Episode 159: Leadership Lessons: Five Dysfunctions of a Team
For 2023, Vonda and Lori are adding book talks to the podcast lineup — and this one is a read-along invitation. The book is Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a short, realistic-fiction read laid out almost like a comic book. As always, the hosts filter every page through one lens: what does this mean for a flower shop owner and their team? Here are the five dysfunctions, shop-ified.
Dysfunction 1: Absence of trust
The book defines this as the unwillingness to be vulnerable within a team — people worry that if they admit a weakness, it will be used against them later. That fear is real for owners and employees alike. In flower shops, the hosts see it show up when a team member doesn't feel the owner is approachable; instead of speaking up, they quietly convince themselves that everybody's hiring and simply leave, and the shocked owner never learns why.
It also shows up in the design room. A newer designer or assistant who feels less skilled than the others will back up and stop contributing, sure that what they have to offer isn't good enough. The fix starts with how the owner models trust — like teaching a kid to ride a bike, you hold on, then let go and let them wobble. If you criticize and micromanage every dozen roses, your people will never feel trusted, and they won't stay.
Dysfunction 2: Fear of conflict
Lencioni calls this seeking artificial harmony over constructive, passionate debate — think of the perfectly posed Christmas card that hides the real family chaos. In a shop, it looks like an owner who sees an undercurrent of drama between two employees and turns away because they just don't want to deal with it. The hosts are blunt: you have to step in. Name what you're seeing, sit the people involved down, and talk it out — afterward, everybody is in a better space.
Lori shares a favorite tactic from her years coaching middle school cheerleaders: when two squad members were poisoning the group, she'd put them in a room together with instructions not to come out until they'd worked it out. Usually the root was simply hurt feelings turned into anger. People-pleasers (Lori notes she's a nine on the Enneagram) have to be especially self-aware here, because telling people what they want to hear helps no one.
Dysfunction 3: Lack of commitment
Defined as a state of ambiguity throughout the organization, this one runs rampant in an industry with a revolving door of employees — especially in bigger shops that hire bodies in a hurry before a holiday. The hosts' prescription is a conversation, not a correction. Take the checked-out employee aside and ask what's going on and what would make things better. Ask what they love and what made them want to work there, then build some of that into their job — maybe the phone-scrolling employee becomes your Instagram photographer, alongside washing buckets. Give people a piece of work they're passionate about and they'll show up for the rest.
Dysfunctions 4 and 5: Accountability and results
Avoidance of accountability means accepting low standards for what goes out the door — and in retail flowers, Google and Yelp reviews will ding you fast, right down to how your delivery driver handles a doorstep in the rain. Accountability has to run all the way through the team.
Inattention to results — putting personal success, status, and ego ahead of the team — can surface when a big-name freelance designer comes in for a holiday. Longtime designers can feel threatened or small watching someone faster work beside them. The hosts challenge you to flip it: instead of "now I have to compete," ask "what can I learn from this person?" That shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset takes the pressure off — and remember, the incoming designer is usually just as nervous about fitting in as you are about being outshone.
What a functional team looks like
Vonda's answer comes from the AIFD design room: experienced and brand-new volunteers working side by side, everyone asking "is this how you want it?" and nobody guarding their ego. Lori confesses she once sliced her finger on her very first knife task backstage at Vonda's main-stage program — and the team quietly got her first aid, handed her a broom, and kept the show moving. That, the hosts agree, is a totally functional team.
Key takeaways
- Trust starts with the owner modeling vulnerability — micromanaging and constant criticism drive good people out the door without explanation.
- Don't hide from conflict; address it directly. Most team drama is hurt feelings that hardened into anger.
- Re-engage uncommitted employees by asking what they love and building it into their role.
- Hold standards all the way down to the delivery driver — your reviews depend on it.
- When a talented new hire or freelancer arrives, choose "what can I learn?" over "now I have to compete."
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist