5 Dysfunctions and those trusted to solve our problems

EnvisionConnect—our flagship product—is primarily used by Environmental Health regulators. With this in mind—that and the whole I'm-Worried-We-Might-Destroy-Our-Planet thing—I like to keep up with Environmental Health news.

During a public hearing yesterday on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to strengthen the current health standard for air pollution, a health advocate from Environmental Defense urged the EPA to—and I am quoting—

"...adopt the stronger health standard recommended by all 23 expert scientists on the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) that would protect millions more Americans."

It just seems to me that this would be a no-brainer. In the movies, if 23 different scientists from around the world said a meteor was about to destroy the earth, we'd unite against the common foe, call in John Wayne and Bruce Willis, etc.—but in the real world, no one can trust their teammates long enough to admit we have problems, which is a prerequisite to solving those problems. 

To recap Patrick Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team...

"An Absence of Trust causes

Fear of Conflict, which causes

a Lack of Commitment, which causes

an Avoidance of Accountability, which causes

Inattention to results."

Ignoring the problems faced by any team—including our politicians—is the surest way never to solve the problems.