249. Hunger Wins

How can you create a workforce of hungry people who aren't trying to prove their worth by the number of hours they work? And how can you help your coworkers build a sense of ownership and passion around their work? In episode 249 of At The Table, Pat and Cody explore why “hunger wins” when it comes to building competitive, effective teams. They challenge the misconception that long hours translate to productivity. They also reveal how to create sustainable competitiveness that inspires people to go above and beyond—without burning them out. Topics explored in this episode: (0:40) Hunger and Competitiveness * Global trends and misconceptions about competitiveness, including China’s 996 work model. (4:12) The Pitfalls of Overwork * Why excessive hours lead to burnout and inefficiency. (7:25) Hunger in Organizational Culture * Hunger can’t be legislated or regulated—it must be built into culture. * The importance of avoiding extremes, hiring the right people, and providing flexibility. (10:09) Ownership and Sustainable Competitiveness * How ownership fuels hunger and why pushing employees is sometimes necessary for growth. (15:41) Hiring Right and Protecting Culture * The importance of hiring competitive people and quickly addressing poor fits. This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: . We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable. At The Table is a podcast that lives at the connection between work life, leadership, organizational health, and culture.

You can listen to 249. Hunger Wins online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

249. Hunger Wins is an episode from At The Table with Patrick Lencioni by Cody Thompson.

This episode is 18:28 long.

This episode was published on Aug 19, 2025.

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