What are the Five Behaviors and how it can help a team?

The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team is a game-changing model rooted in Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. With over three and a half million copies sold and celebrating its 20th anniversary, its lasting popularity speaks to its powerful impact on teams worldwide.

Teams are made up of unique individuals, each bringing their own strengths, perspectives, and, sometimes, challenges. These differences can lead to misunderstandings, lack of cooperation, and frustration, which often cause dysfunction. The Five Behaviors model directly addresses these issues, offering a practical tool for teams to improve their dynamics and minimize dysfunction.

While it may not eliminate every challenge—because, after all, people are people—it makes a substantial difference. The model encourages productive conflict, which is crucial for growth and innovation, rather than destructive conflict, which only holds teams back.

One of the model’s core strengths is its focus on collective results. Many teams fail to reach their full potential simply due to a lack of cohesion and alignment. By embracing the Five Behaviors, teams become more cohesive, boost their performance, and achieve shared goals more effectively.

At Learning Unlimited, we’ve seen the model’s transformative power firsthand—not only with our clients but also within our own team. Two decades of success show that the Five Behaviors model is unmatched in its ability to foster truly cohesive, high-performing teams.