Colleagues: Dealing with brakes in a team
You can choose friends, colleagues do not. And that's a big advantage. After all, the best ideas come when different characters meet in a team. When experiences and views diverge. When perspectives are different and values compete with each other. On the one hand. On the other hand, it is exactly these differences that cause conflicts in the job: About two-thirds of all disputes, the coach and supervisor Franz Will estimate, are controlled by emotions. Because someone wants to profile at the expense of colleagues, because feelings are violated massively, although allegedly quite factually discussed. The real reason for their dispute is mostly unaware of the colleagues. Because conflicts of this kind often become secret for a long time. And before they openly break out, they can now paralyze the work of entire departments.
Reason enough to get involved. Not just as a boss. Especially as a colleague. After all, you know such team brakes best. Franz Will: "Try to empathize with these people, ask yourself why they are, and then you can almost always find a solution."
The Harmony addicts
You are very nice and helpful? and almost always it's women. Too often, they let themselves be put into action and, in addition to their work, take over hasty special assignments, but can seldom comply with the appointments, despite their best intentions. Any disputes? also those between colleagues? they are a horror. They prefer to retreat to a diplomatic position both as and as well.
Conflict-shy people can not say no and draw no boundaries. They rather promise something they can not do. So they produce trouble and make a smooth teamwork impossible. Explain to these colleagues what they actually do with their selfless behavior in others. And suggest how the tasks in the team could be fairly distributed in the future. This would give the Harmony addicts a clear structure, which they evidently desperately need. By the way, many supervisors do not care how a team organizes. The main thing, the work is done. And in time.
The blockers
"We already know", "Not practicable", "Too expensive", "We have always done so". Usually it is the experienced, already somewhat older colleagues, who smash new ideas from the outset, flat rate, unchecked and without any discussion. Often they do not notice that they prevent important innovations.
Behind the resistance of many blockers is the fear of competition, the fear of losing the recognition they have earned over the years within their department. Another reason: you may feel that your professional qualifications are being called into question. To protect their own self-esteem, they explain the young people therefore incompetently for incompetence. But do you just want to watch promising ideas get lost? Therefore, as a colleague you should suggest a compromise to the others in the team, for example, when it comes to changing workflows: Arrange for a two-month trial period with innovations. Young employees would initially be integrated with their suggestions, the older ones would not perceive them as a danger from the outset, the conflict would be defused for the time being. So you can certainly convince younger colleagues to ask the older at times for their experience in the job. Because often a relationship can be established through a subject matter? provided, of course, that there is real interest behind it.
The lazy ones
In the morning they regularly come late, in the evening they go on time, and when they are on a duty in the house, they often return only hours later. If tasks are distributed, they keep themselves in the background. The only thing she cares about is her free time.
Very few people are naturally lazy, most have become it only over the years. Sometimes because nobody paid attention to their work, sometimes because their ideas were not taken up or the expected rise failed. The result: inner termination, revenge? and service by regulation. Talk to such colleagues about their unfair behavior. For example, make them realize that you are no longer ready to get their work done. But avoid raising financial or other harm to the company. That is the sole responsibility of the superiors. And to which should you go when lazy colleagues slow down the team permanently? but only if you can prove their negligence.
The ruthless
You are one of those people who are constantly thinking about how things could be improved and who implement their ideas immediately. Without first discussing it with colleagues. And that's the problem: Now everything is not going faster and smoother, instead the chaos breaks out. No one finds his way anymore, no one finds what he is looking for? at least not without the help of those colleagues.
Probably they only mean it well if they restructure the workplace according to their ideas. But well meant is often the opposite of doing well. The cardinal mistake of the reckless: They can not empathize with other people and therefore automatically assume that their colleagues have the same needs as they. But they may also reorganize things and processes so that everyone has to ask them and thus cement their ego-important position. No matter what motive behind this behavior is - with reproaches you should hardly achieve anything here. Much more meaningful is a kind of double strategy: expressly praise the commitment of these colleagues, but at the same time point out the problems that arise in the team again and again through too spontaneous changes.
The incompetents
They rarely do their job, and if so, they are often deficient. Diving unexpectedly difficulties, they can handle as little as with situations in which they must act very flexible and independent. If they make mistakes, they are reluctant to admit them.
Maybe these colleagues are in a private crisis. Or they are actually overwhelmed by the task? that would be a problem you can hardly help even with the best of intentions. Sometimes not even the superiors know a way out. After all, employees can not always be transferred, and it is not possible to find simpler tasks in every department. However, the incompetents may not be well trained for their job. This can then be the fastest way to get rid of targeted training.
The misunderstanders
They exist in every company and in almost every department: the reluctant colleagues who vigorously warn of potential problems with every new project. With pessimistic expressions like "Time is too short" and "That does not work anyway" they sow doubts in the team and paralyze? mostly unintentionally? not only the enthusiasm of their colleagues, but also their commitment.
With such objections, thinkers often want to hide their fear of not being up to the job. They feel insecure, lack self-esteem and try to minimize the expectations of their colleagues. Preventive, so to speak. Best of all, you deal with the arguments in content, ask for the reasons for it? and at the same time ask such team brakes for suggestions on how they think the problems could be solved. In this way, it could even succeed in transforming a de-structive attitude into a constructive one over the long term.
The authoritarians
No one has authorized them to do so. Nevertheless, they lead in the team as absolute determinants. You decide on your own without asking: the date for the next meeting, what's being discussed, how upcoming tasks have to be done. Who contradicts, is cut down by volume.
Such colleagues either an excessive self-esteem plagues? or their underdeveloped ego. Because they are not at peace with themselves, they at least want to make things clear for others. But they need power for that. And if that is not enshrined in an employment contract, then they just act as if. Often enough, they succeed. Because nobody in the team dares to go with them permanently on confrontation course. Or because nobody has enough desire and time for ever-long discussions. Therefore, do not even try to convince the authoritarians of the benefits of equal teamwork. Better to tell your boss that she has a deputy lately. Because she certainly does not know anything about that ...
Specialist advice: Franz Will, trainer and supervisor in Munich; Author of the book "What slows down my team? 20 situations and their solutions" (Beltz, 12 euros)
