- Do you have members on your team who are “difficult” to work with?
- Is there snarking in your meetings –sarcastic comments that shut down others?
- Are you meetings open and free flowing, or are there constrained comments and limited discussion?
If you can answer “yes” to even one of these three questions, you have a problem that needs to be addressed right away.
It takes only one person that is snarking, intimidating or bad-mouthing others to affect the behavior of an entire team. Your team is looking to you as a leader to manage them. And the longer you delay the more it compromises your leadership effectiveness.
Here are three steps for managing the situation:
- Start by defining ground rules at your next meeting. Articulate expected behaviors look like or have the group identify them. Hold team members to these behaviors.
- Have a one-on-one conversation with the difficult team member. Tell the team member what you’ve observed and how it is impacting the team. Identify what you expect and what you need them to do differently. Ask for their help and their commitment.
- Follow through with feedback. When you see positive effort, recognize and appreciate it. When you see slip-ups, call them on it.
Don’t tolerate bad behavior on your team. Corral it as soon as you see it. Others will appreciate your efforts and thank you for it.
