The Ideal Team Player receives mostly positive reviews for its insights on teamwork and hiring. Readers appreciate the model of humble, hungry, and smart team members, though some find the fable format tedious. The book is praised for its practical advice on improving team dynamics and hiring practices. Critics note the focus on hunger may promote overwork. Overall, reviewers find it valuable for leaders and employees seeking to enhance teamwork, despite some concerns about potential misuse of the concepts.
Ideal team players possess three essential virtues: humility, hunger, and people smarts
Humility is the foundation of effective teamwork and leadership
Hunger drives productivity and passion in team members
People smarts enable smooth interpersonal interactions and collaboration
The combination of all three virtues is crucial for optimal team performance
Hiring for humble, hungry, and smart traits is essential for building strong teams
Assessing and developing current employees based on the three virtues improves team dynamics
Leaders must consistently reinforce the importance of humility, hunger, and people smarts
Self-assessment and peer discussions facilitate growth in the three virtues
The ideal team player model applies across various industries and organizational levels
What makes humble, hungry, and smart powerful and unique is not the individual attributes themselves, but rather the required combination of all three.
The three virtues defined: Humility refers to a lack of excessive ego and a willingness to share credit. Hunger is the drive to work hard and go above and beyond. People smarts involve interpersonal awareness and the ability to work well with others.
Importance of the combination: While each virtue is valuable on its own, the power lies in their combination. A person lacking in any one area can significantly hinder teamwork and overall performance. For example:
Humble + Hungry, but not Smart: The "Accidental Mess-Maker"
Humble + Smart, but not Hungry: The "Lovable Slacker"
Hungry + Smart, but not Humble: The "Skillful Politician"
Real-world application: Organizations that prioritize these three virtues in hiring, development, and culture-building create environments where teamwork thrives and individual contributions are maximized.
Great 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.
Types of humility: True humility involves acknowledging one's strengths and weaknesses without overinflating or undervaluing oneself. It's not about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
Impact on teamwork: Humble team members:
Build trust more easily
Engage in productive conflict
Commit to group decisions
Hold peers accountable
Focus on team results over personal gain
Cultivating humility: Leaders can foster humility by:
Modeling humble behavior
Recognizing and rewarding team-oriented actions
Addressing arrogance or excessive self-promotion
Encouraging open communication about mistakes and weaknesses
Hungry people are always looking for more. More things to do. More to learn. More responsibility to take on.
Manifestations of hunger: Hungry team members exhibit:
Self-motivation
Proactive problem-solving
Willingness to take on additional responsibilities
Continuous learning and improvement
Strong work ethic
Balancing hunger: While hunger is crucial, it's important to distinguish between healthy ambition and unhealthy workaholism or selfish drive. The ideal hunger is sustainable and aligned with team goals.
Fostering hunger: Leaders can encourage hunger by:
Setting challenging but achievable goals
Providing opportunities for growth and development
Recognizing and rewarding initiative
Creating a culture that values continuous improvement
Addressing complacency or lack of engagement promptly
Smart simply refers to a person's common sense about people. It has everything to do with the ability to be interpersonally appropriate and aware.
Components of people smarts: People smarts involve:
Emotional intelligence
Active listening
Empathy
Adaptability in communication styles
Awareness of group dynamics
Ability to navigate difficult conversations
Impact on team functioning: Smart team members:
Reduce interpersonal conflicts
Facilitate effective communication
Create a positive team atmosphere
Adapt their approach to different personalities
Mediate disagreements constructively
Developing people smarts: Leaders can enhance people smarts by:
Providing training in emotional intelligence and communication
Encouraging self-reflection and feedback
Creating opportunities for diverse interactions
Modeling appropriate interpersonal behavior
Addressing instances of social insensitivity or conflict
If even one is missing in a team member, teamwork becomes significantly more difficult, and sometimes not possible.
Synergy of virtues: The combination of humility, hunger, and people smarts creates a powerful foundation for teamwork. Each virtue reinforces and complements the others:
Humility + Hunger = Passionate but not self-centered
Humility + Smart = Socially adept but not manipulative
Hunger + Smart = Driven but considerate of others
Addressing weaknesses: When a team member is lacking in one area, it's crucial to:
Identify the specific weakness
Provide targeted development opportunities
Offer consistent feedback and support
Monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed
Cultural impact: Organizations that prioritize all three virtues create a culture where:
Collaboration is natural and effortless
Innovation thrives through open communication
Conflicts are resolved constructively
Team members feel valued and motivated
The most reliable way to ensure that teamwork takes hold in an organization would be to hire only ideal team players.
Effective interviewing techniques:
Ask behavioral questions targeting each virtue
Use group interviews to observe interactions
Conduct non-traditional interviews (e.g., during an errand)
Ask candidates what others would say about them
Probe for specific examples and stories
Red flags to watch for:
Excessive self-promotion or credit-taking (lack of humility)
Lack of passion or initiative in past roles (lack of hunger)
Difficulty describing interpersonal situations (lack of people smarts)
Reference checking: Go beyond standard questions to gain insights into the candidate's humility, hunger, and people smarts. Ask for specific examples and how the candidate compares to others.
Leaders can evaluate their people against the three virtues in order to help them identify what they need to work on for their own good and the good of the team.
Assessment methods:
Manager evaluations using specific behavior-based questions
Self-assessments focusing on observable behaviors
Peer discussions (not formal peer evaluations)
Regular feedback and performance conversations
Development strategies:
Identify root causes of deficiencies (e.g., insecurity, past experiences)
Provide targeted coaching and training
Encourage "exposure therapy" - practicing desired behaviors
Set clear expectations and provide consistent feedback
Celebrate progress and improvements
Addressing severe deficiencies: When an employee consistently fails to improve:
Have honest conversations about fit and expectations
Provide clear timelines for improvement
If necessary, help the employee transition to a role or organization better suited to their strengths
The most important part of the development process, and the part that is so often missing, is the leader's commitment to constantly "reminding" an employee if she is not yet doing what is needed.
Consistent reinforcement: Leaders should:
Regularly discuss the three virtues in team meetings
Incorporate them into performance reviews and goal-setting
Recognize and reward behaviors that exemplify the virtues
Address violations promptly and consistently
Creating accountability: Encourage team members to:
Hold each other accountable for demonstrating the virtues
Provide peer feedback and support
Celebrate team successes that result from embodying the virtues
Leading by example: Leaders must model humility, hunger, and people smarts in their own behavior, demonstrating:
Willingness to admit mistakes and learn from others
Passion for the team's mission and continuous improvement
Emotional intelligence and interpersonal effectiveness
Sitting down as a group and having teammates reveal and discuss their own relative weaknesses related to humble, hungry, and smart is a powerful way to ensure that all of this will lead to change and that teammates will be one another's best coaches.
Self-assessment benefits:
Increases self-awareness
Promotes ownership of personal development
Reduces defensiveness in feedback conversations
Effective peer discussions:
Create a safe, non-judgmental environment
Focus on specific behaviors and examples
Encourage vulnerability and honesty
Brainstorm strategies for improvement as a team
Follow-up and accountability:
Set personal and team goals based on discussion insights
Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress
Celebrate improvements and support ongoing challenges
The ramifications of all this are undeniable. Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot.
Universal applicability: The model works for:
Different industries (e.g., technology, construction, healthcare)
Various organizational levels (from entry-level to C-suite)
Diverse team structures (project teams, departments, entire organizations)
Adaptability to specific contexts:
Tailor interview questions and assessments to industry-specific scenarios
Adjust development strategies based on organizational culture and resources
Align the virtues with existing company values and mission
Long-term benefits:
Improved team performance and productivity
Reduced turnover and increased employee satisfaction
Enhanced organizational culture and reputation
Increased adaptability to change and challenges
By consistently applying the ideal team player model across all aspects of talent management, organizations can create a sustainable competitive advantage through their people and culture.