Have you ever found yourself spending too much time settling squabbles and calming angry outbursts during a team task or project? If you answered yes, keep reading…
Being a leader is rewarding but there are times when it can feel exhausting. One of those times is when you find yourself constantly settling issues within your team. While differences in opinions and misunderstandings are inevitable within groups, having to always settle avoidable conflicts can be emotionally and mentally draining. If you spend your time thinking for your people or policing their actions, you will neither enjoy your role as a leader nor enjoy having them as followers.
One way you can prevent squabbles and angry outbursts from hampering team performance and productivity is to be intentional whenever there is a team task or project to be done. You can be intentional by doing the simple things outlined below.
- When working on a team project or task, ensure that everyone has a clear role to play and there is a well-communicated outcome to achieve.
- If someone expresses a grievance at any point, don’t ignore them or the action. Ignoring only makes you look away and it makes things worse; it never solves anything. Rather than ignore, talk to the person who expressed the grievance. Listen well to what they are saying so that you can know what the grievance is. That way, you know what the issue is and you are in a better position to deal with it.
- If bad or unacceptable behaviour has been displayed, then a formal or informal correctional process should be followed. During this process, the behaviour is what should be addressed and the necessary measures taken. Ensure you don’t make the issue personal by launching an attack on the person.
- Keep communication lines open and information flowing. Take clear steps to ensure that everyone is carried along and is on the same page at every stage of the task or project.
