A reader recently asked me about the following scenario:
"As a leader, how do you deal with someone outside of your team who is making your team look bad - this could be with late deliveries, consistently incorrect info (not human error), badmouthing/general gossiping, etc.?"
When a team member comes to me with a problem, I remind myself that they are trusting me with their vulnerability and it's important for me to maintain that trust. I listen to their concerns and engage in a conversation that inevitably provides additional insight - more on that below. Support for the employee can take on a variety of forms. Here are a few responses I've found helpful:
- That sounds incredibly frustrating, let me see what I can find out.
- I'm sorry this is happening to you; how can I support you?
- [Reported behavior] is not okay. I will address it. If the behavior continues, please let me know.
- You're doing the right thing/making the right choices, please keep doing what you're doing until you hear back from me.
- Would you be willing to talk with [person they are struggling with] and a 3rd party to see if we can resolve the issue together? (Volunteer to be the 3rd party if appropriate, sometimes your HR partner can be a neutral resource for this type of conversation).
Situational awareness is key to resolving scenarios like the one described by my reader. Depending on your role in the leadership structure, you may already have sufficient situational awareness. If not, the first step is information gathering. In either case, it is essential to take the high road to diffuse high-running emotions that might be present - when tempers flare, it sets everyone back. Staying calm, cool and collected sets a good example for your team as well as anyone else involved. You never know when someone will look back at how you handle a heated situation to use as an example for themselves. It's best to assume good intent until proven otherwise. Most tense situations boil down to a handful of stressors1, none of which involve ill intent. I assure you that finger pointing is the fastest way to add fuel to the fire.
Practicing curiosity is always a good approach in the information gathering stage. I start by asking for more information from the person bringing the issue to my attention. The following questions are helpful for gaining salient details:
- Is this an isolated incident or do you see it happening frequently?
- Is this new behavior or has it been going on for a while?
- Is the behavior coming from a specific person or a group of people?
- Does the behavior seem to be targeted at one person, a group of people or everyone?
Next, I reach out to other connections I have that are in or adjacent to the situation to get their input. If possible, I keep specific names out of the discussion. Some helpful questions include:
- I'm hearing reports of [reported behavior], is that your experience?
- Have you noticed incidents of [reported behavior]?
- I heard things got tense during a meeting about [relevant topic], what happened from your point of view?
- Are you aware of any past history between members of the team that may be informing the current situation?
Once I've gathered my information, it's time to reach out to the appropriate leader(s), using a similar approach - take the high road, assume good intent and practice curiosity. In this post I talk about how we never know what someone else may be dealing with at any given time. The same is true for other teams in the work environment. I don't always know what work-related challenges people/teams are facing that may have an impact on how they interact with my employees.
- My team is struggling to meet deadlines, due to the timing of deliveries from your team, can you help me understand your team's challenges?
- I'm hearing reports of [reported behavior], which is having a [describe impact] on my folks, how can we work together to resolve the problem?
- I understand there have been some spicy interactions between these two employees, I'd like to understand your perspective, so we help them find a way to work together?
- My team is getting frustrated about the amount of rework they've had to do because of data errors (share specific examples). Can you help me understand what happened?
Framing your questions in a non-accusatory way opens the opportunity for dialog that leads to collaborative efforts to resolve the issue at hand.
1: Cost/Schedule pressures, insufficient resources, absence of clear roles and responsibilities, lack of clear guidance, conflicting priorities, personality clash, accountability vacuum
Challenging situations like the one described by my reader are rarely a simple fix. Please be sure to circle back with key stakeholders periodically to keep them in the loop. Share progress and/or timelines for expected improvement as appropriate so they know what to expect.
Is this scenario happening in your work environment? How can you help create a better culture? What approaches have worked for you in similar situations?
I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me a note via the Connect section of the home page.
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