Is your business team at the workplace dysfunctional and toxic? Being a business leader can be challenging when it comes to managing such team members. The solution is not always to sack them, as this can only be done when you have found the team’s right replacements. Moreover, fixing a toxic team is a skill that you should learn as it helps you mitigate the woes of gossip, finger-pointing, and sabotage from your organization with success. You can visit BusinessChronicler.com for more guides on how to run your own business.
Eric Dalius: How Can You Identify The Signs Of A Toxic Team?
Eric Dalius feels that as a business leader, you first need to identify the tell-tale symptoms of a toxic team-
- Team members are complaining about each other
- They spend a lot of time backbiting
- There are mistrust and suspicion in every interaction. More focus is placed on personal agendas.
- Members dislike working with each other, and they dread team meets
- Team members are happy to see the others on the team fail. They are quick to pinpoint the failures and faults of other members of the team.
How Do Toxic Teams Harm The Growth And The Progress Of The Organization?
As a business leader, you must immediately arrest the growth of toxic teams or else-
- The morale of the company suffers and good human resources quit
- Proficient and skilled candidates refuse to join toxic teams due to their low standards
- Critical and serious problems do not get arrested on time as no one feels confident enough to bring you problems
- Decisions made seem to be highly political
- There is no innovation in your company
From the above, it is obvious that having a toxic team in the organization is dangerous. It is detrimental to the business and creates a miserable experience for everyone. However, there are ways to turn the tables and change the work dynamics of your company. Given below are some steps to help-
- Own it – You need to take the sole responsibility to fix your team. Assess what went wrong on your part as a business leader. It would help tremendously if you can understand what your team members think of you as a business leader.
- Examine the facts and seek the truth – Feedback and data help you know what is taking place in the team. Listen, ask questions, and be curious. Be ready to learn the truth, no matter how bitter it is.
- Make tough decisions and raise the standards of behavior – You must set new behavior and performance standards. This applies to all your team members. Often, the negative behavior of team members is overlooked or neglected. This does not help; it hinders your business growth and the company’s progress.
- Get your team members on board – Conduct regular meetings with your team members. Keep everyone on the same page when it comes to new rules of conduct and performance.
With the above tips, you can mitigate toxic or even lazy team members in your company. At the same time, you must ensure you celebrate your team’s successes and milestones so that their morale is boosted and they become more productive at the workplace.
