In his book, The Advantage, business consultant and author Patrick Lencioni writes: “The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it.” He adds, “The health of an organization provides the context for strategy, finance, marketing, technology, and everything else that happens within it, which is why it is the single greatest factor determining an organization’s success. More than talent. More than knowledge. More than innovation.”

Think about that last sentence: law firms, law departments, legal services providers, are built around talent and knowledge. And some groups of lawyers are working to develop a culture of innovation as a competitive differentiator. But is there actually something more important than those characteristics, for the success of a law firm, law department, or other team? I’m convinced there is. Lencioni is right.

How can we tell if we are moving toward organizational health? According to Lencioni, “A good way to recognize health is to look for the signs that indicate an organization has it. These include minimal politics and confusion, high degrees of morale and productivity, and very low turnover among good employees.” Are you a member of that kind of team?

Just try to imagine what could happen on a team that achieves this kind of organizational health? They trust each other. Because they trust each other, they can speak openly about their concerns and their concerns will be heard. Because they trust each other and are open with each other, they are able to commit to each other. Their mutual commitment leads to mutual accountability – not just to the leader of the team or the umbrella organization, but to each of the other members of the team, for the success of the entire team. (Perhaps you recognize this list of traits from another well-regarded book by Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.) With those relationships in place, with that operating environment of trust and accountability, the team is able to focus on results, instead of personal ego, territoriality, who gets credit, petty squabbles, and all of the other distractions that can suck the life out of a team and change it from being a high-impact team that creates long-term value to a team that spends its time bragging about how fast it is chasing its own tail.

What in the world is “organizational health”? That’s what it is, and that’s why it makes all the difference in the world. What are you doing to build organizational health on your team?”