This week, from Gordon
Last week you finished Discipline 1. This week we start on clarity, with the two questions most leadership teams answer badly: why do we exist, and how do we behave?
Most companies answer it with what they do. “We make scheduling software for dental offices.” That's useful, but it isn't a reason to exist. Lencioni pushes further. Keep asking “why?” until you reach something idealistic enough that it would still be true if your product line changed tomorrow.
Then turn to behavior. Core values are the two or three qualities your organization already lives out, including when it costs you something. A value you wish you had is an aspiration, so keep it off the list for now.
Don't expect to nail either answer this week. Most teams I work with need two or three passes, and the first draft usually sounds like a poster in a hotel lobby (that's fine; write it down anyway).
From the book
Members read a passage from The Advantage here, one or two pages long.
As you read, notice the difference between a core purpose and a slogan, and between a core value and an aspiration.
Reflection questions
Members' answers save to their journalFive minutes of silence before anyone speaks.
At your next leadership meeting, give everyone five minutes to write down why you exist and the two or three behaviors that define you, before anyone speaks. Read the answers out loud. Don't debate them yet; just notice how far apart they are.
Go deeper
Optional