By Bob Clark
August 19, 2010
Nice Teams Finish Last: The Secret to Unleashing Your Team’s Maximum Potential
By Brian Cole Miller
AMACOM, New York, NY.
May 2010, 209 pages, $17.95.
The best individual contributors to an organization often fail to function at expected levels of performance when they are placed together in a team. The result is that the organization falls short of achieving its full potential.
This new book by Brian Cole Miller offers some insight into this phenomenon. Miller has more than 25 years experience working with a variety of organizations seeking to improve team performance.
The premise from which Miller begins is that teams easily fall into traps that diminish collective potential performance.
• The first trap is being what Miller calls a NICE team. Because we are nearly all socialized to be kind to other people, team members often are not prepared for open and honest communication. The result is guarded discussions that avoid conflict, even though the participants understand that sound conflict-management will deliver better results.
• The second trap and the opposite of the NICE team is what the author identifies as a FIERCE team. In this environment, the team members communicate in such an abrasive manner that good ideas are not surfaced for fear of being attacked.
Neither of these teams will be able to achieve at high levels. Miller suggests that the extremes are the root of the problem. He develops a description of what he calls a BOLD team. In this environment, the team members:
• Care about the outcome enough to stay engaged,
• Believe that the effort will achieve the desired result, and
• Trust themselves and the team members enough to communicate with honesty and clarity.
Miler delivers a sound analysis of team dynamics and how performance can be improved. The extensive use of lists, e.g., four BOLD principles, seven myths about NICE teams, nine types of team members, eight steps of BOLD feedback, etc., does overwhelm the message at times.
The core message in Miller’s book is sound – for teams to operate a peak levels, the members need to do the following things consistently.
• Give honest and constructive feedback that is not disparaging and not superficial to every team member.
• Make tough requests of the team members without being abrasive and demanding.
• Be open and engaged in disagreements, seeking to understand all views and being respectful of all team members.
• Remain focused on the goal of achieving a positive resolution of the issues before the organization as a team rather than winning as an individual.
Despite some limitations in its design, the book will be helpful to leaders seeking to improve team performance.
Bob Clark is the president of RWC Consulting LLC and has more than 30 years’ experience in labor-management relations. He provides consulting help in labor relations and is an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Ann Arbor.