One of the Challenges that impedes team progress is when a dominate personality keeps the less aggresive team members from participating.
In order to have true team progress, everyone in the group has to see the value in the direction of the company. I find that the small group of negative people can often spread to the rest of the group if not dealt with early on. It is important to identify challenges on a regular basis so that an action plan can be implemented; follow through is key.
I am in a situation that several strong personalities have to work together on a daily basis. The limited amount of trust in another persons work is evidant. I have not been able to break this chain.
The team I run is pretty small and seems to be work very well. I am part of another team that sufferes from groupthink. It is frustrating.
Hi Rose,
I agree. You hit the most critical areas where teams many times fall short.
Is there anything your team does particularly well or has room for improvement in either of these two areas?
Greg
Hello Greg,
Communication and tracking progress is essential in ensuring the team is working together and that all ideas are being considered and taken into account.
Hi Krista,
I agree with your comments. When a team leader does not delegate responsibility, problems arise, particularly as the landscape of oversight grows.
Although strong team members usually want their progress tracked and noticed, they must be included, at some level, in strategic discussions and be given reasonable decision-making authority within their area of expertise.
Best,
Greg
Hi Issac,
You may want to consider some budgeting and reporting. A few simple weekly and monthly reports will help the team stay on task and act as a constant reminder to help them prioritize, regardless of scheduling conflicts and other busy, day-to-day activities.
Best,
Greg
I have found that it is tough to keep all of the team on task as we do something. Everyone has a life and are busy so that plays a hardship too. Schedules, in itself are tough to be able to work around.
A couple challenges that can impede team progress are a leader who does not give responsibility to employees and who is not creating an environment where ideas are openly accepted. This can cause employees to be reserved and not express opinions which would otherwise be valuable.
Hi Andrea,
I can appreciate your points. I believe management should have stepped in and clearly and explicitedly reviewed the importance of all positions within the process. That would eliminate potential in fighting and hopefully create a sense of team and how each relies on each other.
Kind Regards,
Lee
One of the most common challenges that I would identify would be the lack of the management team to identify and capitalize on the culture of the environment of the organization. I have worked in structured and unstructured team environments successfully, but it was the input of the management and their appreciation of the culture of the team that nurtured the progress and subsequent success of the team. In certain cases when the management attempted to force their concept of the desired culture of the organization upon the team, the outcome was not nearly as successful and productive.
Kind Regards,
Lee
I have been on teams where other members could not understand why someone elses job was considered to be important. When a team member thinks that their job is the most important position to the company it can cause desention in the ranks. It takes proper management to work with strong personalities such as this.Everyones position must be viewed as important inorder to build a strong foundation.
Hi Jeff,
Great points. Almost all peak performers have strong personalities. It sounds like you understand this and are able to leverage this passion in most cases.
It is critical to balance a strong leadership presence within a collaborative environment. Everyone must feel like they have a "say" but understand they do not all have a "vote."
At the end of the day, after listening to all points of view, the decision-making rests in your lap. Understanding this will help keep the team engaged and motivated, and perhaps more willing to move on after a decision is made.
In my position I frequently run into strong personalities wanting to express their opinions. It is difficult to try and keep them on task, especially when their ideas are relevant to the discussion. That said, I find that some of these same people are thinking about what their response is going to be versus actively listening to someone's ideas. Passionate individuals can be a sensitive area because if they feel slighted, they will easily withdraw from further participation so I feel that it is my duty to find ways to keep them motivated and not kill their spirits.
One of the things that I have experienced is the team does not seem to want to work together if everyone does not agree on how a project should be approached. The ones that buy into the direction are contributing to the project while the others are half heartily participating and spend more time talking how this is the wrong way they had the right idea. It is tough to clear the air and get everyone working again. Especially those who do not like the direct the work is going.
Thanks Greg, I will begin immediately as i have a couple of projects upcoming with my team and will look forward to implementing some new strategies.
Michael,
Developing a culture of clear, concise and consistent communication is probably the most common challenge among leaders, and also one of the keys to producing desired results.
If you provide me with more details, I may be able to give you some specific advice or management techniques to help bring your team onto the same page. It's possible the key member that is not communicating may have to go, if they are not producing outstanding individual results.
Communication within the team has been a challenge. As a team leader I have tried several approaches and do not want to micro manage the team, but would like them to communicate better amongst themselves. A key member of the team does not communicate well with others outside of meetings, leaving them in the dark on many things. I will examine my leadership skills and look for other avenues of approach and ensure a proper balance of empowering and bossing. Ensuring my team understands their roles and responsibilities should also be communicated again, sometimes we lose sight of goals of the team and need reminders.
Hi Scott,
Sorry for the delayed response. Your challenges are commmon. Keep your team members focused on the objective by measuring the leading indicators on a regular basis. For example, measure lead to enroll conversions (a leading indicator) rather than lead to start (a lagging indicator).
You should also recognize and reward strong performance on a regular basis throughout the year.
Try to avoid asking for volunteers, if possible. The A players will always step up, allowing the C players to avoid their fair share of the workload.
