Poison on the team
A tale of two outcomes
Once upon a time,
There was a team member that was poison to the team. As a friend of mine says, “they could suck the air out of the room.”
They were clearly unhappy about things at work and had become increasingly irritable and difficult to work alongside. They would disagree and voice concerns about changes, which is normal and healthy before decisions are made, but if the team went with a solution they didn’t like, they dug their heels in and refused to change.
At the peak of their dysfunction, they degraded and yelled at a team member. Another leader at their same level had to approach their supervisor about the incident and push for an apology and accountability.
One never came.
The management team left this poison on the team unaddressed.
The poison was getting work done. They were productive in their area. They were tenured and experienced. So what happened?
Great talent left. The talent that stayed started avoiding (rightfully so) not only the poison, but the leadership above them. Collaboration slowed or ceased. And soon after?
The poison left too. Great damage left in their wake.
Trust in the leaders and the organization deteriorated. Disengagement rampant.
Rewind the clock:
A team member begins showing signs or irritation, refusal to collaborate, disrespecting team decisions and inciting dissension. The leader notices and approaches them in a 1:1—
hey I’m noticing… how are you feeling? what are you thinking? how can I support?
this behavior is okay, this behavior is not. How can I help you get on board and to improve?
The dysfunction slows, the team member adjusts, the team maintains high performance.
OR
they don’t improve. An accountability conversation occurs.
The whole team is updated on clear expectations for behavior and collaboration.
The individual fails to improve again. And the clear set consequence ensues.
They are dismissed and removed from the team.
The poison was addressed directly, calmly, and firmly and the team health preserved.
High-Performance returns and the team drops the tension and can breathe deeply.
This story is true. There is a chance you’ve lived this story. You might even be living it now.
You choose how the story goes. If you are the leader, you can have the conversations that need to be had. If you are a team member, you control what you can: approach your leaders and ask them to please have this accountability conversation. To create clarity. What you don’t address, you allow.
May you have the courage to address the things you can.
Image from The Extreme Cost of Hiring a Toxic Employee- Montini, L. Inc. (2015).