Patrick Lencioni is best known as author of a series of “leadership fables” which teach important leadership skills through fictional stories of leaders wrestling with, and learning critical capabilities to be more effective. The Advantage is not a fictional fable, but rather a straight forward guidebook for many of those same topics, but with a direct treatment of each topic and practical instruction and tools in how to implement the recommended improvements. The basic premise of the book is spelled out in the title and subtitle and as the first sentence on page 1: “The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health.” The author suggests four disciplines necessary for gaining that advantage: Build a Cohesive Leadership Team, Create Clarity, Overcommunicate Clarity, and Reinforce Clarity. The bulk of the book is comprised of a chapter each on these four disciplines.
The author explains: “An organization doesn’t become healthy in a linear, tidy fashion. Like building a strong marriage or family, it’s a messy process that involves doing a few things at once, and it must be maintained on an ongoing basis in order to be preserved.” It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is today. Similarly, the best time to read this book and apply its lessons was when your company was first founded. The second best time is right now. Practically speaking, the first two disciplines of building a cohesive leadership team and creating clarity will require a commitment to thinking very strategically about the business, and potentially making significant changes to the team and the strategy. If you are at a point where you recognize the need for organizational health and are open to making big changes to achieve it, this book can be an excellent guide.