Book Review: The Ideal Team Player

Book Review: The Ideal Team Player

Bob Herrold, one of our techs (RIP), was at a Global Leadership Summit providing IT Support for our client who was a local Host site. He knew I liked this author and purchased the book as a gift to me; very thoughtful. In Lencioni-style, it’s a story of a construction company that needs to hire key players at various levels and there’s a sense of urgency. The founder/owner has a health issue needing immediate attention, and they just landed two large projects that were to start at the same time. They had to provide leadership and find field workers to execute. They had experienced some turnover in key positions and were struggling.

So they began the quest to find out what attributes their best PM’s and leaders had so they could use them to find new staff members who would fit in well. As the story unfolds, they hit on three (3) critical areas – Humble, Hungry, and Smart. Then they realized there was a ‘sweet spot’ for these attributes. When one or more were missing, the person did not thrive, or others on their team walked. Like many great business truths, executing and sticking to what you’ve learned is tough; there’s a pressing need, so it’s tempting to compromise.

The book has a good story, then applies the concepts as they unfold, ultimately defining and applying Humble, Hungry, and Smart. The last section has some great interview questions to help uncover a candidate’s ‘fit’ with these important attributes. Strongly recommended, and a good story, too. –CMW