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I recently took over a team that had been without effective leadership for a long period of time. (I've led a team before but one that I had built, not one that I had adopted.) As well, the team had a reputation within our organization for under-performing and for "high-school" behavior (infighting that created serious divisions within the team). As well, the team had fallen behind in their workload to a point where it was affecting other teams.

The team is aware of their reputation and seem to me to be extremely defensive and guarded. I tried not to make any drastic changes for the first couple of months (no procedural changes but I did implement one-on-one meetings). I focused on getting the team caught up by completing as much of their workload as I could - my thinking was that this was where I could make an immediate gain, it would help to relieve some of the pressure that the team was under, and it would convey that I wasn't just an arm-chair quarterback.

After a couple of months, the workload was starting to get manageable and I felt ready to start making some changes. This is where things started to go off the rails. Every change has been met with immediate, vehement and collective opposition. As well, the team has begun to focus on every mistake that they perceive I've made and taking their 'concerns' to upper management. When asked if they have talked to me about their concerns they indicate that I'm unapproachable.

At this point I'm not sure if the problem is with me or them or both. I'm not sure that I did enough to fit in and build relationships before I made changes. Now I'm not entirely sure how to repair the damage I may have caused in the team's morale.

I feel like if I admit that I've made a mistake they'll just smell blood in the water and I'll never be able to maintain any kind of authority. On the other hand, I need to find a way to gain their acceptance and respect.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

jhack's picture

You mention that you were doing one on ones. Have you followed the "rolling out the trinity" guidelines more broadly, slowly putting feedback and coaching into place?
http://www.manager-tools.com/2008/08/rolling-out-the-manager-tools-trini...

There are a couple other podcasts that might be useful here: "creating a sense of urgency" and "Change briefings."

http://www.manager-tools.com/2006/12/develop-a-sense-of-urgency-in-your-...

http://www.manager-tools.com/2008/12/change-briefings-preparation-rule-1...

Did you get their input on the changes before presenting the new program?

"I focused on getting the team caught up by completing as much of their workload as I could"

Ooops. That's not fitting in, that's making drastic changes. No wonder they don't want your next round of changes - you're probably asking them to do their jobs again.

Why do your team members have the ear of upper management? If they're as underperforming as you say they are, they would have no credibility. Something here doesn't add up.

What does your boss think? What is your mandate? What have you reported to him/her and how does s/he plan to support your intiatives?

John Hack

akikazeta's picture

While I have been doing O3s I haven't been doing them as described here (sadly, I only recently stumbled across this site and its wonderful resources).

Did you get their input on the changes before presenting the new program?

I have with one or two changes. I know I caused some damage with one change though - I needed immediate compliance with one change as it had an impact on a contract with another company. The conversation began amicable and I explained why the change was so important to implement. As the discussion went on the opposition became more and more vehement and eventually I felt overwhelmed. This is where I'm sure I made the mistake: I cut off the discussion and basically had to order them to comply with the change. I'm relatively certain that my reaction is at least partially why they feel I'm unapproachable.

Ooops. That's not fitting in, that's making drastic changes. No wonder they don't want your next round of changes - you're probably asking them to do their jobs again.

I know that now but I really thought I was helping. =(

Why do your team members have the ear of upper management? If they're as underperforming as you say they are, they would have no credibility. Something here doesn't add up.

Upper management gave them an audience but did send them away once they had a chance to voice their concerns. I don't think they have a lot of credibility but I think upper management felt obligated to bring the concerns to my attention.

What does your boss think? What is your mandate? What have you reported to him/her and how does s/he plan to support your intiatives?

My boss is aware of the team's history and is certainly aware that there are performance issues. When management brought the team's concerns to my attention I did some reflection and I have to admit that I have made some fairly serious errors - not fitting in, not always getting their input, ordering rather than building consensus *cringe*, etc. Management and I agree that I have made mistakes and that we will need to develop a plan to get me out of the trouble I'm in but they are willing to support me as long as I don't give up on myself and my team.

So now that I know I've messed up building a relationship with my team, how do I go about fixing the damage? Upon reflection I think I need to admit to my team that I have made mistakes in order to have any credibility with them but what should I do after that? Is it advisable to engage HR to pursue structured team-building opportunities? Should I simply backup and spend the next 90 days trying to fit in like I should have done at the start? Or is it too late for that? I'd like to think that no problem is so big that it can't be solved... I'm just not sure how to put together a plan to fix the problem. What do I need to do, how do I do it, and when do I do it?