We call them teams now. We used to call them employees or staff. The terminology really doesn’t matter. The point is this: you have a group of people who function as a team to accomplish tasks and/or complete projects. They have been hired based upon talents and skills that they can contribute.
As a leader, you believe you have done everything right. You have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each team member. You hold regular meetings; plan team building activities; you provide encouragement, praise, and constructive feedback; you celebrate project completions. Everyone “seems” to be happy and productive – sort of.
Even the best teams can go awry, and they go awry for a number of different reasons. But there are always signs. If you know what they are, you can pick up on them early and take proactive steps to correct and turn things round.
Here are 10 signs that your team may be in trouble. If you see any of these, don’t over-react. Do some investigating and communicating, and get to the base issue before you devise a plan of action.
There are no disagreements/little discussion at meetings
There will not be disagreements at every meeting, of course. However, if this has become a pattern, you may want to look at the dynamics between the members outside of meetings. When people feel confident and comfortable, they are willing to voice their opinions, even if they differ from another member of the team. They are willing to make suggestions, to pose ideas and different solutions. If there is not a reasonable amount of giving and take, including disagreements, members may be feeling intimidated or may have lost their motivation. Perhaps one member of the team is a bully. These are all possible reasons, and it is your job to find out. The culprit might even be you. When you learned how to be an effective manager, you learned that subordinates can be intimidated by a boss who is too autocratic and critical.
There is too much in-fighting at meetings
The opposite extreme is just as much a red flag. If there is obvious discord, and it is manifesting itself in anger, outbursts, and lack of ability to compromise or to work collaboratively at problem-solving, things are going wrong quickly. It’s time for individual, confidential meetings, to determine the cause. An effective leader has been trained how to resolve conflict, brushes up on the newest research on it, and goes to work immediately before a team goes on “life support.”
Co-Dependency
We all knew these types in college. There were those who too nice, too willing to say “yes,” and becoming caregivers of fellow students, who often took advantage. There were also the “moochers” ready to take advantage. These would approach the “nice guy” with such pleas, as “could you just write my essay for me this one time?” Or “Could I borrow $10 till my check comes?” (never intending to pay it back). They play “helpless and are always on the lookout for their “mark.” You may have two such people (or more) on your team. Someone may be “pawning” his work off on someone who can’t say “no,” and resentment is building.
The Arrogant “Bad Apple”
Another “bad apple” is that new hire who has amazing skill in a needed area. Unfortunately, s/he is arrogant, condescending, and wholly disliked by the others. Any time a new member is hired, watch for the dynamics. There is bound to be an initial adjustment period, but when the dust settles, are team members avoiding the “new kid?” Find out why – if that newbie has expertise that the others need and they are unwilling to ask for it, something is wrong.
Lack of Enthusiasm
This is a “killer” because it is contagious. It only takes a couple of disgruntled or unmotivated team members to begin to spread their negativity around. They gossip, they complain, and they are usually always “tired.” Part of the skill of how to manage people is to identify those “negative Nellies” and to work with them individually. Their lack of motivation may be a factor of not being challenged enough; it may be that they feel under-valued. People tend to raise the level of expectations we set for them. Set the expectations high and tell them that you have faith in their ability to meet the challenges you are giving them. Sometimes, it just takes a reminder that they are seen as capable and that they are valued team members.
Respect vs. Like
In the “old days,” teachers and administrators were very keen on the concept of respect. Students were supposed to respect their “elders” and simply do what they said without question or comment. Over time, what educators came to realize was the students worked for and cooperated with teachers they genuinely liked. Respect came as a secondary feature. The same holds for adults. If you seek respect above all else, then you are more likely to be authoritarian. On the other hand, if you genuinely demonstrate empathy and allow your team members to get to know you personally, they will like you, want to work with and for you, and will also strive to make tasks and projects a success.
Blaming one Another
Teams must often take risks as they face projects with new challenges. And often, these are discussed in meetings so that creative problem-solving can occur and agreement n be reached on the risks that will be taken. Sometimes, those risks don’t result in a successful result. A team that is cohesive and working well will treat those setbacks as learning experiences and will go back to the drawing board to identify new risks to take. When a team is in trouble, members will blame one another for failures rather than consider the event a team-wide shortcoming.
Isolationism
Tasks are assigned, based on specific skills and talents. And, in most instances, those tasks are interconnected. One team member may need to complete a specific part of a project before another can move forward with his/her task(s). Still, another member may need to collaborate or at least discuss his part with another team member. There are also the normal personal and human connections that occur within a healthy team. When these things begin to break down, and members focus only on getting their part of the job done, it is a sign that relationships are failing. Team members stop connecting on a personal level. If a leader really has his thumb on the “pulse” of his/her team, this will be picked up very early and it can be addressed before things become critical.
Not Sharing Credit
Here’s the thing. There are many managers who make a practice of taking sole credit for the accomplishments of their subordinates. This is a dangerous practice because it lowers morale and subsequently productivity. Work slowdowns and passive-aggressive behavior result.
The same thing can happen within a team. A member will take credit for an accomplishment without sharing that credit with a teammate who also had a share, who helped out when asked. If this is becoming a pattern of behavior of one or more team members, it has to be brought to a stop. You will lose good people at worst and at best experience a work slowdown or an unwillingness of the ignored team member to help others anymore. If one team member has clearly grabbed the credit “spotlight,” be certain that you make a public “announcement” of the appreciation to the one left out.
Meeting the Minimum
When a team takes on the tasks or projects assigned, and the results continually just meet the minimum standards, something is wrong. A motivated, productive team, working well together and having plenty of time to meet, communicate and collaborate, will find ways to go beyond just the required, to find ways to make their work and their projects “shine.” They want to do this for the good of the team and for the success of their leader.
No one is born with the leadership skills to effectively manage a team. While some may certainly have personalities that lend toward great leadership, learning how to manage people is a skill acquired over time. And it is a process. Leaders do not go into their roles with full expertise. That expertise is garnered through on-the-job experience. It takes the time to develop relationships with people on your team, to understand the verbal and non-verbal signals they give, and to recognize when an “illness” may be festering. Watching for these 10 signs of trouble should help you – don’t ignore them thinking they will go away. Take proactive steps as early as possible when early symptoms appear.
