I’m very curious to know the rest of the story in Pat Lencioni’s team building website video about trust. One person, the VP of Marketing, could not be vulnerable in any way as a leader. The effect was to squash the creative talent of the entire team. In the end, this person was managed out of the company and the team was transformed.

I’ve used this clip in client workshops for years. I love it. Everyone has a story about one negative person who drags the team down. Most seem to get why it’s important to protect the creativity and resilience of a team. And why it’s not OK to hold back the potential of others on the team.

Until last week.

One person in an executive leadership team retreat defended the toxic VP of Marketing…

“Did the company do better after letting the Marketing VP go?
Maybe the VP was the smartest person in the room and they just couldn’t set their egos aside and follow their lead.
I won’t agree that was a good idea until I know what happened to the company.”

He was serious. Looking back on the day, this was probably a glimpse of how he sees his own peers, and the team he supervises. This leader claimed to be results focused, and said the video clip was missing the evidence to justify the VP’s departure.

Those in the room tactfully pushed back from different angles to no avail. In the end I said I would try to find out what happened to the company in the story. That promise neutralized him enough so we could carry-on to the next topic.

I sent an email to Pat Lencioni’s team at The Table Group to learn the rest of the story. What happened next? I’ll let you know what I find out.

But does the answer really matter?

Is it enough to know the rest of the team was no longer in misery without the toxic VP?

Does the company productivity and revenue increases have to reach a certain level before it justifies letting someone go?

Is it something else?

What do you think? Please comment below…

#Leadership #LeaderGrowth #MentorLeader #ToughConversations #TeamBuilding #CrownClarity