First Team
Who is your First Team?
Leadership and the First Team Concept
During my regular consulting with people on teams around the world, an “old” concept (2012) has started re-surfacing again around the topic of, “The First Team.”
A First Team – articulated by Patrick Lencioni – is the idea that true leaders prioritize supporting their fellow leaders over their direct reports. Patrick recommends they are responsible to their peers more than they are to their individual or “Second” teams.
This sounds really cool and modern agile leaders are probably thinking, “YES! THAT’S WHAT WE DO!”
First — no pun intended (smile) — watch the following video from Patrick Lencioni (2014).
Watching this video takes less than 3 minutes and I guarantee you’ll notice something important in that short amount of time.
First Team Concept - Watch the Short Video
A video summary of the “First Team” concept by Patrick Lencioni (2014).
Video Reference: first_team_video.mvizdos.comFirst Team: C-Level, VP’s, & Senior Management Team
If you are on a senior leadership / management team and you are talking about your own “First Team” as something that exists, you might notice the following things happening:
As a C-Level executive, I spend time working with people who report to my direct report who report to their direct report (read as: I get into the weeds)
As a Vice President, I spend time working with people who report to my direct report (read as: I get into the weeds)
As a Senior Leader, I spend time working with my direct reports (read as: I get into the weeds)
Some variation of the above….
[ spolier alert for you / your senior leadership team ]
You’ve missed the point of the “First Team” concept.
Who is YOUR First Team as a Senior Leadership Team Member?
Your “First Team” includes your peers on the Senior Leadership Team.
So, if you are a C-Level, your first team includes the other C-Level executives.
And. If you are a Vice President, your first team includes your peers at the VP level.
And. If you are some other “Senior Leader” in your organization, your first team includes your peers at that level.
Why the First Team Concept is Important
Your may hear the words, “It’s Fractal” (sounds cool… but that’s for another post on another day) being thrown around the management buzzword bingo world.
When throwing around the concept of the “First Team” being fractal, consider this:
For Senior Leaders
[ tough love movie guy announcer voice ON ]In a world where you are a C-Level Executive, Vice-President of Very Important Stuff, or other type of a Senior level person within your organization… PLEASE put on your big-kid pants and act like a First Team if that’s what you call yourselves.
The people on the teams that “report” to you need this to happen (Patrick calls those teams “Second Teams”).
When you — yes YOUR senior leadership team members — are dysfunctional, your team knows.
[ tough love movie guy announcer voice OFF ]For Team Members Working FOR Senior Leaders
If you are a team member who is witnessing your senior leadership team members walking around and just saying they are on a First Team, and it seems completely jacked / dysfunctional — you know it when you see it — pass the link first_team.mvizdos.com on to them to read and review.
Remember: As a team member working on the “Second Team” (your team)… the fractal idea is that your team can also be a “First Team.”
Mind.
Blown.
Yet?
THAT’s the “Fractal” super-power available to YOU, your team, and organization right now.
Think of what’s possible!
BONUS: First Team Book - The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni
Book Reference: first_team_book.mvizdos.comIf you are one of those rare people who loves reading (as much as I do!), please take a look at first_team_book.mvizdos.com.
While it was published back in 2012, it still has some great material that can help you, your team, and organization successfully implement “The First Team” concept!
Move it to the top of your “to be read” management / leadership / business book list!
What Next?
In my regular Saturday morning emails (subscribe here) around Implementing Scrum in the Real World, I usually have a call to action near the end.
Since we are nearing the end of this current blog posting, I want to issue the same challenge / call to action to YOU (as a Senior Leadership Team Member or a person on a team in an organization that hears your management team talking about the “First Team” concept:
Watch the video from Patrick Lencioni (by yourself first) at first_team_video.mvizdos.com.
Discuss this blog posting as a team — either as a Senior Leadership team, a team who is reporting to senior leaders who talk about this concept, or even better… discuss this all together! Share the link this this blog post [you are reading this now to do it now!]: first_team.mvizdos.com.
Either of those two options can be tough to actually accomplish.
Here’s the reality my friend...
For people who are Implementing Scrum and it looks nothing like Scrum (see scrumguide.mvizdos.com), this anti-pattern of calling yourself (or your leadership team doing this) a “First Team” in name only is not doing you, your team, or your organization any favors.
Really.
Just stop and move on (join the #GreatResignation and take a look at dream_job.mvizdos.com for some ideas around that topic).
I know… in reality you will most like read this and stay where you are until it hurts enough to move on (warning: you may be on the career hamster wheel of ughhhhh and remember that time flies!).
And.
I can help with the conversation.
Really.
Contact me (with feedback) or connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss this more together.
FREE BONUS
You can listen to a free podcast (about 45 minutes) with more details about WHY this is an important concept and HOW you can have these conversations as leaders — or with your leaders — in order to get better working together as a First Team.
Learn more now (for free) at drunkenpm_23.mvizdos.com.
One more thing… please check out AgileMentoring.com while you are here; it’s a great community of agile practitioners from around the world who are figuring things out together!
One final thing…
Subscribe to my weekly Saturday morning emails about Implementing Scrum in the real world. And get an “every two week” check in from me too.
What could be better?
About the Author: Michael Vizdos
Hi. I sincerely appreciate you reading this article. My name is Michael Vizdos and I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of people on teams all around the world over the past 30+ years of my professional career.
You can read more about my background or contact me.
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