Knowledge Base · Leadership
What does "hungry, humble, and smart" mean for a team member?
Patrick Lencioni's framework, as the chapter presents it, describes the ideal team player. Hungry people keep looking for more to do, learn and contribute. Humble people put team success first, share credit and admit mistakes. Smart means people smart, not exam smart: good listeners who understand how their words and actions affect others.
The framework is Patrick Lencioni's, from his book The Ideal Team Player, and Chapter 6 credits it to him plainly. Lencioni says ideal team players are hungry, humble and smart, and the chapter uses the three virtues both for building a team and for a leader's own development.
- Hungry: always looking for more: more to do, more to learn, more to contribute. Hungry people are self-motivated and diligent, with a strong work ethic and a real passion for the mission of the organisation. They are the people you have to tell to go home.
- Humble: more concerned with the success of the team than with their own success. Humble people are quick to share credit, not afraid to admit their mistakes, and willing to do the unglamorous work the team needs done.
- Smart: people smart, not intellectual horsepower. Smart people are emotionally intelligent: good listeners, empathetic, and aware of how their words and actions affect others. They handle human relationships with wisdom and grace.
The chapter's own summary of humility is the line worth keeping: humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. The author treats all three as a personal standard as much as a hiring one: hungry for excellence, humble in approach, and smart in dealings with other people.
“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.”
Continuous Improvement in the Workplace, Ch. 6
Related questions
- What is the leader's role in continuous improvement?
- How do I empower employees to improve their own work?
- How do I get my team engaged in improvement?
Source: Continuous Improvement in the Workplace, Ch. 6 (Cultivating Leadership for CI).