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At the Table with Patrick Lencioni

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266. The Book That Almost Wasn’t

At the Table with Patrick Lencioni
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Sit across the table from one of the foremost experts in leadership and business. In his simple and approachable style, Pat tackles every topic related to the world of work (and some that aren’t). From culture to family to building world-class organizations, Pat brings his wisdom, humor, and insight together to provide actionable advice for leaders everywhere.

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Episode 266podcast microphone image
04/14/2026

The Book That Almost Wasn’t

How do you know if someone truly belongs on your team? In episode 266 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson review the surprising origin of The Ideal Team Player and why its simple framework continues to resonate years later. You’ll learn how the combination of humility, hunger, and smarts defines great team members—and what happens when one is missing. You’ll walk away with practical ways to hire better, develop your people, and build a stronger, healthier team culture. Topics explored in this episode: (00:02:23) Origins of Humble, Hungry, Smart Pat explains how the three values emerged from real-world leadership experience. The framework gained traction as clients recognized its universal relevance. (00:07:24) Why the Model Works So Powerfully The simplicity of the framework makes it easy to apply immediately in teams. The combination of all three traits, not just one, is what drives true effectiveness. (00:11:14) Breaking Down the Three Traits Humility, hunger, and smarts are defined with practical examples. The discussion highlights common misunderstandings, especially around “smart.” (00:21:55) The Dangers of Missing One Trait The team explains the “accidental mess-maker,” “lovable slacker,” and “skillful politician.” Each type shows how the absence of a single virtue can damage team health over time. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial X: https://x.com/patricklencioni At The Table with Patrick Lencioni Apple: https://apple.co/4hJKKSL Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/At-The-Table- Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via [email protected]. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Read More⟶
Episode 266podcast microphone image
04/14/2026

The Book That Almost Wasn’t

How do you know if someone truly belongs on your team? In episode 266 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson review the surprising origin of The Ideal Team Player and why its simple framework continues to resonate years later. You’ll learn how the combination of humility, hunger, and smarts defines great team members—and what happens when one is missing. You’ll walk away with practical ways to hire better, develop your people, and build a stronger, healthier team culture. Topics explored in this episode: (00:02:23) Origins of Humble, Hungry, Smart Pat explains how the three values emerged from real-world leadership experience. The framework gained traction as clients recognized its universal relevance. (00:07:24) Why the Model Works So Powerfully The simplicity of the framework makes it easy to apply immediately in teams. The combination of all three traits, not just one, is what drives true effectiveness. (00:11:14) Breaking Down the Three Traits Humility, hunger, and smarts are defined with practical examples. The discussion highlights common misunderstandings, especially around “smart.” (00:21:55) The Dangers of Missing One Trait The team explains the “accidental mess-maker,” “lovable slacker,” and “skillful politician.” Each type shows how the absence of a single virtue can damage team health over time. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial X: https://x.com/patricklencioni At The Table with Patrick Lencioni Apple: https://apple.co/4hJKKSL Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/At-The-Table- Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via [email protected]. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Read More⟶
Episode 266podcast microphone image
04/14/2026

The Book That Almost Wasn’t

How do you know if someone truly belongs on your team? In episode 266 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson review the surprising origin of The Ideal Team Player and why its simple framework continues to resonate years later. You’ll learn how the combination of humility, hunger, and smarts defines great team members—and what happens when one is missing. You’ll walk away with practical ways to hire better, develop your people, and build a stronger, healthier team culture. Topics explored in this episode: (00:02:23) Origins of Humble, Hungry, Smart Pat explains how the three values emerged from real-world leadership experience. The framework gained traction as clients recognized its universal relevance. (00:07:24) Why the Model Works So Powerfully The simplicity of the framework makes it easy to apply immediately in teams. The combination of all three traits, not just one, is what drives true effectiveness. (00:11:14) Breaking Down the Three Traits Humility, hunger, and smarts are defined with practical examples. The discussion highlights common misunderstandings, especially around “smart.” (00:21:55) The Dangers of Missing One Trait The team explains the “accidental mess-maker,” “lovable slacker,” and “skillful politician.” Each type shows how the absence of a single virtue can damage team health over time. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial X: https://x.com/patricklencioni At The Table with Patrick Lencioni Apple: https://apple.co/4hJKKSL Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/At-The-Table- Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via [email protected]. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Read More⟶
Episode 265podcast microphone image
03/31/2026

Miserable Employees

How would your team’s culture shift if you started catching people doing their jobs well and celebrating those moments publicly? In episode 265 of At The Table, Pat Lencioni and Cody Thompson revisit Pat’s book The Truth About Employee Engagement, arguing its lessons are crucial now. They unpack the three root causes of employee misery – anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurement – and show how any manager can improve work experience by addressing these human needs. Through stories and takeaways, they emphasize that making employees feel known, valued, and empowered to measure success requires only intentional, consistent attention. Topics explored in this episode: (00:06:46) Why the Solution Works Everywhere Cody reflects on how remarkable it is that the book’s solution applies equally to an airport fast-food worker and a Fortune 100 executive. Pat introduces the first sign of a miserable job, anonymity, explaining that employees who feel unseen and unknown by their managers simply cannot love coming to work, no matter how much they earn. (00:12:25) Retention, Counterculture & Practical Advice Pat and Cody discuss how knowing employees personally is a powerful and often overlooked retention strategy, noting that people rarely leave workplaces where they feel genuinely cared for as human beings. Why leaders should be vulnerable, admit the lapse openly, and invite employees to “catch you up” on their lives, then share what’s going on in your own. (00:16:42) Why Every Job Must Matter to Someone Pat introduces the second sign of a miserable job, irrelevance, and illustrates it vividly by describing how a manager at the airport restaurant could tell that young employee his real purpose: to introduce a moment of joy and kindness into otherwise stressed travelers’ days. Cody and Pat agree that the manager’s responsibility is not only to articulate why a job matters, but to actively “catch” employees making a difference and celebrate those moments, because what gets celebrated gets repeated. (00:23:25) Immeasurement, the One-Minute Manager Demo & Closing Pat introduces the third sign, immeasurement, arguing that every employee needs a way to assess their own performance that doesn’t depend solely on a manager’s subjective opinion. Pat is challenging listeners to immediately improve in one area of knowing their people, reminding them why their work matters, and helping them measure their success. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial X: https://x.com/patricklencioni At The Table with Patrick Lencioni Apple: https://apple.co/4hJKKSL Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/At-The-Table- Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via [email protected]. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Read More⟶
Episode 265podcast microphone image
03/31/2026

Miserable Employees

How would your team’s culture shift if you started catching people doing their jobs well and celebrating those moments publicly? In episode 265 of At The Table, Pat Lencioni and Cody Thompson revisit Pat’s book The Truth About Employee Engagement, arguing its lessons are crucial now. They unpack the three root causes of employee misery – anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurement – and show how any manager can improve work experience by addressing these human needs. Through stories and takeaways, they emphasize that making employees feel known, valued, and empowered to measure success requires only intentional, consistent attention. Topics explored in this episode: (00:06:46) Why the Solution Works Everywhere Cody reflects on how remarkable it is that the book’s solution applies equally to an airport fast-food worker and a Fortune 100 executive. Pat introduces the first sign of a miserable job, anonymity, explaining that employees who feel unseen and unknown by their managers simply cannot love coming to work, no matter how much they earn. (00:12:25) Retention, Counterculture & Practical Advice Pat and Cody discuss how knowing employees personally is a powerful and often overlooked retention strategy, noting that people rarely leave workplaces where they feel genuinely cared for as human beings. Why leaders should be vulnerable, admit the lapse openly, and invite employees to “catch you up” on their lives, then share what’s going on in your own. (00:16:42) Why Every Job Must Matter to Someone Pat introduces the second sign of a miserable job, irrelevance, and illustrates it vividly by describing how a manager at the airport restaurant could tell that young employee his real purpose: to introduce a moment of joy and kindness into otherwise stressed travelers’ days. Cody and Pat agree that the manager’s responsibility is not only to articulate why a job matters, but to actively “catch” employees making a difference and celebrate those moments, because what gets celebrated gets repeated. (00:23:25) Immeasurement, the One-Minute Manager Demo & Closing Pat introduces the third sign, immeasurement, arguing that every employee needs a way to assess their own performance that doesn’t depend solely on a manager’s subjective opinion. Pat is challenging listeners to immediately improve in one area of knowing their people, reminding them why their work matters, and helping them measure their success. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial X: https://x.com/patricklencioni At The Table with Patrick Lencioni Apple: https://apple.co/4hJKKSL Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/At-The-Table- Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube). Let us know your feedback via [email protected]. This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Read More⟶