Patrick Lencioni’s framework for identifying ideal team players revolves around three key attributes: humble, hungry, and smart. Understanding how these attributes interplay with the Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) can provide deeper insights into team dynamics and individual contributions.
The following provides an introductory look at each attribute defined by Lencioni and its interaction with the Big Five personality traits.
Lencioni’s 3 Attributes for Team Participants
Humble definition: Humble team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They define success collectively rather than individually.
Hungry definition: Hungry team players are always looking for more to do, more to learn, and more responsibility to take on. They are self-motivated and diligent, constantly thinking about the next step and the next opportunity.
Smart definition: Smart in Lencioni’s context refers to emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. It means being wise in how to interact with others, showing good judgment and intuition in group settings.
The Big Five Personality Traits
Openness [to Experience]: Reflects the degree of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a preference for novelty and variety a person has.
Conscientiousness: Indicates how reliable, organized, and diligent an individual is.
Extraversion: Captures the extent to which a person is outgoing, energetic, and sociable.
Agreeableness: Relates to how cooperative, compassionate, and friendly an individual is.
Neuroticism: Measures emotional stability and the tendency to experience negative emotions.
Interplay Between Lencioni’s Attributes and the Big Five Personality Traits
Humble
- Openness [to Experience]: Humility might not directly correlate with openness, but those high in openness might embrace the idea of collective success and value diverse perspectives.
- Conscientiousness: Humility and conscientiousness can go hand in hand. Conscientious individuals often show humility as they are focused on the team’s success and understand the importance of each member’s contribution.
- Extraversion: Humble individuals might score lower on extraversion if they tend to avoid the spotlight. However, extraverts can also be humble if they channel their sociability into recognizing and appreciating others.
- Agreeableness: High agreeableness strongly aligns with humility. Agreeable people are typically modest, cooperative, and empathetic, making them naturally humble.
- Neuroticism: Lower levels of neuroticism may contribute to humility, as individuals who are more emotionally stable might be less concerned with ego and status.
Hungry
- Openness [to Experience]: High openness can drive a hunger for new experiences and learning opportunities. Such individuals are often intrinsically motivated to pursue growth.
- Conscientiousness: There is a strong alignment here, as conscientious people are diligent, ambitious, and hardworking – all key aspects of being hungry.
- Extraversion: Extraverts may display hunger through their energetic pursuit of goals and networking opportunities. They might be more vocal and proactive about seeking new challenges.
- Agreeableness: While hunger and agreeableness can coexist, highly agreeable individuals might sometimes avoid being too aggressive in their pursuit of opportunities to maintain harmony.
- Neuroticism: Low neuroticism might help sustain hunger as individuals are less likely to be derailed by anxiety or self-doubt. However, moderate levels of neuroticism might drive some individuals to strive harder to overcome their insecurities.
Smart
- Openness [to Experience]: People high in openness might be more attuned to interpersonal dynamics and more innovative in their approaches to collaboration.
- Conscientiousness: Conscientious individuals often display strong interpersonal skills because they value effective communication and teamwork.
- Extraversion: Extraverts might naturally excel in interpersonal interactions due to their sociability and enthusiasm, making them appear “smart” in the Lencioni sense.
- Agreeableness: High agreeableness is closely related to being smart in Lencioni’s context. These individuals are often empathetic, cooperative, and skilled in conflict resolution.
- Neuroticism: Lower neuroticism tends to support better emotional intelligence and stability, which are crucial for being interpersonally smart. High neuroticism might hinder one’s ability to remain composed and perceptive in social interactions.
Summing up
Lencioni’s attributes of being humble, hungry, and smart each align differently with the Big Five personality traits. Humility is closely related to high agreeableness and low neuroticism. Hunger aligns strongly with high conscientiousness and can be influenced by openness and extraversion. Being smart in terms of emotional intelligence is supported by high agreeableness, extraversion, and low neuroticism.
Understanding these interplays helps in recognizing the potential strengths and weaknesses within a team. By aligning team roles with these traits and attributes, leaders can foster a more cohesive, motivated, and effective team environment.