Jamie Morley

Gregg, Your comments are directly on point. Personality conflicts can definitely impede progress and stifle creativity of the group. One strategy for dealing with this is to set ground rules for the meetings. If the rule states that nobody can speak for more than 5 minutes at a time or that every point needs a counterpoint by another team member before the original speaker presents another idea, it is harder for one person to monopolize the meeting. Thanks for the thoughtful submission. Jamie

Gregg, These are good strategies! I especially like that by using them the manager can stretch the comfort level of the team members by giving them more responsibilities or more critical roles as they develop. Nicely done. Jamie

Megan, You make excellent points! Communication distractions are some of the most difficult for a team. Sometimes, holding a brainstorming meeting, which is clearly outside of the normal meeting patterns for the group, can enable team mates to contribute because they have less fear of being judged. Then, moving forward, they are more likely to participate. I also appreciate your comment about learning from our past. Learning from our uncomfortable experiences makes us much more aware of the perspectives of others and makes us more attuned teachers. Well done! Jamie

Salvador, You make a good point. Providing timely and balanced feedback is a great way to keep a team moving forward. What corrective measures might you try if reminding team members about the goals and providing feedback did not work to keep the team focused? Jamie

Excellent point! When individuals can be inspired to put the good of the team ahead of individual interests, you definitely have the making of a good team. We have all been on teams that had talented people that spun their wheels because everybody wanted to be individually recognized by "the boss." I love the quote, "imagine how much we could get done if we didn't care who got the credit!" Thanks for your insights. Jamie

Hi Jon, You make an excellent point about the impact of teammates with unhealthy self-identities. Besides low self-worth or megalomania, sometimes these types of individuals act the way they do because they are trying to mask the fact that they don't have the expertise or social skills needed to contribute to the team. In the examples you gave, what strategies were used, or could have been used, to minimize the negative impact of these individuals on the rest of the team?