The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™: A Guide to Building High-Performing Teams

Does this sound familiar?

Your team meetings feel tense—or worse, superficial. People nod along but don't actually commit. Decisions get made, then quietly ignored. Deadlines slip. Accountability conversations feel awkward, so they get avoided. Everyone's working hard, but results stay disappointing.

You know your team has potential. You've seen it in flashes. But something invisible keeps tripping them up, and you can't quite put your finger on what's broken.

Here's what most leaders don't realize: team dysfunction isn't random. It follows predictable patterns.

Patrick Lencioni, founder of The Table Group and creator of the Six Types of Working Genius™, identified exactly five behaviors that separate teams that thrive from teams that struggle. Master these five behaviors, and your team transforms. Ignore them, and dysfunction becomes your default.

This framework—The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™—has helped thousands of organizations turn around team performance. As a trained facilitator who's guided teams through this transformation, I've seen firsthand how addressing these specific behaviors creates measurable improvements in productivity, innovation, and employee satisfaction.

Let me walk you through each behavior, what goes wrong when it's missing, and how to build it into your team's DNA.

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TL;DR: The Five Behaviors Framework at a Glance

The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ addresses five core dysfunctions that derail team performance:

• absence of trust

• fear of conflict

• lack of commitment

• avoidance of accountability

• inattention to results

Teams that master the five corresponding behaviors—building vulnerability-based trust, embracing healthy conflict, achieving genuine commitment, holding each other accountable, and focusing on collective results—experience:

• higher productivity

• faster decision-making

• stronger innovation

• better employee retention

This isn't a quick fix. It's systematic behavior change that requires consistent practice and, ideally, guidance from a trained facilitator who can spot blind spots and push through resistance when the work gets uncomfortable.

The result? Teams that stop wasting energy on dysfunction and start channeling it toward actual results.

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Is the Five Behaviors Framework Right for Your Team?

This framework works best for:

• Leadership teams experiencing misalignment on strategy or priorities

• Cross-functional teams struggling with accountability across departments

• Growing companies where team dysfunction is limiting scale

• Teams in transition (new leader, reorganization, merger, acquisition)

• High-performing teams that want to get even better

You'll know it's time for this work when:

• Conflicts get swept under the rug instead of resolved

• Decisions get revisited repeatedly without real closure

• People protect their departments instead of prioritizing company results

• Your team looks aligned in meetings but acts misaligned afterward

• Talented people are leaving because "the culture isn't working"

• You're spending more time managing team drama than driving business results

If two or more of these sound familiar, keep reading.

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Understanding the Framework: From Dysfunctions to Behaviors

Before we dive into the five behaviors, it's important to understand where this framework comes from. 

Lencioni observed that team dysfunction follows predictable patterns. There are five specific dysfunctions that cause conflict, misalignment, and poor performance:

Lencioni's 2002 New York Times Best-Seller

1. Absence of Trust – Team members don't feel safe being vulnerable

2. Fear of Conflict – Important issues get avoided instead of addressed

3. Lack of Commitment – Decisions lack genuine buy-in

4. Avoidance of Accountability – Standards slip because no one speaks up

5. Inattention to Results – Individual or departmental goals trump team success

"Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. Teamwork still remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare."  — Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Watch Lencioni himself explain each dysfunction and you'll see exactly how these patterns show up in real teams:

Patrick Lencioni on The Five Dysfunctions

Trust → Conflict → Commitment → Accountability → Results

Instead of fixing symptoms, this framework builds behaviors—one at a time.

Now, let's walk through each behavior, starting with the foundation.

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Behavior 1: Build Vulnerability-Based Trust (The Foundation)

What This Looks Like When It's Missing

Team members choose their words carefully in meetings. People avoid admitting mistakes. When someone asks for help, there's a subtle sense they're admitting weakness. Politics and posturing creep into decisions. Everyone stays professional, but nobody gets real.

What This Costs You

Without trust, everything takes longer. Decisions get second-guessed. People duplicate work because they don't ask for help. Innovation stalls because no one wants to suggest ideas that might fail. Your best people start looking for the exit because they're exhausted from navigating team politics.

Quick Diagnostic: Does Your Team Have Vulnerability-Based Trust?

Answer this: When someone on your team makes a mistake, do they typically:

A) Acknowledge it openly and ask for help fixing it 

B) Try to hide it, minimize it, or shift responsibility

If you answered B, trust work is your starting point.

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The Type of Trust That Actually Matters

Trust is a cornerstone of cohesive teams. But not the trust most people think of.

Lencioni isn't talking about reliability trust ("I trust you'll meet deadlines"). He's talking about vulnerability-based trust—something much deeper and much rarer.

Vulnerability-based trust means team members feel safe to:

• Admit mistakes without fear of consequences

• Ask for help without appearing weak

• Share half-formed ideas that might fail

• Be honest about their limitations

• Say "I don't know" without losing credibility

This type of trust creates the foundation for everything else. Without it, team members won't engage in healthy conflict (they're too busy protecting themselves). They won't genuinely commit to decisions (they're hedging their bets). They won't hold each other accountable (relationships feel too fragile). And they certainly won't subordinate their individual goals for collective results.

Strategies to Build Vulnerability-Based Trust

1. Open Communication Through Structured Vulnerability

Create an environment where everyone feels heard—but make it structured so it feels safe.

Start with Patrick Lencioni's Personal Histories Exercise: Each team member shares something meaningful about their background—hometown, family, first job, biggest challenge. This sounds simple, but it works. When people share personal context, teammates start seeing each other as whole humans, not just job functions.

In a 30-minute exercise, I've watched leadership teams who'd been working together for years suddenly understand each other for the first time. The CFO who seems overly cautious? He grew up in a family that lost everything in a business failure. The VP who pushes back on every idea? She was burned early in her career by a boss who blamed her for his mistakes.

Context creates empathy. Empathy creates trust.

2. Leader Vulnerability (The Most Critical Element)

The leader must go first. If you're leading this team, you need to openly share your own mistakes, weaknesses, and areas where you need help.

This isn't weakness. It's permission.

When the leader admits they don't have all the answers, everyone else relaxes. The posturing stops. People start focusing on solving problems instead of managing perceptions.

I worked with one CEO who kicked off our trust-building work by sharing a recent strategic mistake that cost the company six figures. He explained his thinking, what he'd do differently, and what he learned. The room was silent at first—then one of his VPs said, "If you can admit that, I can admit I've been avoiding a tough conversation with my team for three months."

That's what leader vulnerability unlocks.

3. 360-Degree Feedback Done Right

Implement 360-degree feedback—but do it in a way that builds trust rather than destroying it.

This means:

• Framing feedback as "helping each other grow," not performance evaluation

• Leadership receiving and sharing feedback first to model vulnerability

• Focusing on specific behaviors, not character judgments

• Following up on feedback with visible change so people see it matters

Tool: The Working Genius framework pairs beautifully with trust-building work. When team members understand each other's natural working styles, they stop taking behavior personally and start seeing it as difference in genius, not dysfunction.

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Real Example: When Trust Work Transforms Team Dynamics

One client—a seven-person leadership team at a manufacturing company—couldn't get aligned on anything. Meetings were polite but useless. Decisions got made, then quietly unraveled afterward.

When we did the Personal Histories Exercise, one executive shared that he grew up in a family where showing weakness got you criticized. Another shared that she'd been burned early in her career by a boss who weaponized vulnerability—using personal information against people when conflicts arose.

Suddenly the team dynamics made sense. They weren't being difficult—they were being self-protective based on past experience.

Once they understood why they each approached vulnerability differently, they could start building real trust. It wasn't instant. But within three months, they were having the hard conversations they'd been avoiding for years. Decisions started sticking. Execution improved. Revenue followed.

Trust is the foundation upon which all other behaviors rest. Without it, teams cannot hope to engage in healthy conflict, achieve commitment, hold one another accountable, or focus on collective results.

Now that you've built trust, you're ready for the next behavior—one that most teams actively avoid.

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Behavior 2: Embrace Healthy Conflict (Not Artificial Harmony)

What This Looks Like When It's Missing

Meetings feel too smooth. No one challenges ideas. Disagreements happen in hallways after the meeting, not during it. The phrase "let's take this offline" gets used constantly. People say yes in the room, then do whatever they wanted anyway.

Surface-level agreement masks real disagreement, and nothing actually gets resolved.

What This Costs You

When teams avoid conflict, they make slower, worse decisions. Important issues fester. The same problems come up repeatedly because they never get truly addressed. Innovation dies because no one challenges assumptions. Your meetings waste time on topics that don't matter while skirting the issues that do.

Quick Diagnostic: Does Your Team Embrace Healthy Conflict?

Think about your last leadership meeting. When someone proposed a significant decision, did anyone:

A) Challenge the assumptions, ask hard questions, or present an alternative view

B) Nod along, maybe ask a clarifying question, then say "sounds good"

If B happens consistently, your team is choosing artificial harmony over productive conflict.

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Why Healthy Conflict is Essential for Growth

Many teams shy away from conflict, viewing it as destructive. But Lencioni argues that healthy conflict is essential for growth and innovation.

The key word is healthy.

Productive conflict isn't personal attacks. It isn't loud arguments. It isn't one person dominating while others shut down.

Productive conflict is passionate, unfiltered debate about ideas, strategies, and decisions—with everyone focused on finding the best answer, not being right.

Here's what surprises most leaders: The teams that engage in the most conflict are often the most aligned.

Why? Because they're not avoiding hard conversations. They're working through real disagreement to get to real resolution. They're challenging assumptions before implementing flawed strategies. They're exposing problems while there's still time to fix them.

Healthy conflict isn't loud. It's honest.

When trust is present, conflict becomes productive instead of destructive. Team members know that challenging an idea isn't a personal attack. They can disagree passionately without damaging relationships because they trust each other's intentions.

Strategies to Foster Healthy Conflict

1. Encourage Diverse Viewpoints

Actively seek out different perspectives to ensure all ideas are considered—especially from people who typically stay quiet.

Try this: Assign someone to play devil's advocate in important discussions. Their job is to poke holes, ask uncomfortable questions, and present alternative views. Rotating this role prevents one person from being seen as "the negative one."

2. Establish Ground Rules for Discussions

Set clear guidelines for discussions to ensure they remain respectful and productive:

• Attack ideas, never people: "I disagree with this approach" not "You're wrong"

• Assume positive intent: Everyone wants the company to succeed

• Stay focused on the decision at hand: Don't dredge up past conflicts

• Commit to resolution: Debate vigorously, but once a decision is made, commit fully

Display these ground rules visibly in your meeting space. Reference them when discussions get heated.

3. Bring in Expert Facilitation on Conflict Resolution

Provide training or facilitation to help team members navigate conflicts effectively.

A skilled facilitator can:

• Draw out quiet voices whose perspectives are getting lost

• Redirect personal conflicts back to productive debate

• Identify when you're stuck in false dichotomies and need more options

• Push through discomfort when teams want to move on before real resolution

I've seen teams reach breakthrough decisions in facilitated conflict sessions that they'd been circling around for months. Sometimes you need someone outside the team dynamic to say, "We're not done with this yet. What are we not saying?"

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Real Example: When Conflict Avoidance Nearly Killed a Strategic Initiative

A client's executive team had spent six months "aligning" on a new go-to-market strategy. Everyone had signed off. But when implementation started, it fell apart immediately.

Why? Because two executives had fundamental disagreements about the approach—disagreements they'd never actually voiced in meetings. They'd smiled, nodded, and privately decided to implement their own versions.

When we brought the team together and established safety for real conflict, the truth came out. One executive thought the strategy was too aggressive and would alienate existing customers. The other thought it wasn't aggressive enough and would let competitors get ahead.

Both had valid points. Both had been afraid to voice them because past conflicts had gotten personal and ugly.

Once they could debate openly—with ground rules and facilitation—they designed a phased approach that addressed both concerns. Implementation finally moved forward with genuine alignment.

By embracing healthy conflict, teams can harness diverse perspectives and ideas, leading to more innovative and effective solutions.

When you've built trust and learned to debate productively, you're ready for the next behavior: turning those debates into commitment.

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Behavior 3: Achieve Commitment and Buy-In (Not False Consensus)

What This Looks Like When It's Missing

Decisions get made, then quietly revisited. People leave meetings with different understandings of what was decided. Team members implement half-heartedly because they never truly bought in. The phrase "I thought we decided that last month" comes up frequently.

You have meetings about meetings because nothing sticks.

What This Costs You

Without genuine commitment, execution crawls. People hedge their bets, creating contingency plans for the decisions they don't believe in. Resources get wasted on conflicting initiatives. Your team moves slowly because they're not actually moving together.

And nothing kills morale faster than watching decisions constantly get reversed.

Quick Diagnostic: Does Your Team Achieve Real Commitment?

After your last major decision, did team members:

A) Leave the meeting clear on what was decided and move forward with full effort

B) Leave with confusion about details, or move forward half-heartedly while hedging their bets

If B, you have commitment issues—even if people said "yes" in the meeting.

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The Difference Between Consensus and Commitment

Here's what most leaders get wrong: Commitment doesn't require consensus.

You don't need everyone to agree with the decision. You need everyone to commit to it once it's made.

Lencioni calls this "disagree and commit." It means:

• Everyone gets to voice their perspective and be heard

• Healthy conflict happens so all angles are explored

• A decision gets made (even if not everyone agrees)

• Everyone commits fully to that decision—regardless of their personal opinion

This only works when trust and conflict are already present. If people don't trust they'll be heard, they won't commit. If real disagreements don't get aired, commitment is superficial.

But when those foundations are solid, you can achieve commitment without universal agreement. People can think, "I wouldn't have made this choice, but I trust this team's thinking, and I'm 100% committed to making it work."

Strategies to Foster Commitment

1. Clear Goals and Expectations

Ensure that team goals and expectations are clearly defined and understood by all members.

This sounds obvious, but I see teams violate this constantly. They leave meetings thinking they've decided something when they've only discussed it. Or they agree on a goal but never define what success looks like or who's doing what.

Try this simple practice: At the end of every meeting, go around the table. Each person states:

• What they think was decided

• What they're committing to do

• When they'll have it done

Misalignment becomes immediately visible—and fixable.

2. Inclusive Decision-Making Process

Involve all relevant team members in the decision-making process to foster buy-in and commitment.

This doesn't mean decisions by committee. It means:

• The right people are in the room when decisions get made

• Everyone's perspective gets heard before the decision

• The decision-maker is clear (who has final say)

• The rationale gets explained so people understand the thinking

When people feel heard—even if their recommendation doesn't win—they're far more likely to commit to the outcome.

3. Regular Progress Reviews and Feedback

Hold regular check-ins to track progress and provide feedback, keeping everyone aligned and committed.

Commitment isn't a one-time event. It needs reinforcement.

Weekly or bi-weekly check-ins where people report progress on commitments serve multiple purposes:

• Keeps commitments visible and active

• Allows for course correction when things aren't working

• Creates accountability (which we'll discuss in the next behavior)

• Reinforces that decisions matter and stick

Commitment drives team success and accountability. When team members are truly committed to the decisions and goals of the team, they're more likely to work together effectively and achieve their objectives.

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Real Example: When Lack of Commitment Cost Six Months

A technology company's leadership team spent months debating whether to pursue enterprise customers or focus on their core SMB market. In meeting after meeting, they discussed pros and cons. Eventually, they "decided" to go upmarket to enterprise.

Six months later, revenue was flat. Why?

Half the team had never actually bought into the enterprise strategy. The VP of Product kept building features for SMB clients. The VP of Marketing kept targeting small business in campaigns. The VP of Sales paid lip service to enterprise but kept closing small deals.

When we dug into what happened, the truth came out: that "decision" had never been a real decision. It was a "let's try this and see" without genuine commitment. People had left that meeting with the impression that they could keep doing what they'd been doing.

We went back to square one. We had the conflict they'd avoided the first time—really debating whether enterprise made sense given their resources and capabilities. We explored fears and concerns people hadn't voiced. We laid out what full commitment to an enterprise strategy would actually require.

This time, some people voiced strong disagreement. That's when we made the real decision: recommit to their core SMB market with enterprise as a long-term goal only.

Because everyone had been heard—because the real conflict had happened—commitment was genuine. Execution accelerated immediately.

Now that you've achieved real commitment, you're ready to hold each other to it.

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Seeing Your Team's Patterns Here?

If you're recognizing your team in these first three behaviors—trust, conflict, and commitment—you're not alone. Most teams struggle with at least two or three of these.

The difference between teams that improve and teams that stay stuck? Working with someone who's guided dozens of teams through this exact transformation.

In a complimentary 30-minute call, we'll:

✓ Identify which behaviors are holding your team back

✓ Discuss what's happening beneath the surface

✓ Map out a realistic timeline for improvement

✓ Determine if the Five Behaviors framework is the right fit for your team

Schedule Your Complimentary Call →

No pressure. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about whether this framework can help your team achieve the results you need.

Betsy Richard is a business consultant and trained facilitator specializing in team development frameworks including the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™, Six Types of Working Genius™, DISC assessment, and the Outgrow Sales Framework.

Behavior 4: Hold Each Other Accountable (Not Just the Leader)

What This Looks Like When It's Missing

Only the team leader addresses performance issues. Peers watch each other miss deadlines or lower standards without saying anything. People complain about each other in private but stay silent in the moment. Quality and timelines slip because "that's not my job to police."

Everyone looks to the leader to be the bad guy.

What This Costs You

When accountability falls solely on the leader, standards decay. The leader becomes a bottleneck, constantly monitoring and correcting. Team members resent each other but won't address it directly. Your best performers get frustrated watching low performers slide by without consequences—and eventually, your best people leave.

Quick Diagnostic: Does Your Team Hold Each Other Accountable?

When someone misses a commitment, do their peers:

A) Address it directly with that person, calling out the missed commitment and its impact

B) Say nothing, or complain to you (the leader) privately

If B, accountability is dependent on you—and that doesn't scale.

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Accountability is Everyone's Responsibility

Here's what makes great teams different: Accountability isn't the sole responsibility of the team leader. It's the responsibility of every team member.

Peer-to-peer accountability is both more effective and more sustainable than leader-driven accountability.

When peers hold each other accountable:

• It happens in real-time, not after issues have snowballed

• It's based on direct observation, not secondhand reports

• It reinforces team standards, not just "the boss is watching"

• It distributes the emotional labor instead of burning out the leader

But peer accountability only works when trust is present. Without trust, calling out a peer feels like an attack. With trust, it's an act of caring about team success.

Strategies to Practice Accountability

1. Regular Check-Ins and Progress Reviews

Schedule regular check-ins to review progress towards goals and address any issues that arise. This keeps everyone on track and accountable for their contributions.

These can't be vague status updates. Effective accountability check-ins have:

• Specific commitments stated upfront: "I committed to deliver X by Friday"

• Clear reporting of status: "I delivered it" or "I didn't, here's why"

• Immediate course correction: "Here's what I need" or "Here's how I'll get back on track"

• Team problem-solving when obstacles arise

  
  

The commitment was made to the team, so reporting happens to the team—not just the leader.

2. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Accountability with Peer Reviews

Implement peer reviews where team members evaluate each other's performance. This encourages a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

This doesn't mean formal performance reviews. It can be as simple as:

• Regular team retrospectives: "What worked well? What didn't? What do we need to change?"

• Project debriefs: "What could we have done better? Who missed the mark and how?"

• Direct feedback in the moment: "You committed to having this done yesterday. We're blocked without it. What happened?"

The key is making peer feedback normal, not exceptional. When giving constructive feedback becomes routine, it loses its sting.

3. Set Clear Roles and Expectations

Define roles and responsibilities and set clear expectations for performance and behavior from the outset. This makes it easier to hold team members accountable when they fall short.

You can't hold people accountable to standards they don't know exist.

Clear expectations mean:

• Everyone knows who owns what (no "I thought you were doing that")

• Quality standards are defined (not subjective)

• Timelines are explicit (not "soon" or "ASAP")

• Consequences for missed commitments are understood (not arbitrary)

When expectations are clear, accountability conversations become factual rather than emotional: "You committed to X by Thursday. It's Friday and we don't have it. What happened?"

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Real Example: When Peer Accountability Transformed Culture

A nonprofit leadership team had developed a toxic pattern. One member consistently missed deadlines, forcing others to cover. But no one said anything—they just complained to the Executive Director, who had awkward one-on-one conversations that changed nothing.

This went on for 18 months. Resentment built. Performance suffered.

When we introduced peer accountability, we started with simple commitments in each meeting and follow-up in the next meeting. The first time the chronically late team member missed a commitment, there was uncomfortable silence.

Finally, another team member said: "You committed to having the donor report done by today. We can't finalize the fundraising strategy without it. This has happened three times. What's going on?"

The conversation that followed was honest and difficult. It turned out the person was overwhelmed and afraid to admit it. Once the truth was on the table, the team could solve the actual problem—redistributing some responsibilities and providing support where needed.

But more importantly, the culture shifted. Peer accountability became normal. Standards went up across the board because everyone knew their teammates would speak up if they slipped.

By holding each other accountable, teams can maintain high standards and achieve better results.

Now that you've established accountability, you're ready for the final behavior—the one that determines whether all this work translates into actual results.

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Sales Teams

For sales teams specifically, the Outgrow framework provides accountability structures that drive measurable revenue growth alongside team cohesion.

Learn More about Outgrow

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Behavior 5: Focus on Collective Results (Not Individual Wins)

What This Looks Like When It's Missing

Departments protect their own metrics at the expense of company goals. People celebrate individual achievements while team objectives fall short. Budget conversations turn into turf wars. The phrase "that's not my problem" gets used. Team members care more about looking good than achieving shared success.

Everyone's winning their individual game while the team loses.

What This Costs You

When team members prioritize individual or departmental goals over collective results, the organization loses. Silos form. Resources get wasted on conflicting priorities. Opportunities fall through the cracks because "that's not my department." Customer experience suffers because no one's optimizing for the whole journey—just their piece.

You hit your individual targets while missing the results that actually matter.

Quick Diagnostic: Is Your Team Focused on Collective Results?

Look at how your team celebrates wins. Do they:

A) Celebrate team achievements and company metrics first, individual contributions second

B) Celebrate individual/departmental wins primarily, with team results secondary

If B, individual goals are trumping collective results—even if people don't realize it.

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Why Collective Results Must Come First

The ultimate goal of any team is to achieve results. But Lencioni emphasizes that the focus should be on collective results rather than individual or departmental goals.

This is the hardest behavior for many teams because it requires real sacrifice. It means:

• The VP of Sales might need to prioritize customer retention over new customer acquisition—even though their bonus is tied to new deals

• The VP of Product might need to delay their roadmap priorities to support another team's critical initiative

• Individual team members might need to do work that doesn't show up in their performance review because it serves the larger goal

When teams prioritize the success of the whole over individual achievements, they can achieve truly remarkable outcomes.

But this only works when all four previous behaviors are in place:

• Trust allows people to be vulnerable about their department's limitations

• Healthy conflict lets teams debate what the real priorities should be

• Commitment ensures everyone's pulling in the same direction

• Accountability keeps people from quietly reverting to self-interest

  
  

Without those foundations, asking for collective focus is just asking people to sacrifice their success for nothing in return.

Strategies to Stay Results-Oriented

1. Set Clear Goals by Establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Set clear, measurable goals for the team and track progress together. This gives everyone a shared target to work towards and keeps the team focused and motivated.

But here's what's critical: Team KPIs must be more visible and more valuable than individual KPIs.

If the VP of Sales gets a big bonus for hitting their personal number but no recognition for company revenue growth, guess which one they'll prioritize?

Your team meetings, dashboards, and celebrations should lead with team metrics:

• Company revenue, not departmental revenue

• Customer lifetime value, not just new customer acquisition

• Overall profitability, not just departmental budget performance

• Strategic initiative progress, not just functional excellence

Individual contributions matter, but they're celebrated in service of team success.

2. Celebrate Successes (Team Wins First)

Recognize and celebrate the team's successes, both big and small. This reinforces the importance of collective results and motivates the team to continue striving for excellence.

Try this practice: When a major team goal is achieved, celebrate it before anyone celebrates their individual contribution.

Then, when discussing how you got there, frame individual contributions as "Maria's work on X was critical to achieving this team result" rather than "Maria crushed her individual target."

Subtle shift, massive impact on culture.

3. Regularly Reviewing and Adjusting Goals

Continuously review and adjust goals to ensure they remain relevant and challenging.

Team goals shouldn't be "set in January, check in December." They should be living priorities that you review regularly:

• Are we still solving the right problem?

• Are these metrics still the ones that matter most?

• What's changed that should shift our focus?

• Are individuals' goals still aligned with team priorities?

When circumstances change, team goals need to adapt—and individual goals need to adapt with them, even if it means letting go of something someone's been working toward.

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Real Example: When Individual Wins Blocked Company Success

A professional services firm's leadership team was hitting all their individual targets. The VP of Client Services had high satisfaction scores. The VP of Operations had improving efficiency metrics. The VP of Business Development was bringing in new clients at record pace.

But company profitability was declining. Client retention was dropping. Employee turnover was climbing.

Why? Because no one was optimizing for the whole.

Business Development was selling engagements the firm wasn't equipped to deliver well, creating overwhelm for Client Services. Operations was cutting costs that impacted client experience, damaging relationships Client Services was trying to maintain. Client Services was over-customizing to save relationships, killing operational efficiency.

Everyone was winning their individual game. The company was losing.

When we shifted the team's focus to collective results—specifically, profitable client lifetime value—everything changed. It meant:

• Business Development turning down some deals that weren't the right fit

• Operations investing in client-facing improvements instead of just cutting costs

• Client Services saying no to some customization requests

Individual metrics took a hit in the short term. But within six months, company profitability was up, client retention stabilized, and employee satisfaction improved.

They stopped optimizing for looking good individually and started optimizing for winning collectively.

By focusing on collective results, teams ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives and that team success is prioritized over individual achievements.

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A Recap: How The Five Behaviors Work Together

The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ are interrelated and build on each other. 

Trust is the foundation, enabling healthy conflict, which in turn leads to commitment. 

Trust → Team members feel safe being vulnerable with each other

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Healthy Conflict → Trust allows passionate, unfiltered debate about ideas

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Commitment → Real debate leads to genuine buy-in on decisions

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Accountability → Commitment makes it safe to hold each other to high standards

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Collective Results → Accountability ensures focus stays on team success

When these behaviors are integrated into daily team practices, they transform the way teams operate and achieve their goals.

But here's the crucial part: You can't skip steps.

I've seen teams try to jump straight to accountability without building trust first. It fails. Peer feedback feels like an attack when trust isn't present.

I've seen teams try to force commitment without allowing healthy conflict. It fails. People commit superficially, then do what they wanted anyway.

The framework works—but only when you do the work in order, building each behavior on the foundation of the ones before it.

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Why Teams Fail at Implementing the Five Behaviors (And How to Avoid These Mistakes)

Building a cohesive team is not an overnight process. I've seen teams make the same mistakes repeatedly when trying to implement this framework. Here's how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Trying to Fix All Five Behaviors at Once

The Trap: Teams see the framework, identify dysfunction in all five areas, and try to tackle everything simultaneously.

Why It Fails: Behavior change is hard. Trying to change five behaviors at once overwhelms teams and dilutes focus.

What to Do Instead: Start with trust. Period. Spend real time building vulnerability-based trust before moving to conflict. The foundation matters more than speed.

Mistake #2: Treating This as a One-Time Workshop

The Trap: Teams attend a workshop, get excited, maybe do some exercises—then return to business as usual.

Why It Fails: One workshop doesn't change ingrained behaviors. Without consistent practice and reinforcement, teams revert to old patterns within weeks.

What to Do Instead: Build these behaviors into regular team rhythms. Dedicate time in every meeting to practicing whichever behavior you're working on. Check in monthly on progress. Make it part of your culture, not an event.

Mistake #3: The Leader Doesn't Go First with Vulnerability

The Trap: The leader asks team members to be vulnerable while remaining guarded themselves.

Why It Fails: If the leader won't admit mistakes or weaknesses, no one else will either. The leader sets the ceiling for vulnerability.

What to Do Instead: Leaders must model every behavior first. Be the first to admit mistakes, the first to engage in conflict, the first to commit to uncomfortable decisions, the first to accept accountability.

Mistake #4: Avoiding the Hard Conversations

The Trap: Teams work on the "comfortable" behaviors (setting goals, celebrating wins) while skirting the uncomfortable ones (trust, conflict, accountability).

Why It Fails: The uncomfortable conversations are where the real dysfunction lives. Avoiding them means avoiding the actual work.

What to Do Instead: Expect discomfort. Welcome it. The moments when your team wants to change the subject or "take it offline"—those are the moments that matter most. Push through with skilled facilitation.

Mistake #5: No External Accountability

The Trap: Teams commit to working on these behaviors without any outside perspective or accountability.

Why It Fails: Teams have blind spots. You can't see your own dysfunction patterns when you're inside them. And it's easy to let the work slide when things get busy.

What to Do Instead: Work with a trained facilitator who can spot patterns you miss, push through resistance when it gets uncomfortable, and provide accountability when the work gets hard.

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What Unaddressed Team Dysfunction Actually Costs You

Every month your team operates with these dysfunctions, you're losing ground across five critical areas:

Productivity: Misalignment creates duplicated effort, missed deadlines, and constant rework. Hours vanish into clarifying what should have been clear from the start.

Talent: Your best people leave when team culture is toxic or ineffective. The cost of replacement—recruitment, onboarding, lost knowledge—compounds quickly.

Revenue: Slow decision-making means missed opportunities. When major decisions take months instead of weeks, how many opportunities slip away while you debate?

Innovation: Bold ideas stay unspoken when conflict is avoided or trust is absent. Your competitive advantage sits silent in your team members' heads.

Leader Time: You're mediating team drama instead of doing strategic work. Dysfunction becomes your full-time job.

Facilitated Five Behaviors work isn't an expense. It's recovery of what dysfunction is already costing you.

The question isn't whether you can afford to address team dysfunction. It's whether you can afford not to.

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Build Cohesive Teams with a Trained Facilitator of The Five Behaviors™

By mastering the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™—trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results—teams can achieve higher levels of performance, innovation, and satisfaction.

As a business consultant and trained facilitator, I've had the privilege of walking alongside teams through this transformation. I've seen surface-level politeness evolve into genuine collaboration. Avoided conflict become productive debate. Individual silos shift to collective focus.

Whether you're leading a small team or a large organization, the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ provides a roadmap to success.

Here's what skilled facilitation brings to the journey:

An outside perspective that spots patterns you're too close to see—the recurring communication breakdowns, the unspoken tensions, the strengths your team doesn't fully recognize yet.

A safe space for vulnerability, especially in those early trust-building conversations that feel risky but unlock everything else.

Support when the work gets uncomfortable. Teams naturally want to retreat to politeness when real issues surface. Having a guide helps you stay engaged through the productive discomfort.

Accountability structures that make behavior change stick beyond the workshop. Tools, frameworks, and follow-through that turn insights into lasting habits.

Experience with what works. I've facilitated this process enough times to know where teams typically get stuck—and how to help you move through those moments.

You know your business and your team better than anyone. I bring fresh eyes, proven frameworks, and years of walking teams through this exact transformation. Together, we create the conditions for your team to do their best work.

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Your Next Step: Schedule a Complimentary Call

Ready to assess where your team stands—and what specific changes will move you forward?

In our complimentary 30-60 minute call, I'll help you:

• Pinpoint which of the five behaviors your team most needs to develop based on the specific symptoms you're experiencing

• Understand what's causing your team dynamics challenges (often it's not what leaders initially think)

• Create a practical roadmap for implementing these behaviors that fits your team's reality

• Determine if a facilitated Five Behaviors workshop is right for your organization (and if not, what alternative approach might serve you better)

No pressure. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about whether this framework can help your team achieve the results you need.

Call (337) 278-8932 or email betsycrichard@gmail.com to schedule your complimentary team assessment.

Your team has potential you haven't tapped yet. Let's fix that.

Contact Betsy

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Five Behaviors™

What is the Five Behaviors assessment?

The Five Behaviors™ assessment is a team development tool based on Patrick Lencioni's model that measures how well teams function across five critical areas: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. Unlike individual personality assessments like DISC or Working Genius, this evaluates team dynamics collectively. Each team member completes the assessment, then results are compiled to show the team's overall strengths and dysfunctions across all five behaviors.

How long does it take to implement the Five Behaviors framework?

Most teams see initial improvements within 3-6 months of consistent work with a trained facilitator. However, building truly cohesive team behaviors is an ongoing process that requires regular reinforcement and practice. Think of it like fitness—you don't go to the gym once and become fit forever. Early wins come quickly (usually around trust and communication), but deep behavior change takes sustained effort.

What's the difference between Five Behaviors and Working Genius?

Both frameworks come from Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group, but they address different aspects of team effectiveness:

Working Genius identifies individual working styles and natural talents (the six types of genius). It's excellent for understanding how each person contributes best and assigning work accordingly.

Five Behaviors addresses team dysfunction patterns and how teams interact. It's about the collective team dynamic, not individual working preferences.

They complement each other beautifully. Working Genius helps you understand how each person works best. Five Behaviors helps the team work together effectively. Many teams benefit from both.

Can we implement Five Behaviors without a facilitator?

While you can read about the framework independently and try some exercises on your own, working with a certified facilitator dramatically increases success rates. Here's why:

• Facilitators see blind spots you can't see when you're inside the team dynamic

• Facilitators create safety for difficult conversations that teams tend to avoid

• Facilitators push through resistance when the work gets uncomfortable

• Facilitators provide accountability so the work doesn't get abandoned when things get busy

• Facilitators bring tools and experience from guiding dozens of other teams through the same process

Teams that work with facilitators see faster, deeper, more sustainable change than teams that try to do it themselves.

How do you measure success with the Five Behaviors?

Success shows up in both quantitative and qualitative ways:

Quantitative metrics:

• Faster decision-making (time from discussion to implementation)

• Improved team productivity (projects completed on time)

• Better retention (reduced turnover)

• Higher employee engagement scores

• Improved business results (revenue, profitability, customer satisfaction)

Qualitative indicators:

• More honest conversations in meetings

• Decreased hallway conversations after meetings

• Less time spent on drama and dysfunction

• Increased willingness to challenge each other respectfully

• Stronger alignment between what's said and what's done

We typically establish baseline metrics before starting the work, then track progress at 3, 6, and 12 months.

How much does Five Behaviors facilitation cost?

Investment varies based on team size, current dysfunction level, and engagement scope. A typical facilitated program includes initial assessment, multi-session workshops, ongoing coaching, and follow-up support. During our complimentary assessment call, I'll provide specific investment details based on your team's needs. What I can tell you: teams consistently find that the ROI—in recovered productivity, improved retention, and better results—far exceeds the investment.

What if our team is partially remote?

The Five Behaviors framework works for fully in-person, fully remote, and hybrid teams. The behaviors matter regardless of where people sit. However, remote teams often need extra intentionality around trust-building and conflict, since those behaviors are harder to develop without in-person interaction. We adjust facilitation approaches based on your team's working model.

How is this different from other team building activities?

Most team building focuses on fun activities that create temporary bonding—ropes courses, escape rooms, volunteer projects. There's value in that, but it doesn't address actual team dysfunction.

The Five Behaviors isn't team building. It's team transformation. We're not doing trust falls. We're doing the hard work of addressing why your team doesn't trust each other in the first place. We're not building camaraderie. We're building the specific behaviors that make teams effective.

It's less comfortable than a ropes course. It's also vastly more impactful.

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Betsy Richard is a business consultant and trained facilitator specializing in team development frameworks including the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™, Six Types of Working Genius™, DISC assessment, and Outgrow Sales implementation. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, she helps B2B companies build high-performing teams and drive organizational growth.