The Ideal Team Player

When team members improve their abilities to be humble, hungry, or smart, they'll be able to make more progress in overcoming the five dysfunctions on a regular basis.

Similarly, a person who improves in people smarts will have an easier time engaging in productive conflict, knowing how to read and understand teammates, and adjusting words and behaviors appropriately.

For instance, a person who grows in humility is going to be much better at demonstrating vulnerability than a person who is arrogant, insecure, and egotistical

Hey, that's a fantastic example of hunger. We should all try to be more like that.

In other words, for some people, being less hungry than others has its benefits. More free time. Less responsibility. More emphasis on other, more preferred activities

Unfortunately, even when he acknowledges a problem in this area, getting him to actually become hungry is difficult

That's because the source of a lack of humility is always related in some way to insecurity, and for most people, insecurity is rooted in childhood and family issues that go way back beyond their first day on the job or the team

Does he seem to know what teammates are feeling during meetings and interactions?

Here are a few questions that can help you get at the essence of humble, hungry, and smart

Instead of asking candidates to self-assess a given behavior or characteristic related to humility, hunger, or people smarts, ask them what others would say about them