Monday Morning Musings
Volume XXIV, Number 32 (Issue 1193) August 10, 2026
Battling Complacency – Part III Connections and Actuators
Teamwork and Teammates
At our core humans are social creatures. In order to survive, let alone function effectively, we need others in our life. More to the point, if we are to form and sustain beneficial relationships, we must enter into a variety of social contracts or agreements of interdependence. Yet due to our flawed nature it is practically a given that we will violate one or more key provisions in those contracts. Sometimes the violation is unintentional inasmuch as most of those agreements are short on formality. Thus, terms and key provisions are apt to be vague or implied. In any event, the result of a misstep – intentional or not – is a strained if not broken relationship. And because the majority of our social contracts are informal and therefore subject to individual interpretation, differing ideas and perspectives routinely give rise to disappointment, frustration and conflict.
The shortcomings of many social contracts notwithstanding, our need for and the underlying benefit of interdependence translates nicely into the formation and functioning (as well as dysfunction) of groups (teams). Take the typical workplace as an example. When we are able to successfully blend the diverse skills, talents, and backgrounds of two or more individuals, the result should exceed the sum of the individual parts. Such synergies increase productivity and performance – provided the team is properly focused and stable. Of course, the reality does not always live up to the promise.
To provide some important context for my remaining points, I want to share what I believe is an exceptional definition of an effective team. It is taken from the book Deep Change by Robert E. Quinn (Wiley & Sons, 1996), emphasis added.
“An enthusiastic set of competent people who
have clearly defined roles,
associated in a common activity,
working cohesively in trusting relationships,
exercising personal discipline, and
making individual sacrifices for the good of the team.”
There are numerous reasons why many teams do not live up to this definition starting with “leaders” who are prone to grabbing the acclaim for successful outcomes while quickly ascribing blame when things go wrong. Then there are the challenges that emanate from an ill-defined outcome, a lack of needed resources, scope creep, overly optimistic deadlines (a consequence of the planning fallacy), a lack of ownership and accountability, and all the chaos that accompanies priority du jour-itis (see squirrel, chase squirrel!).
To this list of stumbling blocks, we can add the phenomenon known as the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 Rule) where eighty percent of both the work and results can be traced to the efforts of only twenty percent of the group. Another insightful analysis and commentary on the problems that plague so many groups (teams) can be found in Patrick Lincioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass, 2002).
My point in all of this is individual complacency can sometimes be countered with better team dynamics starting with the creation of a collectively crafted and mutually agreed upon social contract (a.k.a. a team charter). We can enhance this further by focusing on the things Quinn included in his definition of an effective team. Finally, if we are to get more from each member of the team, especially those who are prone to a bit of complacency, we require leaders who make effective use of their EQ (Emotional Intelligence).
Next week, in Part IV, we will examine ways to appeal to and leverage an individual’s value system as a means of overcoming complacency.
Soli Deo Gloria
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210) 260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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