5 Ways to Deal with Flaky Colleagues Early in Your Career
As a career coach who provides ongoing services to clients, I often asked to provide advice in this, and similar, situations.
Situation
You are a team member with a key project, not the leader. The team functions well except for one member whose actions, or lack thereof, jeopardize success.
Action
Meet with the other team members individually or in groups of two or three. Summarize the behaviours that the individual is demonstrating the impact on the team and project. Secure agreement that others have the same point of view and the benefits of rectifying the situation.
Advise your colleagues that you are going to meet with the individual and have a conversation that:
Summarizes the key deliverables and timeline of the project.
Indicates why the project is essential to the organization.
Overviews and secures agreement on the individual’s deliverables as a team member.
Specifies and provides examples of the individual’s behaviours that are jeopardizing success.
Asks for reasons, including personal ones, for the behaviours.
Asks how the team can help address these issues. If they result from the behaviours of other team members or individuals/groups in the organization, ask how a strategy can be developed to resolve them. If they are personal, what can the team do?
Secures agreement that the individual will change specific behaviours, what will or won’t be done and when.
Advises the individual that if things do not change you will have to review the situation and conversation with the team leader and potentially the project client.
Ask if other team members would like to participate in the conversation. Summarize your discussion with the other team members. Highlight commitments for change.
Observe the individual’s behaviour. If there are positive changes, provide positive and complimentary feedback. If not, determine why and identify solutions.
If the intervention is successful, do not highlight your involvement to the team leader or client – they will find out on their own.
Your actions will demonstrate initiative, leadership, a focus on results and a willingness to deal with difficult issues, all of which will serve you well.