How to Eliminate Dysfunction in Fleet Leadership Teams

This article is based on a recent episode of The Fleet Success Show podcast.
Watch the full episode here: 

The Fleet Manager’s Guide to Trust, Accountability, and Team Health

“The strength of any relationship is the speed of repair.” – Josh Turley, CEO of RTA

Whether you're managing a government fleet, utility vehicles, or a multi-location construction operation, one truth applies to every fleet: No amount of fleet maintenance software or process efficiency can fix a dysfunctional team.

If your leadership team doesn’t trust each other, doesn’t communicate well, or avoids accountability, you’ll struggle to improve your operation, no matter how sophisticated your fleet management system is.

In this article, we’ll break down how fleet leaders can build cohesive, high-performing teams by addressing the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a framework developed by Patrick Lencioni. We’ll also walk through specific, actionable exercises used by the RTA leadership team and show you how to apply them in your own organization.

🚨 Why Dysfunction in Fleet Teams Is a Silent Threat

When we think of “fleet dysfunction,” we often picture missed PMs, lost assets, or inefficient processes. But those are symptoms, not causes.

The root issue? Often, it’s misaligned motives, broken trust, and fear of conflict within leadership teams.

Here’s how it shows up:

• Team members nod in agreement but don’t follow through
• Meetings are passive or politically charged
• Problems fester until they explode
• People avoid giving feedback
• Accountability feels personal, not productive

If any of this sounds familiar, your fleet’s biggest bottleneck might not be tools or training—it’s team health.

🧱 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (and How They Impact Fleet Operations)

Based on the bestselling book by Patrick Lencioni, the Five Dysfunctions of a Team are a framework for diagnosing and repairing the root causes of internal friction:

1. Absence of Trust
   
   
   • No vulnerability, no openness, no safe space to speak up
   • Team members fear looking weak or being judged
     
     
2. Fear of Conflict
   
   
   • Conversations stay surface-level
   • Disagreements are avoided, or worse, become personal
     
     
3. Lack of Commitment
   
   
   • Decisions feel half-baked or lack buy-in
   • Everyone nods, but no one owns the outcome
     
     
4. Avoidance of Accountability
   
   
   • No one calls out missed deadlines or poor performance
   • Peer-to-peer accountability is non-existent
     
     
5. Inattention to Results
   
   
   • Individuals prioritize personal goals over team success
   • The team underperforms—even with good intentions
     
     

🎯 Fleet management systems can track performance. But only healthy teams can deliver it.

🛠️ 3 Leadership Exercises to Build Trust and Eliminate Dysfunction

RTA’s executive team uses three powerful exercises—straight from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team—during offsite planning sessions. These are real-world tools you can use with your own fleet leadership teams.

1. The Team Health Assessment

This is a diagnostic tool that scores your team across each dysfunction. It helps you spot:

• Trust gaps
• Misaligned perceptions
• Hidden conflict zones
  
  

💡 Tip: Look for response disparities (e.g., when one team member says “we always do this,” and another says “we never do this.”) That’s a sign of misalignment.

2. The Personal Histories Exercise

Each team member answers:

• Where they were born
• Where they grew up
• Sibling count and birth order
• One defining childhood moment

Sounds simple—but this creates massive psychological safety. Why?

“We build trust when we see each other as human beings—not just job titles.”

Sharing childhood stories reveals vulnerability. And vulnerability builds empathy, not ego (the foundation of a high-performing leadership team).

3. Helps / Hurts Feedback Exercise

Each person shares:

• One thing they do that helps the team
• One thing they do that hurts the team

Then, the team gives honest feedback to that person. The leader always goes first to set the tone.

Rules:

• No defensiveness
• No excuses
• Just listening

“You can’t react. You can’t explain it away. You just receive it.”

The exercise is raw. It’s humbling. But it’s one of the fastest ways to:

• Build mutual trust
• Surface hidden tensions
• Create clarity and personal growth

😤 But What If It Gets Emotional?

Good. That’s the point.

Real trust isn’t built through surface-level conversations. As Josh Turley puts it:

“There were tears. There was passion. But at the end of the day, we were bonded—like we’d been in a foxhole together.”

Fleet operations are high-stress environments. If your team can’t have healthy conflict and work through it, you’ll stall (especially during budget season, policy changes, or after a major incident).

🧠 Leadership Skill Highlight: Emotional Regulation

One of the most powerful takeaways from the podcast episode was this:

“As a CEO, I have to be more robotic—more measured in my response—so I don't crush safety.”

As a fleet leader, your emotional tone sets the culture. Passion is good, but measured reaction builds trust. If you respond with frustration, blame, or defensiveness, your team will retreat into silence.

🚀 The Payoff: What Happens When Dysfunction Is Eliminated

When your leadership team is aligned and emotionally safe:

• Accountability becomes peer-driven, not top-down
• Tough conversations become productive, not painful
• Strategy moves faster
• Morale improves
• Results follow

Fleet maintenance software, work order systems, and replacement schedules are all critical—but none of them will work if your people aren’t working together.

📘 Resources Mentioned in the Episode

1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
2. The Advantage – Patrick Lencioni
3. The Fleet Success Playbook – Get your free copy here
4. Jefferson Fisher (Attorney & Communication Coach) – Learn how to “argue better” with empathy and control
   
   

📣 Final Word for Fleet Managers

If you’re managing a team—even if it's just one or two other leaders—start with trust. Before you roll out new software, before you restructure your workflow, before you assign blame,  build a team that can talk.

Dysfunction isn’t a sign you’re broken. It’s a signal that your team needs alignment.

When your team trusts each other, holds each other accountable, and commits to shared outcomes, no challenge is too big.

✅ Want Help Creating a Healthy Fleet Team?

At RTA, we don’t just offer fleet maintenance management software. We offer:

• Leadership coaching
• Organizational health consulting
• Fleet team alignment sessions
• Tools for accountability and performance

Let us help you build the leadership team your fleet deserves.

👉 Contact us at podcast@rtafleet.com
👉 Visit www.rtafleet.com
👉 Request your copy of The Fleet Success Playbook