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Two distinct events spurred me to write this article: a current series of posts focusing on #ikigai and my professional journey and a discussion with my son on what #success looks like. Do I have the seven traits correct, or am I missing or overlapping some? Darren https://lnkd.in/gX3ATJqc

Although #organizationalhealth is a broad, all-encompassing term, I see two parallel streams as I’ve read (and reread) Patrick Lencioni's collection. The books below focus on the business structure and processes (business operating system) that enable a company’s success and health. In parallel and heavily intertwined, those books in my previous article (link in the comments) focus on culture, values, and behaviours. A #businessoperatingsystem is a set of core processes, management and leadership tools, and continuous improvement cycles that begin after defining the purpose and core values of the company.   A BOS guides a company through strategy creation, moves through organizational deployment (for consistency and alignment), and finishes with ongoing execution, continuously wrapped in a #PDSA cycle. This was a tougher order to put together than the last one. One could easily say that reading The Advantage covers everything. However, reading some of the individual fables helps tie it together and goes a bit more in-depth on some topics (like strategy), so I have The Advantage as the final read. If you can only read one of the five, that would be the one.   If you can read all five, here is my suggested reading order: The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: This book establishes the overall structure. Although the first discipline, not surprisingly, focuses on the leadership team (aligned to Five Dysfunctions), the other three detail organizational clarity, including a modified six questions (a bit more on strategy, question 4) and how to deploy and execute key decisions. The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family (optional): Don’t let the name fool you. Although written partially in a non-business setting, this book slightly migrates the original discipline #2 from Four Obsessions into what ends up being the final six questions. Silos Politics and Turf Wars: Often, in a mature company, the purpose and core values are already established. This book expands upon the Rallying Cry/Thematic goal (question 5) and how it can create that alignment across departments and functions. Death by Meeting: This goes further into detail, specifically on execution (an offshoot of question 6). Although it speaks to strategy and rallying cries, it focuses on actions and execution of the plan. The Advantage: As mentioned, it pulls them all together, though without the fable (which works best in this case). Is there another recommended reading order?  Combining the four disciplines with the six questions is crucial to maintaining flow and understanding. I find the coverage on question #4 (strategy) a bit lighter than the others. Maybe a future book? Do people see the parallel paths of values, culture, and a BOS (or an LBS - Lencioni Business System) in his books, or am I imagining things? 😊 The Table Group

My earlier musings regarding Patrick Lencioni books and how they reveal a #businessoperatingsystem led to some discussion over the order in which the books *could* be read. A few people highly recommended The Motive as the first one to read. I would disagree. While I understand the reasoning, I believe The Motive is most appropriate for someone considering a move into Leadership. I’ve placed my suggested reading order below, with a specific caveat: I haven’t included all of his books. While most of his books have an overall #OrganizationHealth theme, five (six if you include 5 Temptations, which to me is very similar in theme to 5 Dysfunctions) focus on behaviour, values, and culture. I look at the sequence based on a professional beginning their career and understanding an organization's dynamics (and yes, Organizational Health and culture) and how they could fit. Another five focus on a #businessoperatingsystem and processes to enhance an organization's work. I will talk about this topic another day. Do they all tie in together? Absolutely! However, I see the two parallel paths moving progressively until they meet at a common junction. Regardless, my suggested reading order to understand culture and values for a professional would be: The Ideal Team Player – (maybe I have some bias here), but it focuses on the virtues highly valued in an organization at an individual level. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – moves from individual values to team values and how they should work together. The 6 Types of Working Genius - allows individuals to reflect upon their areas of strength and opportunity in greater detail and see how they could fit in different roles and with various colleagues. The Motive – finally, we see this one. I’d have it as the 4th read, primarily relevant as an individual is considering a potential move into #Leadership and determining if it’s for the right reason. The Truth About Employee Engagement—for leaders to understand how to continue building a positive team culture and environment. My thoughts. Any others? The Table Group #threevirtues

My latest blog is long past due (I really don't like that metric). It's part II of refining and finding my #ikigai as I continue my career as an #entrepreneur. https://lnkd.in/gmqYXrgY

I'll be the first to say I like simplicity and #kiss. I may not always live it and have been known to overcomplicate things occasionally, but I aspire to achieve it. One of the great attributes of Patrick Lencioni's books is the simplicity with which he describes and outlines the topic at hand.  I admire his ability to keep the themes and details manageable and relatable. He even speaks to it at length in his Employee Engagement book. However, after finishing the Working Genius, I realized there might be a bit of magic to his writings. I’ve mentioned before Harvard psychologist Dr. George Miller’s magic number seven, introduced in the 1950s. The theory describes the number seven as the approximate number of items in a list that people can reliably recall in their short-term memory, give or take a couple. It’s a compliment to Lencioni that he keeps the core concepts of his books under seven to help people remember and use the vast tools and insights he has offered (at least it works for me). Over the years, I've encountered too many books and articles where the fundamental topic or idea is "consolidated" into 10, 12 or even 16 buckets (or lists). I don't feel the author is doing enough critical thinking if that's as good as they can get to. When I reflect upon his twelve main books, I see the number of central (top-level) themes taught in each always being less than seven (see the table below). Is this why they stick in my/our minds so well?  The simplicity? I always thought it was the fable approach, but I’m beginning to second-guess myself a bit, as a fable wasn’t used in The Advantage, nor did I find it particularly engaging in Working Genius. Regardless, I hope he keeps on using the same approach. He uses a simple but very effective type of magic. Not just his words but his numbers as well. The Table Group #magicnumberseven #simplicity #businessoperatingsystem

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Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed learning about, working on, and later building Business Operating Systems (BOS) that work best for an organization and its employees. I’ve found that it isn’t usually one size fits all. There needs to be an element of tailoring and timeliness aligning where the company is today and what the team is ready to take on (striking a balance called “structure” between chaos and bureaucracy). Funny enough, my summer reading included several Patrick Lencioni books I had missed over the years. After finishing The Advantage, I realized that a number of his offerings, collectively, are more than just about Organizational Health, as he describes it, but form the basis for a robust BOS. If 5 Dysfunctions and Ideal Team Player represent the culture and the fit that is ideal for a healthy organization (and yes, I know ITP came out after Advantage, though the themes are pretty apparent), then between 4 Obsessions, Death by Meeting and Frantic Family, there is a clear outline for a successful BOS. All of these aspects are nicely summarized in The Advantage. I need to try some aspects of his proposed BOS structure to validate its success or question/adjust his recommendations. The dynamic agenda at a weekly meeting and having one rallying cry (vs. two or three) are most interesting. Either way, it’s been a great summer of learning and reflection. If any #smb is considering introducing a BOS, The Advantage is a great place to start. The Table Group #businessoperatingsystem #threevirtues