Building Team Spirit »

Teams are no place for the ‘in-crowd’

Does your team really behave like one? Or, have you noticed a pattern of new members not fitting in—or, veteran members always staying just outside the thick of things? These are signs that an “in-crowd” is at work. And you have a responsibility to break it apart. Here’s how to intervene:

• Match leaders with outsiders. Every in-crowd has a ringleader. This individual may or may not be a leader professionally as much as he or she is socially, but the effect is the same. So have this leader work on certain assignments with team members who seem to be excluded from the in-crowd
  
• Match followers with newbies. The hierarchy of an in-crowd is usually based on low self-confidence, so you need to build up the followers’ sense of personal achievement. Have them train new team members or those who are less skilled. As these followers improve their self-esteem, they will also become leaders in their own right.
  
• Make skilled outsiders the team mentors. Nothing will downshift the in-crowd leader’s ambitions faster than knowing someone else can drive the car. This is a clear message that all team members are on equal footing in your eyes.

How to make the most of your creative mavericks’ ambitions

Cooperation is important on a team. So when you encounter “mavericks”—talented workers who want to do things with their own creative approach—you need to redirect their energy without letting them dominate the group. Since most mavericks like to stand out from the crowd, ask them to help with training and coaching new team members. The more they teach concepts like problem-solving or customer focus, the better they’ll understand it themselves. Also ask your mavericks to join in sharing successes and solutions at regular meetings or via e-mail.

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