Two Threats to Any Team

Show me an effective leader and I’ll show you someone who demonstrates an ability to build healthy teams. In fact, I’m convinced that people who cannot build teams may be any number of things, but they are not leaders. 

But within any organization, there are constant pressures that can impede those teams in effectively accomplishing their mission. Some of those that rightly get most of our attention are structural deficiencies or breakdowns in systems and processes. For example, if your team does not have access to the right communication tools and technology, their work is going to be infinitely harder. Or if one division of your organization consistently and unnecessarily slows down innovation because of red-tape, you’re going to frustrate the most creative team members and likely lose them to opportunities elsewhere.

Further upstream from structures, systems, and processes lies organizational culture. And when it comes to building and leading teams, nothing is more powerful than culture. There are a lot of dynamics that can corrode the health of an organization, but I’m going to highlight two especially dangerous threats to any team.

Cynicism and Grumbling

If you’re a leader, learn how to say this: “If you don’t want to be here, I’ll help you pack.” I’ve seen far too many leaders waste energy on constantly trying to placate team members who are implacable. It is absolutely true that we are all put together a little differently. And we need a variety of temperaments and perspectives on any healthy team. Furthermore, it goes without saying that we all have days where we’re a little off and prone to a surge of frustration. And it’s also true that leaders have a crucial part to play in developing team members toward greater health and effectiveness. Hopefully, we’re all growing, all maturing.

But when a team member displays a consistent pattern of grumbling and cynicism, it’s time for a change.

Here’s the problem for leaders. Every meeting you have to schedule to placate that grumbling team member is a distraction. They are pulling your energy away from the overwhelming majority of your team who are fully invested in the organization, in the mission, and in their colleagues. Teams are only effective if we allow for the freedom to point out mistakes and opportunities for growth. But constant patterns of negativity will corrode your organizational culture and undermine your team. Better to help someone transition to something new, move on to a better fit elsewhere, and take the opportunity to move forward.

Double Standards

We’ve all seen it. Perhaps the earliest instance most of us remember is of the star high school athlete who could seemingly perform miracles on the football field or the basketball court. But their behavior on the field, in the locker room, or in the community was inexcusable. The pressure on coaches then is to look the other way and tolerate that misbehavior, presumably because the athlete’s performance was indispensable to the team’s success. Of course, if a bench-warming player did the same, they’d be off the team in an instant.

When we see that kind of double standard in sports, most of us cringe and see it for what it is. But that same dynamic can easily sweep into any organizational culture, whether in business, education, or the nonprofit sector.

The misbehavior you tolerate becomes the behavior you promote. Don’t underestimate the power of modeled behavior within any organization. It’s true in our homes, to be sure. But it’s also true in our work life. If your organization justifies inexcusable conduct from a team member by pointing to their technical competence, skill, or celebrity status, then you’ve drifted into danger. 

Leaders know that team members will make mistakes. That’s part of learning and growing. But organizations need to have clear boundaries established, thin red lines that apply to everyone, from the CEO down. 

This may mean asking some hard questions of your organization and of yourself as a leader. But you cannot afford not to ask those questions. Over time, an organizational culture that tolerates the intolerable will grow toxic. And when that happens, the ultimate failure of the organization is inevitable.

Moving Forward

The good news is that leaders who deal with these problems head-on and early discover that there is real value gained on the other side. Sometimes a team member makes the necessary adjustments and matures into a healthy part of the organization. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. And when that is made clear, there is nothing gained by deferring action. A good leader--just like a good coach--knows they cannot afford to be passive, enabling all sorts of threats to the health of the team. Give direct and honest assessment, point out where they need to grow, and give them an opportunity. People will often surprise you in all sorts of ways. 

But if you can build and sustain a healthy team culture, you have an infinitely better shot at cleaning up the other elements of your organization.