Team Members: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

• The Slacker:  This is someone who withholds effort and doesn't take responsibility for their duties as a teammate. They don't seem to have a sense of urgency, deadlines and challenges are someone else's problem to solve. Most of the workload eventually gets distributed to the other members within the team when they underperform. This can lead to resentment, which can spiral into the team following suit, putting in the bare minimum to get the job done. Why not?  If Joe Slacker doesn't find the work important, why should the rest of us?

• The Jerk: This is someone who leads with ego first and could be aggressive or defiant. They tear down ideas. If they contribute anything towards solutions, it's only their idea that will work. It leaves everyone on the team feeling anxious and stressed. Teamwork becomes impossible as everyone starts rooting for their own ideas. However, contributions from others are dismissed and now motivations takes a toll. Their work is never going to be good enough, so why bother? The Jerk can also show up as a prima donna, more concerned about themselves than others, they expect special treatment. The air of entitlement and feeling of inequity it gives the rest of the team can also lead to a group inadequacy.  Whether you have a Johnny Jerk or Paula Prima Donna, the team morale suffers. 
• The Downer: Nobody likes an Eeyore. Having a Debbie Downer on the team will zap the energy right out of the room. When everything is negative and nothing will work, creative ideas quickly come to an end. Problem solving will come next to impossible. Those left on team with motivation to get the job done will start peeling off and doing the work themselves. A Debbie Downer can take an excited team from collaborative and brainstorming, to stalled, and ultimately disbanded in a day. 

Research by Will Felps, a professor from the University of New South Wales, showed anyone of these team archetypes reduced productivity by 30-40%.  Just think about that, reducing these types of employees through feedback and coaching or removal from the team or organization could increase your productivity by as much as 40%.  Makes you realize both the power of the team and the disruption a jerk, slacker, or downer can have in your organization. 

The best team is one that creates psychological safety for the group. Groups excel not because members are smarter but because everyone feels safer. This means everyone on the team needs to have a team first mentality, willing and open to others ideas, and motivated to work with the team.  The ideal team player, outlined by Patrick Lencioni, is someone who is:

• Humble: This trait is demonstrated by those who share credit, praise others freely, and lack excessive ego.  When all teammates are demonstrating a focus on the success of the team over their own, everyone is motivated to work for the team and each other.  Even one team member (aka The Jerk) who deviates from this can break apart the trust necessary for a functional team.  In other words, no team has room for a jerk, no matter how brilliant they are.  I have seen many teams, and even companies, fail because leaders were afraid to get rid of a brilliant jerk.  Yet, the moment they leave, you can feel the collective release of tension and productivity almost instantly goes up.
• Hungry: Have you ever started a new team with a bunch of people really excited about the project?  Remember the energy of the room as you brainstormed and planned.  Even if the task and challenge you all were facing was difficult, work became easy and even fun. Team members who are intrinsically motivated and passionate are contagious.  Almost the opposite of our downer, they give energy to the team instead of zap it. If you have a chance to pick your team members, look for those that are passionate even more than experienced and knowledgeable. When things get tough, you will want teammates who are dependable. They will who go above and beyond to get the job done. 
• Smart: This is a little trickier one to describe.  By smart, this is not meant necessarily book smart.  First and foremost, this will be team members with a high EQ or emotional intelligence. Team members with social awareness and relationship management abilities. This is also being open to learning, having a growth mindset.  You want team members who ask good questions, listen to each other, and respond based on social cues.  

 

Now think about a few teams you have been on. Think of the ones that you looked forward to working with and then the ones that were a struggle. Can you see the archetypes in the teams that struggled?  Were you the poor coworker?  If your team isn't effective, think about how you show up. Oftentimes improvement starts with ourselves.  Now that you have recognized your own shortcomings, consider some of the team building activities you can do to build trust in the team.  The more trust you can build, the more team members will want to put their teammates first before themselves.  It is critical to overcome unproductive archetypes and increase the team first, humble mentality that is so important for effective teams.