self-centered people and then justify it because those people have desired skills.

— Patrick Lencioni

When leaders throughout an organization take an active, genuine interest in the people they manage, when they invest real time to understand employees at a fundamental level, they create a climate for greater morale, loyalty, and, yes, growth.

— Patrick Lencioni