Friction to Flow

Politeness Kills Performance

Practical tips for peak performance without burnout

Great teams do not hold back with one another.

Patrick Lencioni
Team dysfunction expert

Politeness kills performance. Great teams have learned the difference between being nice (avoiding conflict) and being kind (caring enough to be honest). Real kindness sometimes looks like tough love.

One thing you could do this week to reduce friction and increase flow:

Individual’s Tip: Give one piece of honest, helpful feedback. Try: “When you do X, it really helps because Y.” Start with positive directness.
Team Leader Tip: Run a “clearing session” – air tensions constructively. “I’ve been frustrated by X. Can we talk about how to fix it?”
Executive Leader: Train everyone in giving feedback well. Most people want to but don’t know how. Skills training enables honest culture.

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