Dear Yogesh,

My company’s sales department recently had a few developments. The team’s manager was removed from his post because of his rude and unacceptable behavior. He used to yell at people, humiliate them, and often use demeaning methods of controlling the team. As this created a lot of demotivation within the team, my boss decided to give me the responsibility of handling the struggling team. 

Initially, I was happy and full of motivation to fix things, but it seems like the damage has been done, and it is beyond repair. I can see signs that the team is broken. They work in silos, performance is poor, and there’s a general lack of effort.

I want to establish expectations right from the start, but I have no idea where to start. I am afraid of taking any decision which might further divide the team. Any advice?

Regards,

Manish

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Dear Manish,

First, I would like to mention that starting your managerial journey with the motivation to bring change and enthusiasm, and seeing it for what it is, is a great thing. You not only have a chance to change something destructive and toxic but also create a culture where your team can improve, communicate, collaborate, and contribute. Furthermore, you will inspire your people to match their performance to their potential. Let me offer three ideas for you to consider:

SMALL CHANGES TO BRING BIG RESULTS 

People often tend to focus on the big things, fix everything at once, or make it quick and fast. Well, you don’t need to focus on creating dramatic changes for overnight success. Instead, try to fix small things and bring improvements in everything. 

For instance, you may try to identify existing issues like:

• If there are any changes required in the existing process.
• Does the team have daily meetings to stay aligned?
• Do they know what their team members are doing?
• Are they aligned with the standard team or business goals, and so forth? 

It is best to target weaknesses and take one step at a time. Small changes over time bring significant results. 

FIND THE BRIGHT SPOTS

Since times immemorial, managers have asked the one question when fixing a team “What’s broken and how do we fix it?”. In my opinion, a better approach is to focus on the solution rather than questioning what to fix. Find the bright spots of your team. It is better to focus on questions like “What’s working, and how do we do more of it?” This will help you find the bright side of behaviors of the people and clone it, and you’ll also remind your team that they are already part of the solution.

GIVE DIRECTIONS AND NOT DIRECTIONS

It is often easy to find the problem and prescribe a solution to it. This is another mistake that young or new managers make. Even if you think you have diagnosed the problem correctly, this approach has the potential of missing the mark. It may also leave the team in a state of confusion. Sharing your ideas can help you proceed in the direction of success; inspiring others to share their ideas can accelerate the process. 

As a good leader, you must help others discover the answers rather than giving them all the answers. Your work is to know how to give a direction for people to think and allow them to provide insights. Ask good diagnostic questions to clarify where they see the gaps and what they feel has been causing those gaps.

Your work will not be easy, and needless to say, be quick. But as you strive to correct one thing at a time, inspire people to find the answers, and find the bright spots to help them shine, you will be on your way to righting what's wrong and also enjoying the journey.

Regards,

Yogesh Sood

The above is an adaptation of a blog written by Scott Robley on JANUARY 19, 2022

https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-lead-a-struggling-team/