From Dysfunction to Inclusion: Why Lencioni’s ‘Results’ Need a People Lens
What Patrick Lencioni’s leadership model taught me — and how inclusive leadership builds on it
I’m writing this from the road as part of my Pride in Visibility summer tour, and I’ve been reflecting on how many lessons we carry forward in our leadership without always realising where they first took root.
Years ago, during my L3 leadership training, I took part in a book club exploring The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. At the time, I saw it as a practical framework, a roadmap for diagnosing why some teams flounder while others thrive. But looking back, I now see how those concepts planted seeds that have shaped the way I speak about leadership today.
This week, I was reminded of that journey when my colleague and collective member, Toby Mildon, delivered an inclusive version of Lencioni’s model through his work at Mildon Associates, where I’m proud to serve as an Associate. His reframing turns each dysfunction into a strength, not by discarding the original model, but by placing inclusion and belonging at its heart.
Here’s where our work overlaps — and where it grows.
1. Lack of Trust → Build Psychological Safety
Lencioni starts with trust, and I do too — but not just any kind. Diverse teams don’t automatically trust; they need psychological safety, space to be vulnerable, and leaders who understand that trust is built in the small, human moments.
I often say that acceptance doesn’t require understanding. That’s a trust practice, especially when working across differences.
2. Fear of Conflict → Make Space for Difference
Conflict, when avoided, stifles progress. But when held with care, it becomes a doorway to inclusion. Toby’s version of this invites us to shift from smoothing over differences to listening through it. That mirrors how I encourage leaders to stay in the “messy middle”, not rushing to resolution, but sitting in discomfort long enough to learn from it.
3. Lack of Commitment → Make Inclusion a Daily Practice
Lencioni links conflict avoidance to weak commitment. We take that further. Inclusion can’t just live in values statements or Pride Month campaigns; it has to show up in how we make decisions, run meetings, and navigate disagreements.
Inclusion, like commitment, isn’t a one-time pledge. It’s a practice.
4. Avoidance of Accountability → Share Responsibility
Too often, inclusion becomes the responsibility of HR or the most marginalised person in the room. But real accountability is shared. Leaders must model it, but teammates must hold one another to it, too.
Toby’s guidance to “call in, not just call out” echoes my own commitment to creating cultures of care, not correction.
5. Inattention to Results → Redefine What Success Looks Like
Here’s where my thinking has most evolved.
Lencioni warns of teams that lose sight of shared goals. But today, we have to ask: Whose goals? Whose success? If inclusion isn’t built into how we define results, it stays optional.
That’s why I now speak of inclusive economics — the idea that belonging, safety, and discretionary effort are not soft values but real drivers of performance. When we centre people in our definition of success, we build teams that thrive, not despite difference, but because of it.
I didn’t realise until recently how much of my leadership language is rooted in that early exposure to Lencioni’s work — or how much further it’s travelled since. The journey from dysfunction to inclusion is more than a shift in language. It’s a reorientation: from control to curiosity, from performance to presence, from silence to shared power.
If you’ve used The Five Dysfunctions in your work, I’d love to hear how it’s evolved for you.
And if you’re ready to explore what inclusive leadership looks like in practice — not just in theory — I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.
With pride, from the road —
Cynthia
Let’s Build More Inclusive Workplaces—Together
Whether you’re addressing team dynamics, redefining success through inclusive economics, or embedding psychological safety into your culture, I offer tailored workshops, mentorship, and leadership programmes to support your journey.
📩 Get in touch: cynthiafortlage@cynthiafortlage.com