No matter what level of manager you become, no matter how senior you may be, people management can always be a headache. Often, it’s a deeply rewarding aspect of a job, however we all know that a bad apple or two can spoil the whole bunch.

Toxic personalities, office politics and a general lack of drive from a few can derail your entire team. For some, drastic action is needed. However, these issues aren’t always beyond resolution.

Building a successful team and ironing out the creases is not an easy job, however there’s a formula you can follow that’ll build connections, bring disillusioned workers back from the brink of quitting, and improve morale.

‘The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team’ is a book by Patrick Lencioni which outlines in perfect clarity why your team may be underperforming and incapable of working as a unit. He also presents some actionable steps to help bring you onto the right course. Once you diagnose the dysfunctions within your team, you can begin to rebuild a stronger foundation for the future.

1. Absence of trust

Trust sits at the base of the pyramid illustrated in Lencioni’s book. It’s the core element which all teams require. Without this, the journey to growth is over before it’s started.

When we use the word ‘trust’ here, we’re not referring to whether we trust that a person does their work on time or if we trust that someone has the company’s best interests at heart.

Instead, this definition of trust is far more nuanced.

Lencioni explains trust as the ability to feel vulnerable in front of the team. Do we trust that if we speak honestly, we won’t be judged, belittled or vilified? As a manager, do you trust that you can speak freely in front of your team or do you need to save face? Do your team members speak what’s truly on their mind in meetings?

It’s important to foster an environment where everyone in your team (including you) feel comfortable admitting their mistakes and weaknesses, and are willing to ask for help when it’s needed. Once you have this trust among the team, it becomes far easier to diagnose issues and come to a quick and definitive solution.

How to build trust among your team

Consider working on a few trust-building activities which encourage the entire team to be openly vulnerable. Not only will this help you learn more about each other but it will bring people closer together.

There are 2 exercises we encourage you to do:

Firstly, get to know your team by encouraging everyone to answer 5 basic questions about their background (this includes you too):

1. Where did you grow up?
2. What was your first job?
3. What was your worst job?
4. What was your biggest challenge growing up?
5. What’s something we don’t know about you?

The second exercise is a little deeper and will require a level of maturity from everyone involved. Sitting in a circle, one-by-one each member of the team should say something they admire about each person and something they wish that person would either start or stop doing for the benefit of the team. This exercise can be a daunting one, however it allows your team to give both positive and constructive feedback to each other in a way that doesn’t come naturally in the working world.

Once you’ve completed these exercises, you’ll realise just how much closer the team has come together.

2. Fear of conflict

When a team lacks trust, they immediately fear conflict.

Conflict is the bedrock of good business. Without conflict, it’s impossible to make informed decisions. Moreover, without conflict your team can stray into the realm of dictatorship, where one person makes all of the decisions and the others blindly (or begrudgingly) follow them.

It can be concerning to some that conflict is something that we actually recommend a team to have. This is because when most people think of conflict, they imagine uncomfortable scenarios where meetings boil over into arguments.

This is where a clear distinction needs to be made. When we discuss conflict here, we’re referring to healthy conflict, where members of the team feel confident to state their differing opinions, explain their justification and debate matters. In health conflict, every person within the team should feel empowered to speak up.

For healthy conflict to be present, everyone within the team must acknowledge that the manager’s opinion is final. It’s the manager’s role to hear out all members of the team and then reach a clear and final decision.

Unhealthy conflict or politicking on the other hand, must be dealt with swiftly and effectively. To avoid this, managers can introduce a rule where each person cannot repeat the same point twice. By following this process, it avoids scenarios where the winner is whoever shouts loudest.

How to introduce healthy conflict within your team

Healthy conflict must come from the top. It’s the manager’s role to set clear rules for engagement, encourage and thank those who voice their differing opinions, and take a hard line against office politics.

A great way to get your team to feel comfortable in situations of conflict is to run a few mock debate exercises where the group is split into two and have to argue for or against a specific topic. The manager will observe the debate and help to ensure everyone is taking part in a productive way.

3. Lack of commitment

If your team lacks trust and as a result does not engage in healthy conflict, you’re guaranteed to see a lack of commitment.

When people don’t feel like their views are heard by the manager or company, they try less, don’t engage and often begin to resent where they work.

Commitment doesn’t mean that everyone in the team has to agree with the decision that’s made. A manager’s role during healthy conflict is to mediate and make a final decision on which option to move forwards with. It must be accepted by the entire team that the manager’s decision is final. However, every team member reserves the right to “disagree but commit”. By stating this, they’ve made their opinion heard but accept that they’ll work with everyone else even though it’s not their preferred route.

It’s almost always the case that a lack of commitment doesn’t come from a manager not agreeing with a team member. Instead, the main cause is that the team member doesn’t feel like they’ve had their opinion listened to or considered. It’s a manager’s role to ensure they encourage everyone to have their say. Once this is ingrained within your team, you’ll see them work harder towards your vision.

How to improve commitment within your team

Don’t allow your team to fall into a dictatorship. Involve your colleagues in the decision making process – after all, diversity of opinion is hugely beneficial in business.

It’s also vitally important to have clear reasons why any decision is made. Be articulate in your explanations and ensure everyone understands this. It’s a good idea to keep your team in the loop with the company’s overall vision, targets and long-term plan, as most decisions made by a senior leader are related to the company’s goals.

Go beyond this and set clear goals for your team. Ensure each person understands how their contributions help bring the wider group closer to the team vision. This will help with buy-in and accountability.

4. Avoidance of accountability

If you don’t build a clear team vision and goal, there’s a strong chance each member won’t feel accountable to achieving it. This means each person will overlook shoddy work from others, will let standards slip themselves and won’t feel anything when they see a KPI hasn’t been met. This creates a vicious cycle which can be difficult to get out of.

You succeed as a team and you fail as a team. Every team member should feel a strong connection to their results and the results of the others around them. If a person is struggling, the team should discuss it openly, offering help and support – even workshopping ways that issues can be resolved. This should never be done in an attempt to belittle or humiliate the person who’s been struggling, instead helping them to have the resources they need to succeed.

Your team should always consider their combined reputation within the company. Do they consider themselves to be high performers, or do they quietly accept mediocrity? This is about building a winning mentality where each person is aware of the standards that’s expected.

How to improve accountability among your team

Accountability is often about mindset. Here, you’ll need to lead from the front as a manager. It’s important for you to live and breathe the standards you expect from the team. Moreover, it’s important to be clear and open about what you expect from each member. Ensure no team members get an easier or harder ride than the others with this.

Be consistent with your communication. You often need to say a point between 7 – 8 times for it to really sink in. Don’t think that just mentioning this in a meeting once is enough. Ensure you’re regularly checking up and asking open and direct questions about performance.

Set KPIs and measure everyone openly against them. It’s the tried and tested method of ensuring each person remains accountable for their performance.

5. Inattention to results

Team members who don’t know what success looks like, will never care if the company actually succeeds.

This is all about understanding how those individual KPIs contribute to the success of the whole. Be vocal about sharing company updates, wins and initiatives. Encourage each person to feel like they’re a part of the wider picture and helping to build a thriving business.

This removes an obsession with personal success and encourages each person to become more of a team player.

How to improve attention to results within your team

A great way to improve this is to encourage celebrations during milestone company achievements. If a big target is hit, take the team out for dinner and congratulate each person individually.

Be sure to keep a regular flow of company updates coming to your team. Often, team members who aren’t in management or senior leadership meetings can feel quite isolated and unaware of what’s being discussed. After each meeting like this, have a set of notes to go back to your team and discuss, so they feel included in the journey your company is on.

Building a successful team

Team management doesn’t have to be a constant battle. The above exercises and learnings are a great way to start to bring your team together and encourage positive attitudes. This can be true for even the most disruptive individuals. It takes time and commitment, but if you follow the above, you’ll see results.

If you’re a stellar manager looking for your next step in your recruitment career, we want to hear from you. We only work with the best candidates and agencies, prioritising a quality over quantity approach. Reach out today for a confidential conversation or browse our job board to see a sample of our current open roles.