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The Advantage

Author: Patrick Lencioni

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 2012

The Advantage proposes a new approach to achieve organizational improvement. Rather than spending resources in conventional improvement areas such as marketing, strategy or technology, Lencioni suggests focusing on eliminating the root causes of politics, dysfunction, confusion and bureaucracy. Lencioni believes too many leaders are focused on becoming smarter. Instead, leaders should focus on becoming healthier, which allows an organization to utilize the intelligence and expertise already have available.

To become healthier, Lencioni proposes the four disciplines model:

1. Build a cohesive leadership team

2. Create clarity

3. Overcommunicate clarity

4. Reinforce clarity

Lencioni believes when an organization’s leaders are cohesive, when they are aligned around a set of answers to a few important questions, when leaders communicate those answers constantly, and when processes are in place to reinforce those answers, an environment is created where success is inevitable.

Throughout the book, Lencioni provides real-world stories from his consulting practice to reinforce his ideas. These stories help the reader gain insight into the concepts and insert a dose of reality into the book. He pulls concepts from his best-selling book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, to support the four disciplines model. Each discipline is written in plain language and broken down into actionable advice. The Advantage is a must read for leaders ready for transformational change.