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When we don't hold each other accountable for fear of "interpersonal discomfort" then it leads to frustration amongst the team members that completed their tasks.  Frustrations can lead to less productivity.

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It was hard to pick because I saw myself in most of the characters. I am like JR's good qualities in that I am an experienced teacher, a little older than the others, and I'm happy to help out. On the other side of the coin, I am like Mikey because I tend to talk more than others. And while I can come up with some ideas, I tend to complain or point out the negatives more often.

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While I said I was a lot like JR, the thing that separates me from him is that he rarely follows through. I feel obligated to complete the task I've been assigned and struggle personally with the guilt when I don't.

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Kathryn's team?
Strength:  experience and motivation
Weakness:  egos

Our team?
Strength:  We're resilient and believe in strong relationships with each other and the students.
Weaknesses: We are good at ignoring the elephant in the room.

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3 take aways...
1.  On page 37, the text says, "You've probably heard my husband say that a fractured team is just like a broken arm or leg; fixing it is always painful, and sometimes you have to rebreak it to make it heal correctly."   I feel like many of us are scared to go through the pain if there is yet another change in admin/ staff.  I feel like we'd be left to pick up the pieces without a leader that guides us through this process.

2.  On page 44, the text says, "Great teams do not hold back with one another...they are unafraid to air their dirty laundry."   I think we are a competitive group because in the past we've been pitted against each.  How do we learn to trust each other?

3. On page 98, the text says, "I just don't want to have to tell someone that their standards are too low." Sometimes I feel this way about my coworkers.

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LY-  When a team decision stems from the individuals' focus on their own achievements or status at the expense of collective results.  Everyone should be heard otherwise team members will be discouraged and give up.  

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LY-  When a team decision stems from the individuals' focus on their own achievements or status at the expense of collective results.  Everyone should be heard otherwise team members will be discouraged and give up.  

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The absence of trust leads to team members functioning in isolation. There is little movement forward in the progression to achieving goals. Team members feel frustrated.

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I identified with Kathryn and Mikey. I'm like Kathryn in that I know my strengths and weaknesses, but I'm also like Mikey and don't want to be vulnerable.

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I am most like JR, while I have been in education for 13 years, I have not always been a teacher.  I have worked in corporate America and I have owned my own business, so I feel my experiences in other areas have given me a good sense of what to do and not to do.  I have some qualities like Kathryn because I am always looking from the outside in because of my previous experiences.  Additionally, I always want the best for the team in all aspects. It is hard when you have a new team and you have to integrate a new person into the mix. I tend to be very constructive when it comes to the reality of something I have already been through.

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I feel I am least like Mikey because he is disliked and I take great pride in building authentic relationships in all aspects of my life.  

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A strength would be looking at the weak links and changing them even if it meant firing someone.
A weakness would be not doing it in a way that was PR friendly.
Communication is a huge piece to a team, but all parties involved need to be on board. In a team, everyone needs to have a fair shot at the job they are taking on and given time to refine it going forward before they are assumed to not be doing their job.

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Page 63- "Walking back to the white board, Kathryn explained, "remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." "She wrote the word invulnerability next to trust on the white board." Building trust is so important, but it takes time and vulnerability.

Page 80- "Hell, I don't know.  I assume that Jeff and Mikey talk about that stuff.  But I'm assuming that we didn't do very well, given our sales numbers."  We should never assume in a team environment.  We do need to be able to trust all parties involved will do their part, but communication is a huge piece to the puzzle.  If no one knows you are struggling it is hard for anyone to step up and help.

Page 84- "Kathryn seemed unconvinced. "And? What's stopping you from forming a partnership or adjusting your business plan like they did?" Sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate our purpose. It is not necessarily a bad thing as long as all parties involved have taken something away and are able to refine it for the betterment of the team.

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The last dysfunction-individual results-and the focus on loyalty to team took me by surprise. I never thought that the executive team was the first team that one should have first loyalties to.  As a grade level lead, I thought my first loyalty was to my grade level peers.  Building a team is difficult and it is a process of addressing difficult decisions, conversations, and reflection which can be challenging as it can bring about discomfort and defensiveness.  However, leadership is about leading the organization not just managing a part of the whole.  The organizational leadership, when acting as a team, set the direction, build the vision, and create something new that seems to be so desired at our school site.

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When there is “avoidance of accountability,”  consequences can arise because we’re not collectively working towards the common goal. Teams are less efficient and when there is no accountability teams can continue the same undesirable actions.  Resentment can occur when a team feels that others may not be doing their part and it may continue if nothing is said.

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Mikey's behavior is toxic to the group pursuing their goals. She may be great at her job within the company but is not willing to pursue what is vital for the organization as a whole. I do not believe that I am like her because I desire to fix and resolve problems/conflicts that arise so that progress can move forward. I am an observer and hear the need between the words that are spoken by others. And I use the unspoken words of need to fix not to add toxicity, rumor, or negative thoughts/feelings.

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Avoidance of Accountability is the last dysfunction the team completed on their leadership retreat. No accountability leads to failure because the team is not accomplishing their goals if they are not holding each other accountable for the work that needs to be done.

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I found that I was able to identify with all of the characters at different times throughout the story. The two I identified with the least were Jan (CFO) and Jeff (former CEO).

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For the team in the book, I would say their strengths are that they have a well rounded group of individuals with identified roles. Now they are working towards capitalizing on their leadership goals for the whole company rather than their assigned departments.

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3 Takeaways:
1.) page 88 "Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think." People act differently based on members of the team/group.

2.) page 96 "Okay, I see where conflict fits in. Even if people are generally willing to commit, they aren't going to do so because..."  "...because they need to weigh in before they can really buy in." People want to feel heard, respected, and like they have a choice.

3.) page 138 Kathryn could see doubt on their faces. But she wasn't deterred by it, because it didn't seem to be about whether building the team was important, but rather whether they could actually do it. Kathryn always preferred that kind of doubt.

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I can relate to Carlos. He is know for being someone who is a great listener, trustworthy, BUT willing to speak up and stand up for what he believed in. I like to find the happy medium, try to bring a little bit of humor to situations to lighten the mood, and willing to go the extra mile to help the TEAM.

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I am going to say I am least like JR because I am very task oriented and have a hard time stopping once I start working on something. I want to start, finish, and move on to the next task.

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I think I am most like Carlos. I feel I am more soft spoken than most and alot of the time it is because I am worried about saying the wrong thing or sounding offensive. I feel I am a good listener and someone that is trustworthy.

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I feel that I am least like Mikey. She seems to have a passive aggressive nature with eyerolling, not participating, and not being open to anything new at all during the retreat. I think I always try to engage myself and focus on the task at hand. I love engaging in new ideas. She is not at all vulnerable, but I think I am pretty open to critique and how I can improve.

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(Book team) I think a strength of the team in the book is that they all have their areas of expertise and have strong educational backgrounds.  I think a weakness of their team is that they don't know how to utilize eachother's strengths.  If there is an issue they place blame on each other rather than try to problem solve together (pg 47).

(Bethune team) I think a strength for our team is that we all care deeply about what we do and we are all passionate about helping our kids succeed. I also think we all have care for eachother and see eachother as friends.

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“The key is to make the collective ego greater than the individual ones. No matter how good an individual might be feeling about his or her situation, if the team loses everyone loses.” pg 72. This reminds me of the story of the Ubuntu tribe. We can't leave anyone behind. We are successful when EVERYONE is thriving.

#2 When people don't unload their opinions and feel like they've been listened to , they won't really get onboard. (pg94) People need to feel valued and heard.

#3Set actionable goals that are measured monthly.

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As a new school principal, I identified most with Kathryn in that I am new to the site just as she was. She has vision and believes it is vital to invest in relationships as evidenced by the teambuilding activities/getaway. She also relies on the strengths of her team to succeed.

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With avoidance of accountability there must be buy-in from the team. If there isn't there will be a lack of cohesiveness to move the group forward. Sometimes we have to do hard things that will most likely make us uncomfortable, but in order to achieve greatness we might have to ruffle some feathers.

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I felt I was least like Mikey. Although she was a "brand genius," she complained often, talked more than others, and rolled her eyes. Of course, we all have our moments, but she was not a team player. Not reflective at all!

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A strength would be their consistency, but an opportunity would be for them to have clear structures in place as to who their teammates are (the executive team) and how they plan to achieve their "team results". pg. 137

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1. When Kathryn started she made let them know that "everything I'm doing, and everything I'm about to do, is purposeful and intentional".  pg. 36  Having a new leader and knowing what they are about is essential.

2. "Trust is the foundation of real teamwork". pg. 43 If you do not trust the people that you work with you will be less willing or likely to be vulnerable and open minded which will cause barriers in communication.

3. "Let's talk more about conflict." pg. 101 Kathryn was willing to talk about the "touchy" subjects with the group even if they didn't feel the most comfortable. A team must be willing to address the elephant in the room and have those difficult conversations to continue making progress toward their goals.

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Avoidance of accountability:  Failure to hold each other accountable will be counterproductive and ultimately will result in not achieving the common goal.

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I am probably more like Carlos since I am very trustworthy and a good listener.  I can take initiative at my grade level, however, I am a little like Martin as I am very quiet during staff and leadership meetings. But, unlike Martin, this is not because I am distracted or doing something else, but because I feel I lack confidence.

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I am least like Mikey.  I am not passive aggressive.  I tend to go with the flow and agree to what the majority wants.

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Our Team
Strength: I think we are all in this for the same reasons and we are all very committed to doing what is best for the kids.  We are all working towards the same common goal.

Opportunity:  I feel we can improve on building relationships within our team

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Avoidance of Accountability-  It is essential for a team to share in holding each other accountable.  That way, the team leader does not hold the sole responsibility. This practice also builds trust, respect, and promotes continuous improvement. Avoidance of accountability can lead to poor performance, missed deadlines, and failure to meet goals.

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1. We need to be open-minded

2. We need to be vulnerable (even if I don't like it)

3. We are all working towards a common goal

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1.  Katheryn states that meeting shouldn't be tame and that they should bring about a debate or truly there is no purpose for a meeting.
2. Katheryn discusses the importance of moving a team/organization forward through a story about her husband and his high school basketball team.  An organization's goal should not be focused on promoting individual success but the success of a team. It does not matter if you have a truly incredible team member, if they are not about supporting or moving the team forward.
3. Vulnerability-based trust is essential in building a team that is functional.  Teammates need to do their part and hold each other accountable even when someone is not doing their part or following through like Carlos when he dropped the ball.  It's figuring our how we can hold each other accountable without it resulting in negativity.