At The Table with Patrick Lencioni

What happens when your business starts treating profit as the goal instead of the indicator?

In episode 272 of At The Table, Pat and Cody challenge one of the most common assumptions in business: that maximizing profit should be the goal. They argue that profit is essential, but when leaders treat it as a company's purpose, they risk harming customers, employees, products, and culture. Leaders are invited to decide what is enough, invest in what matters, and build organizations that create value beyond the bottom line.

Topics explored in this episode:
(00:00) The Assumption Behind Profit
Pat introduces the problem with assuming that maximizing profit is the goal of business.
Cody points out how natural that assumption feels, even for people who have never studied business formally.

(03:00) Winning Without Running Up the Score
Pat compares business to football, explaining that the goal is to win, not to score as many points as possible.
Cody expands the analogy by explaining why eliminating competition can hurt innovation, customers, and the overall game.

(07:27) Value Beyond the Spreadsheet
Cody distinguishes between maximizing profit and creating value for customers, employees, and the broader organization.
Pat explains why some business decisions, like giving away bread at a restaurant, may create long-term value even if they do not show up neatly on a spreadsheet.

(10:29) The Damage of Extracting Too Much
Pat describes how companies can burn goodwill with customers when they constantly squeeze them for more revenue.
Cody and Pat discuss planned obsolescence, AI, and the danger of replacing human value with decisions driven only by financial gain.

(15:48) Purpose, Ownership, and Enough
Pat connects the conversation to The Advantage and the importance of knowing why a business exists.
Pat and Cody explain how The Table Group has chosen longevity, peace, and a healthy work experience over chasing maximum growth and profit.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial

Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial
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At The Table with Patrick Lencioni
Apple: https://tablegroup.me/apple
Spotify: https://tablegroup.me/sptfy
YouTube: https://tablegroup.me/youtube

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://workinggenius.me/apple), Spotify (https://workinggenius.me/sptfy), and YouTube (https://workinggenius.me/wgyt).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

What would happen if your team was challenged to do something ridiculous on purpose?

In episode 271 of At The Table, Pat, Cody, and Matthew share the story of a risky, creative experiment from The Table Group’s annual consulting conference in Franklin, Tennessee. After giving teams one hour and $400 to create something ridiculous, outlandish, and loosely connected to organizational health, they watched their consultants produce original songs, recognize an ideal team player, rent an eight-foot tree, and even paint The Table Group office. The conversation reveals how time constraints, trust, risk, and freedom can unlock creativity in ways that careful planning often cannot.

Topics explored in this episode:
(00:00) The Power Of Limited Time
Pat introduces the idea that limiting time can actually increase innovation, creativity, and execution.
Cody explains the purpose of The Table Group’s annual consulting conference and how the team wanted to create a short but meaningful offsite experience.

(04:03) One Hour, $400, And A Ridiculous Challenge
Pat and Cody describe the challenge: teams had one hour, $400, and a goal to create the most ridiculous, creative idea possible.
They reflect on how quickly the consultants moved through the Working Genius process, from wonder and invention to discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity.

(05:47) Recognizing An Ideal Team Player
One team went to the hotel manager, taught the Ideal Team Player model, and asked her to identify someone on staff who embodied humble, hungry, and smart.
The team honored the chosen employee with gifts, cake, and a standing ovation from the consultants.

(08:03) Songs, Trees, And Creative Chaos
Another team found a musician at a coffee shop and paid her to write and perform an original song about The Table Group in one hour.
A different team rented an eight-foot tree as a callback to the “Plant Your Friggin Tree” episode and turned it into a memorable symbol of action and urgency.

(13:25) The Office Painting Risk
One team secretly entered The Table Group office and painted Matt’s podcast room red with references to the Five Dysfunctions, the Advantage model, and the Ideal Team Player.
Pat, Cody, and Matt reflect on how the experiment proved that trust, risk, fun, and people-centered experiences can make business conversations more effective.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

Register for “Why Your Spouse Acts That Way” here: workinggenius.com/marriage

Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial

Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial
X: https://x.com/patricklencioni

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni
Apple: https://tablegroup.me/apple
Spotify: https://tablegroup.me/sptfy
YouTube: https://tablegroup.me/youtube

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://workinggenius.me/apple), Spotify (https://workinggenius.me/sptfy), and YouTube (https://workinggenius.me/wgyt).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Why does trust become even more important in a world shaped by AI?

In episode 270 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni, Cody Thompson, and Matthew Lencioni discuss how much the workplace has changed across generations, from voicemail lights and computer labs to AI and virtual work. While the tools, speed, and structure of work have changed dramatically, they argue that trust, teamwork, clarity, and healthy culture have not changed at all. As technology becomes more accessible and commoditized, the episode argues that organizational health may be a greater competitive advantage than ever.

Topics explored in this episode:
(00:00) Technology Changes, But Leadership Doesn’t
Pat introduces the idea that the fundamentals of great relationships, teams, families, and organizations have not changed, even as technology has transformed work.
Pat and Cody preview the episode’s core question: how much has work changed, and how much have leadership and organizational health stayed the same?

(03:32) Remembering the Pre-Digital Workplace
Pat describes starting work in 1987 with no email, no internet, no cell phones, and only a corded desk phone with a voicemail light.
The conversation explores how slower communication, physical meetings, paper reports, and travel-heavy work shaped the way companies operated.

(07:15) The Shift Into Computers, Email, and AI
Cody reflects on his own early work experience with computer labs, Excel spreadsheets, landlines, and in-person college admissions fairs.
Pat and Cody discuss how quickly technology has accelerated, especially as AI now allows people to do work that once required specialized technical knowledge.

(11:21) Why Organizational Health Matters More Now
Pat explains that dysfunction used to spread more slowly, but today, technology can magnify unhealthy behavior more quickly.
The conversation turns to culture, trust, leadership, and teamwork as increasingly important differentiators in a world where products and information are easier to copy.

(16:06) The Future Hunger for Human Connection
Cody and Pat discuss how trust, nonverbal communication, healthy conflict, and interpersonal connection remain essential even in a virtual and technology-driven workplace.
Matthew Lencioni joins the conversation to share his perspective on work, generational differences, and why in-person connection still matters.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

Register for “Why Your Spouse Acts That Way” here: workinggenius.com/marriage

Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial

Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial
X: https://x.com/patricklencioni

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni
Apple: https://tablegroup.me/apple
Spotify: https://tablegroup.me/sptfy
YouTube: https://tablegroup.me/youtube

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://workinggenius.me/apple), Spotify (https://workinggenius.me/sptfy), and YouTube (https://workinggenius.me/wgyt).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

What important message have you stopped repeating because you assumed people already knew it?

In episode 269 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson make the case that people need reminders more than they need brand-new information. They explain why leaders often undercommunicate the most important things: they are afraid of sounding repetitive, annoying, or insulting. Through examples from work, church, family, and everyday life, they challenge listeners to stop assuming people remember and start repeating what matters.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:00) Why Reminders Matter
Pat introduces the idea that people often fail to say important things because they assume others already know or remember them.
Cody connects the topic to the broader need for reminders in work, leadership, strategy, church, and family life.

(03:19) Returning To The Basics
Pat explains that much of his work with leaders involves reminding them of simple truths they already knew but stopped applying.
Cody points out that teams often chase new, sophisticated ideas rather than revisiting the foundational principles that provide clarity.

(07:57) Leaders As Chief Reminding Officers
Pat describes the CEO, parent, priest, and manager as “chief reminding officers” whose job is to transfer understanding, not entertain themselves.
Cody shares how repeated stories and clarity questions help a team internalize values until they become part of decision-making.

(12:09) Repetition At Home And Work
Cody reflects on how repeated family traditions and repeated words of love create lasting memories and emotional certainty.
Pat explains that appreciation, love, and organizational clarity should be repeated even when people seem to already know them.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

Register for “Why Your Spouse Acts That Way” here: workinggenius.com/marriage

Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial

Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial
X: https://x.com/patricklencioni

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni
Apple: https://tablegroup.me/apple
Spotify: https://tablegroup.me/sptfy
YouTube: https://tablegroup.me/youtube

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://workinggenius.me/apple), Spotify (https://workinggenius.me/sptfy), and YouTube (https://workinggenius.me/wgyt).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

How can you design an offsite that your team actually values?

Most offsites fail because they are either too loose to be productive or too rigid to be meaningful. In episode 268 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody break down what made their most recent offsite the best in decades. They reveal why the right mix of structure, vulnerability, and flexibility can transform an offsite into a powerful catalyst for alignment and trust.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:03) Why Offsites Get a Bad Reputation
Offsites often fail because they mix too many meeting types into one session.
Many teams dread them due to wasted time and lack of meaningful outcomes.

(02:23) The Stakes of a Great Offsite
Pulling people away from work and family raises the bar for value.
A successful offsite must create alignment, trust, and forward momentum.

(07:38) Designing with Flexibility, Not Perfection
Leaders chose a few key topics but intentionally left space in the agenda.
Real value comes from adapting to what’s happening in the room.

(12:10) Creating Trust Through Real Conversations
Simple exercises like sharing emotions can unlock deeper vulnerability.
Organic discussions—not presentations—lead to better decisions and engagement.

(25:10) Blending Work, Fun, and Meaning
Social activities work best when lightly connected to the team and mission.
The goal is for people to leave feeling known, aligned, and energized.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

Subscribe for more content from Patrick Lencioni @PatrickLencioniOfficial

Stay Connected with Patrick Lencioni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklencioniofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patricklencioniofficial
X: https://x.com/patricklencioni

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni
Apple: https://tablegroup.me/apple
Spotify: https://tablegroup.me/sptfy
YouTube: https://tablegroup.me/youtube

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://workinggenius.me/apple), Spotify (https://workinggenius.me/sptfy), and YouTube (https://workinggenius.me/wgyt).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.