IS YOUR TEAM BUILT TO THRIVE?

A healthy team is the backbone of a thriving company. Yet, team health is often overlooked until dysfunction begins to disrupt progress. Whether the dysfunction takes the form of a lack of trust, fear of conflict, or misaligned priorities, these challenges can quietly erode even the most well-structured companies.

Ensuring your team is aligned and equipped to execute effectively is essential. And it all starts with a clear assessment of team dynamics and trust.

In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni identifies five key dysfunctions that undermine team performance:

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results

Read more in How to Conduct the Five Dysfunctions of a Team Exercise.

With this exercise, Lencioni offers a powerful way to evaluate and address obstacles that prevent teams from thriving. The exercise can help you uncover weak spots, drive better collaboration, and foster a high-trust culture.

PERSPECTIVES

“Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team.” — Patrick Lencioni

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.”
― H.E. Luccock

MARK MY WORDS

Team health can be the silent killer or the hidden superpower behind your company’s ability to scale. It’s about more than just efficiency. It’s about trust, open communication, and accountability. When dysfunction creeps in — maybe through unresolved conflicts, communication breakdowns, or confusion about roles — it eats away at your culture from the inside out.

But there’s good news: You can turn things around with intentionality and clarity. At Ninety, we often lean on frameworks like the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. It all starts with trust — the bedrock of high-functioning teams. Without it, collaboration and productive conflict collapse. But when trust is strong, teams can disagree without fear, stay accountable, and reach shared goals faster.

Founder Tool Kit

Baseline Assessment
If you want to build a successful, scalable company, you need a clear understanding of where your team stands today. That’s why we created the Baseline Assessment — a simple but powerful tool to help leadership teams identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for improvement across the 9 Core Competencies.

You'll learn:

• Your team’s performance across the 9 Core Competencies, including Vision, People, and Structure
• Whether it’s time to refine processes, strengthen leadership, or explore new tools
• Your BOS Readiness Score, showing how ready your team is to upgrade its business operating system

[Take the Assessment]