A few years ago, leading a hybrid team was a challenge mostly faced by large organizations. Today, it's the norm across companies of all sizes. And while hybrid work offers flexibility and access to broader talent, it also presents real leadership challenges — ones many of us were never trained to navigate.

Assembling a group of people and expecting them to behave like a high-functioning, cohesive team is unrealistic.

Yet, it’s what we do all the time.

I have spent years working on and with volunteer boards which are the epitome of a high-turnover team. Faced with annual elections which result in new directors, boards face a unique challenge of creating a cohesive team quickly, knowing they face a yearly cycle of change.

Patrick Lenioni’s book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team lays out an excellent framework to identify dysfunctional teams. Work on The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team flips those dysfunctions into the positive and gives teams a way to move forward productively.

Patrick Lenioni’s flagship book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, should be required reading for every leader and team member.

Why does it matter if my team is strong? I have lots of high achieving people on my team.

Does this sound familiar? Ever heard anyone say that?