Ideal team players are individuals who build and facilitate teamwork. They share a blend of three essential virtues—humility, hunger, and people smarts—that enable trust, commitment, and accountability. These colleagues are adept at overcoming the dysfunctions that often derail teams. In particular, hungry colleagues are able to manage conflict, hold peers accountable, and are willing to go above and beyond to get results. Learn more about how managers can help employees develop a greater capacity for hunger.

1. HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES
DEVELOP HUNGER
P A T R I C K L E N C I O N I

2. 2Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Employee development is an
important part of a manager’s
responsibilities, and managers
should strive to develop ideal
team players—people who
naturally facilitate
successful teamwork.

3. 3Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Ideal team players have a
blend of three core virtues,
one of which is hunger.

4. 4Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
It’s the least sensitive and
nuanced of the three virtues,
but it can often be the most
difficult to cultivate.

5. 5Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
It’s one thing to set goals and motivate
employees to increase productivity.

6. 6Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
But it’s quite another feat to
change someone’s ability to
self-motivate or boost his or
her desire to go the extra mile.

7. 7Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Many people lacking in
hunger actually do want to
be more productive and
engaged at work.

8. 8Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Managers can cultivate that
hunger by lighting a flame
around the mission and
setting clear expectations.

9. 9Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
LIGHT A FLAME

10. 10Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Employees may need help
connecting their jobs to the
overall mission of the team
or organization.
LIGHT A FLAME

11. 11Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Managers can set an example by
describing their personal motivation
for their work and connection
to the mission.
LIGHT A FLAME

12. SET EXPECTATIONS

13. 13Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
It’s important to establish
performance targets and
behavioral expectations.
SET EXPECTATIONS

14. 14Help Your Employees Develop Hunger
Managers must then hold their employees
accountable to these targets, be unafraid
to remind them of expectations, and
acknowledge growth when they see it.
SET EXPECTATIONS

15. Learn more about helping your
employees develop the core
virtues of an ideal team player.
www.wiley.com/go/patricklencioni
Adapted from The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize
and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues