The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni

Bill Says: Talk about changing your perceptions. This book was recommended to me by another firefighter, and it hit me over the head like a piece of sheetrock during overhaul. I thought I was doing pretty good as a member and/or leader of a team, and then I found out that trust is inherently connected to forgiveness. (Mind blown.) And then I realized that I'm doing just about everything I shouldn't be doing. As I read, the book basically told me that I was actively embodying three of the five dysfunctions.

I usually don't go for these kinds of books; a parable about some fictional company with a cast of characters used to illustrate some point the author wanted to make. But here? It works. Plain and simple. I read it in one night.

Shane Says: Wow is all I can say about this one…this one book completely changed how I viewed teambuilding and MY responsibility for the team building aspect.  I constantly push these concepts down to our station captains and battalion chiefs. 

Recommended for Officers (But there's plenty here for firefighters too or any member of a team.)