The Ideal Team Player

The Ideal Team Player Plot Summary

Introduction

Imagine walking into a workplace where everyone genuinely supports each other, where egos are checked at the door, and where passionate professionals come together to achieve remarkable results. This environment isn't a fantasy—it exists in organizations that understand the power of true teamwork. In today's interconnected world, the ability to work effectively with others has become perhaps the most valuable skill anyone can develop, yet finding and nurturing genuine team players remains one of leadership's greatest challenges. The concept of teamwork often receives more lip service than practical attention in organizations. Many leaders claim to value teamwork while tolerating behaviors that undermine it. The gap between aspiration and reality exists because we've failed to clearly define what makes someone a true team player. Through decades of work with organizations across industries, a clear pattern has emerged: exceptional team players share three vital virtues that function like speed, strength, and coordination in athletics—they make everything else easier. These seemingly obvious qualities—being humble, hungry, and smart—create the foundation for extraordinary teamwork. When understood and cultivated together, they transform both individual contribution and collective achievement.

Chapter 1: The Leadership Crisis: Jeff's Unexpected Challenge at Valley Builders

After twenty years in Silicon Valley's high-tech world, Jeff Shanley was ready for change. The hours, traffic, and pretentiousness had worn him down, so when his uncle Bob offered him a position at Valley Builders, a respected construction company in Napa Valley, Jeff seized the opportunity. The pace of life slowed dramatically, and his seven-minute commute felt like a blessing compared to his previous life. Jeff spent his first months learning the business, from materials acquisition to permitting and labor costs, finding satisfaction in the tangible nature of construction work. Just eight weeks into his new role, Jeff's world turned upside down. During lunch at a local restaurant, Uncle Bob delivered shocking news. Not only was he stepping away from the company due to a serious heart condition requiring immediate surgery, but he was putting Jeff in charge—effective immediately. Before Jeff could protest his lack of readiness, Bob dropped another bombshell: the company had just landed two major projects simultaneously—a hospital wing and a hotel—each as large as anything Valley Builders had ever tackled. To make matters worse, backing out of either project would create catastrophic financial consequences for the company. As Jeff struggled to process this overwhelming information, he learned that Valley Builders would need to hire about sixty new employees within the next two months to handle the workload. Bobby Brady, the head of field operations, and Clare Massick, who ran administration, quickly became Jeff's crucial allies in this unexpected challenge. The three executives immediately identified hiring as their most pressing concern, especially given the company's unusually high turnover rate. When Jeff asked why they lost so many employees, Clare explained, "We're a little more demanding of our employees when it comes to behavior. Bob just doesn't tolerate people who don't fit the VB culture." This leadership crisis became a defining moment for Jeff. It wasn't just about managing construction projects or financial challenges—it was about understanding and preserving the cultural foundation that made Valley Builders successful. Jeff realized that without a clear definition of what constituted a good cultural fit—what made someone a true team player—they couldn't possibly hire the right people to tackle the enormous challenge ahead. His immediate task was clear: define exactly what Bob meant by "team player" and use that understanding to build a team capable of saving the company.

Chapter 2: Defining the Problem: The Search for True Team Players

Jeff's investigation into Valley Builders' teamwork issues began at the Oak Ridge shopping center project, which was running behind schedule. There he met Nancy Morris, a technically competent but socially abrasive project manager whose interactions with colleagues had created significant tension. When Jeff asked Craig, another project manager at the site, about their working relationship, Craig didn't hold back: "That woman has some serious issues. She's not easy to work with. For anybody." Craig explained that Nancy's manner of speaking, facial expressions, and overall approach made people uncomfortable, leading to poor communication and causing two valuable foremen to quit. Back at the office, Jeff gathered Clare and Bobby to analyze what had gone wrong. Despite Valley Builders' emphasis on teamwork, they hadn't adequately defined what they meant by "team player." Bobby jokingly suggested their hiring policy should simply be "no jackasses allowed," but Jeff pushed for something more specific. They reviewed twenty-three problematic former employees, looking for patterns. The executives identified common negative traits like "selfish," "rude," and "irresponsible," but these seemed too obvious to be helpful. Jeff realized they needed to flip their approach. Instead of listing negative traits, they should identify the positive qualities that made someone successful at Valley Builders. Through conversations with his cousin Ben, a successful high school basketball coach, Jeff gained valuable insights about selecting team players. Ben mentioned looking for "gym rats" who arrive early and do extra drills, players who "hate to lose" and work hard to avoid it, and those who treat everyone with respect regardless of status. The executives continued refining their understanding, analyzing both difficult employees and star performers. Tommy Burleson, a former employee, provided a key insight. He was charming and bright but lacked motivation. Clare described him perfectly: "He just wasn't hungry." For the first time, they had a clear virtue that defined team players at Valley Builders—hunger—the drive to go beyond what's required and demonstrate passion for the work. This search for definition reveals a fundamental leadership truth: without clear criteria for identifying team players, organizations rely on gut feelings and personal biases, leading to inconsistent hiring decisions and cultural confusion. By working to articulate exactly what makes someone a team player, Jeff and his colleagues were laying the groundwork for a more intentional approach to building their team. Their journey illustrates how defining seemingly obvious qualities often becomes the most challenging yet valuable work of leadership.

Chapter 3: The Three Virtues Model: Humble, Hungry, and Smart

As Jeff, Clare, and Bobby continued their analysis of successful and problematic employees, a pattern emerged. Three distinct virtues appeared to separate team players from non-team players: humble, hungry, and smart. "Humble" referred to people who lacked excessive ego, didn't seek attention, and readily shared credit with others. "Hungry" described those who demonstrated strong work ethic, going beyond minimal requirements with passion and personal responsibility. "Smart" wasn't about intellectual capacity but rather interpersonal awareness—knowing what to say, when to say it, and understanding how one's words and actions affect others. The team created a Venn diagram on the whiteboard with three overlapping circles representing these virtues. They placed current and former employees within this framework, discovering that those lacking even one virtue created significant problems. Nancy Morris, for example, was humble and hungry but not smart about people. The "lovable slacker" Tommy was humble and smart but lacked hunger. And Ted Marchbanks, whom they would soon interview, would prove to be hungry and smart but lacking humility—what they called a "skillful politician." What made this model powerful wasn't the individual virtues—each seemed obvious in isolation—but the combination of all three. Jeff initially worried the model was too simple, yet its simplicity proved to be its strength. When Bobby pointed out the whiteboard and said, "The magic here is just that if even one of the qualities is missing in a big way, you've got yourself a jackass," they realized they had discovered something profound. They had created a practical framework that would guide their hiring decisions and help shape the company's culture. The three executives immediately decided to implement their new model. The first step would be ensuring that everyone involved in hiring understood what to look for. They would also evaluate current employees against these criteria, helping those lacking in one area to improve while transitioning out those unwilling or unable to develop these virtues. Most importantly, they would make humble, hungry, and smart the foundation of Valley Builders' culture—talking about these virtues during recruiting, interviews, performance reviews, and company meetings. This model represents a powerful leadership insight: while technical skills and experience matter, the attributes that make someone a true team player are more fundamental and ultimately more important. Organizations frequently focus on specialized knowledge when hiring, then struggle with the interpersonal problems that arise when team members lack these essential virtues. By clarifying these requirements upfront, leaders can build teams that function more cohesively and avoid the toxicity that develops when even one team member lacks humility, hunger, or people smarts.

Chapter 4: Testing the Model: The Ted Marchbanks Interview Experience

The opportunity to test their new hiring model came quickly when Bobby suggested Ted Marchbanks, a recently retired executive from North Bay Construction, as a potential hire. Ted had impressive credentials, having managed a division larger than all of Valley Builders, and seemed eager to return to work after an early retirement. The executives arranged multiple interviews, including sessions with Craig, Clare, and Jeff, to evaluate Ted against their humble, hungry, and smart criteria. Ted performed beautifully during the initial interviews. He demonstrated extensive knowledge of the industry, asked thoughtful questions, and presented himself as a consummate professional. Craig reported back to Jeff, "I think he's a great guy. And he knows the business cold." Clare took Ted on an errand to Target during her interview, hoping to observe his behavior in a less formal setting. He handled it well, impressing her with stories about his past projects. By all appearances, Ted was hungry to work again and smart in his interactions. However, Kim, the company receptionist, noticed something concerning. Despite spending hours in the office for interviews, Ted barely acknowledged her existence. "He didn't ask me a single question. Or even notice that I was there," she explained. "I've been taking him around for the past few hours, and I don't think he's said a word to me other than 'where's the bathroom?' or 'can you charge my phone?'" Even more telling, when Clare mentioned Kim's name after dropping Ted off, he asked, "Which one is Kim?" During lunch with Ted, Jeff decided to be direct about Valley Builders' culture. "Our culture is all about being humble, hungry, and smart in how we interact with each other," he explained. "We think that's what creates an environment for teamwork. And we're going to eat, drink, and sleep those things." Jeff watched carefully for Ted's reaction, noticing a slight discomfort when he emphasized the company's commitment to these values. When Jeff asked for references, Ted hesitated and promised to send names later. The test came to an unexpected conclusion when Ted called that evening to withdraw from consideration. "I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't be diving back into work so quickly," he explained, claiming he might have been "impulsive" about leaving retirement. Jeff didn't believe the excuse but accepted Ted's decision. When unofficial reference checks later revealed that Ted was indeed not particularly "down-to-earth," the team realized their model had successfully identified a poor cultural fit despite impressive credentials. This experience validates an essential truth about building effective teams: technical expertise alone cannot compensate for the absence of fundamental character virtues. Even the most qualified candidate will undermine team cohesion if they lack humility, hunger, or interpersonal awareness. The Ted Marchbanks interview demonstrates how a clear model allows leaders to look beyond surface impressions and credentials to identify candidates who will truly contribute to a culture of teamwork.

Chapter 5: From Theory to Practice: Implementing the Team Player Framework

With their humble, hungry, and smart model now tested, Jeff and his team moved quickly to implement it throughout Valley Builders. Clare developed a simple but effective training program for everyone involved in hiring. She created practical interview questions to reveal each virtue: "Tell me about your greatest failure" to assess humility; "What is the hardest you've ever worked on something?" to gauge hunger; and observing how candidates interacted with receptionists and service staff to evaluate people smarts. They taught hiring managers to listen for genuine answers rather than rehearsed responses. Jeff also decided to "re-interview" all seventeen of the company's foremen and project leads to assess their alignment with the three virtues. For those who demonstrated all three qualities, Jeff used the conversations to reinforce his commitment to the model and enlist their help in protecting the culture. For those lacking in one or more areas, he was direct but compassionate: "Improvement is not an option. You'll have plenty of support in your development. If you decide to opt out, that's okay." Only two people wanted to leave after these conversations. Nancy Morris, the project manager who struggled with people smarts, provided a test case for development. When Jeff explained the model to her, Nancy readily admitted her weakness: "I just don't spend a lot of energy on being nice all the time. I'd rather focus on getting things done." But when Jeff asked if she wanted to improve, Nancy surprised him with her honesty: "I'm going to need help from someone to get better. But I'll try." Within a month, Nancy had made remarkable progress. She sat down with Pedro, one of the foremen who had quit, and humbly explained how she had let him down. Her genuine effort to change so impressed Pedro that he decided to return to Valley Builders. Perhaps the most significant implementation decision came when Bobby suggested promoting Craig, the foreman from Oak Ridge, to the executive team instead of continuing to search for outside candidates. Though Craig lacked Ted's impressive resume, he clearly embodied all three virtues. "He knows the business backward and forward," Bobby argued. "So, if you're serious about humble, hungry, and smart, he would be a no-brainer." The team agreed, and Craig's promotion was met with overwhelming approval from employees. The implementation phase reveals a powerful insight: frameworks only create value when translated into consistent action. By embedding humble, hungry, and smart into every aspect of their operation—from hiring and assessment to development and promotion decisions—Valley Builders transformed an abstract model into a living culture. This approach demonstrates how clear criteria, consistently applied, can guide leaders through difficult personnel decisions and create an environment where teamwork thrives.

Chapter 6: Transformation: The One-Year Journey of Cultural Change

One year after Jeff took over Valley Builders and implemented the humble, hungry, and smart model, the company had undergone a remarkable transformation. The hospital wing and hotel projects, while challenging, were progressing well. Client satisfaction exceeded expectations, and even when unexpected problems arose, the team handled them with newfound confidence rather than panic. The turnover rate had dropped dramatically, and recruiting had shifted away from headhunters as more people sought out jobs at Valley Builders through employee referrals. Craig had flourished in his executive role, working closely with Bobby on overseeing the major projects and even directly managing Nancy Morris, whom he now called his "best employee." The leadership team had grown closer, developing a level of trust and cohesion that allowed them to tackle challenges together. Jeff had made it clear that his entire leadership team, not just the HR department, was responsible for maintaining the culture of humility, hunger, and people smarts. The humble, hungry, and smart framework had become embedded in every aspect of the company's operations. From interviews and orientation to performance reviews and compensation decisions, the "three virtues" were regular topics of conversation. The company also provided practical training around the five behavioral manifestations of teamwork: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. These programs became much more effective with participants who shared the three underlying virtues. On the anniversary of Bob's surgery, as the executives gathered to assess the health of the organization, Bobby summed up their journey: "If you ask me, the best thing that's happened in the last year is that we've almost become a jackass-free zone. No matter what happens, and what challenge we might face, give me a roomful of people who aren't jackasses, and I'll be happy to take it on." To emphasize his point, he presented Jeff with a t-shirt featuring the word "jackass" with a circle around it and a line through it. This one-year transformation illustrates a profound truth about organizational change: cultural shifts don't happen through grand declarations or corporate retreats but through consistent application of clear principles in daily decisions. The humble, hungry, and smart model provided Valley Builders with a simple but powerful language that aligned everyone around shared expectations. By focusing on these fundamental virtues rather than technical skills alone, they created an environment where teamwork could flourish. The story demonstrates that when leaders commit to identifying and developing team players, they don't just improve individual performance—they transform the entire organization.

Chapter 7: The Model in Action: Applications for Hiring, Assessment, and Development

The humble, hungry, and smart model proves most valuable when applied systematically across four key areas: hiring, assessment, development, and cultural embedding. For hiring, the model transforms conventional interviews by focusing on revealing behaviors rather than rehearsed answers. Effective techniques include asking candidates to describe their biggest failures (revealing humility), discussing how hard they worked as teenagers (indicating hunger), and observing how they interact with support staff (demonstrating people smarts). Reference checks become more meaningful when references are asked to serve as consultants helping ensure the right fit rather than gatekeepers making judgments. For assessment, the model provides a framework for evaluating current employees. Managers can ask specific questions: Does she readily acknowledge weaknesses? Does he do more than what's required? Is she an attentive listener? These assessments aren't meant to label people but to identify development opportunities. Self-assessment proves particularly powerful, as most employees willingly acknowledge their limitations when the process focuses on improvement rather than punishment. When teams discuss these assessments together, they create a supportive environment for growth. Development strategies vary by virtue. For those lacking humility, the key is identifying root causes of insecurity and practicing humble behaviors until they become natural. For those needing greater hunger, connecting them to the mission's importance and establishing clear behavioral expectations creates motivation. Those lacking people smarts benefit from immediate, tactful feedback—"This is the part of the meeting where you should thank her"—delivered with the understanding that their intentions aren't bad, just their awareness. To embed the model culturally, leaders must be explicit about their commitment to humble, hungry, and smart, constantly recognize examples of these virtues in action, and immediately address behaviors that violate them. Organizations that integrate these principles find that the model complements existing teamwork frameworks, serving as a "tune-up" that helps teams overcome dysfunction by addressing individual virtues that might be holding them back. The model's applications extend beyond the workplace. A humble, hungry, and smart spouse, parent, friend, or neighbor will be more effective and inspiring in every relationship. Of the three virtues, humility stands alone as perhaps the greatest, attracting others and creating an environment where genuine connection can flourish. The practical application of this model reveals a fundamental truth: team effectiveness depends not just on what people know or what they can do, but fundamentally on who they are. By focusing on these character virtues, organizations create the foundation for extraordinary teamwork and lasting success.

Summary

The humble, hungry, and smart model offers a deceptively simple yet profound framework for identifying and developing team players. Humility—the willingness to put the team's needs before ego—creates the foundation for trust. Hunger—the drive to go beyond minimum requirements—ensures consistent contribution toward collective goals. People smarts—the ability to understand and navigate interpersonal dynamics—enables productive collaboration. While each virtue seems obvious in isolation, their power lies in the combination; lacking even one creates significant dysfunction. This approach transforms how we build and lead teams. Rather than focusing primarily on technical skills or experience, we recognize that character virtues determine whether someone will thrive in a collaborative environment. The model's greatest lesson is that teamwork isn't accidental—it's cultivated through intentional selection, honest assessment, and consistent development. By applying these principles, we create environments where people genuinely support each other, where difficult conversations happen with respect, and where collective achievement becomes possible. Whether in business, family, or community, these virtues ultimately determine our capacity to work together toward something greater than ourselves.

About Author

Loading...

Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, consultant and founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthy. Lencioni’s ideas around leadership, teamwork and employee engagement have impacted organizations around the globe. His books have sold nearly three million copies worldwide.When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to CEOs and their executive teams, helping them to become more cohesive within the context of their business strategy. The widespread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base of clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, universities and churches. In addition, Lencioni speaks to thousands of leaders each year at world class organizations and national conferences. He was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most sought-after business speakers in the nation.Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

Read more

Related Books by Patrick Lencioni

Loading...

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni

A Leadership Fable

★★★★½4.5

Loading...

The Pursuit of Excellence

Patrick Lencioni

The Uncommon Behaviors of the World's Most Productive Achievers

★★★★½4.7