Great team players who are unintentional spoilers

“Such a precious part of the team.”

“Wonderful sport.”

“He is always there.”

We all yearn for these “wonder-person” team members. We are so very sick of employees who are full of themselves. We feel frustrated about how many team members are so self-centered. We desperately want to have more players who help others, who have empathy and who are not “me, myself and I”.

This focus is understandable. Facts support the fact that growth and goal achievement are correlated to team engagement. Teams that are cohesive and motivated are core to excellent performance. A study by Visix International states that a staggering 97% of both employees and executives share the belief that a lack of alignment within a team has a direct impact on the result of tasks and projects. A Gallup International study also points out that increased engagement levels in the team result in a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 24% decrease in turnover in high-turnover organisations, a 17% boost in productivity, and a 21% rise in profitability.

In every coaching session that I have with most leaders, team development figures in the top three priorities. And justifiably so. All extraordinary achievements were the result of leaders who built great teams that performed beyond potential. The surprising thing was that while most leaders think team development is a top priority, they admit they do not have time to put this in practice. This lack of time creates a challenge to really understand the team dynamics. Most leaders talk about team dynamics, team roles, interaction, etc. Many understand the invisible forces that create behind-the-scenes interplay. They know who are the doers, who are the laggards, and who are the toxics. Few understand the complexities of the great team players who are good but indirectly create invisible barriers to team effectiveness.

This is not to say that teams should not have differences. This is also not to say that there should be no conflicts. This is to say that the leaders need to understand the differences. This is to say that the leader manages the differences to develop constructive ideas and not destructive ego battles. A normal team will have a mix of pioneers, survivors, naysayers, and saboteurs. Each one needs to be dealt with in a more customised manner. These obvious categories are still easier to deal with.

Where many busy leaders miss out are the seemingly good but not so good guys. The real battle comes when there are people who are great team players but may not be goal effective. Such members are more dangerous as they are not “dealt with” in their reality. Watch out for the following:

Invisible barrier 1: The organised ‘spoon feeder’ – This team member is a great professional. He is organised and disciplined. He relates well with the team. He is an excellent coordinator, and whenever the team needs to get on the same page, he is talking to all of them to develop it. However, because of his over-conscientious nature, he tends to protect the emerging members of the team. He would welcome them and then support them in every way.

This “every way” seems so supportive but actually becomes a bottleneck for personal development of the other person. People love that somebody takes care of their tasks. This team player will do all the hard work for them, thinking that they are new and need hand-holding. Very soon the hand-holding becomes a handcuff that restricts the independent growth of the other team member.

Leadership watch-out and solution: Look for dominantly positive analysis of some new team members you are not sure about. Instead of relying on one team member, develop a team of three senior members to create a balanced assessment of the other team members in question.

Invisible barrier 2: The humble procrastinator – In my coaching experience, this type is a tough challenge. A head of finance of a top multinational was a strangely complex person. He was functionally outstanding. He was a trusted guy. He had no airs about him. His team thought highly of him. His one problem was his indecisiveness. He would sit on files. He would delay action. Was it laziness? Not really. Was it micromanagement? Not directly. Obviously if you are not taking action and not letting others take action, you are not really empowering people. However, he would sit late hours near the deadlines and get the work done. But at the cost of constant reminders and follow-ups.

Leadership watch-out and solution: Watch out for project delays. As work piles up, appoint a second-in-command to step in and get the execution going. Have a weekly progress meeting with the two to ensure timely action.

Invisible barrier 3: The noble delegator – Then we have another type of team member. He is a person who feels team members should be given all the chances of delivering. He would fight for the team to get assignments. He would argue with the managers that we need to empower people by letting them do things their way. All very noble. However in his zeal to let people do it their way, he does not take into account that their way may be too wayward. He forgets to provide the ongoing support. He confuses accountability with micromanagement.

Many times the result is not empowerment but abandonment. The team member gets pressurised by the responsibility and the stress of living up to the tasks, and he may collapse.

Leadership watch-out and solution: Watch out for his junior team members development. If there is a high turnover and non-achievement, get HR involved. Ask HR to assess team members capacity and design interventions to enhance capacity to deal with the tasks.

Invisible barrier 4: The passive misleader – Then there are the politically correct people. These team members are great listeners. They avoid taking stands. Most other team members feel comfortable sharing their concerns with them. This is a good quality to have. Their aversion to express independent opinions and hoard information instead of sharing it can result in disasters that are really costly.

Leadership watch-out and solution: Beware of the over listener. Make it mandatory for him to share relevant information. Create a troubleshooting team and assign him the role of information curator.

Leadership vision is not only about looking out and imagining the next wave in the market. Leadership vision is also about looking inside and see what others cannot see. It is about being connected to the team in a manner where their seeable and not seeable actions create a harmonious path to the achievement of the higher purpose of the organisation. As Simon Sinek says, “It is better to have a great team than a team of greats.”