Two of my biggest hot buttons are people who don't keep the agreements they make or slack off when everyone else is pitching in. Anger, retaliation or simply sarcasm make be first emotional reactions yet those reactions tend to make things worse for us all, as you have already discovered. Instead become the most sought-after kind of leader in our increasingly self-organized world: an Opportunity Maker who can attract the right
Is someone not pulling their weight in your world yet expecting to enjoy the fruits of everyone else's hard work? Avoid the unattractive, energy-sucking role of the nag. Instead increase the chances of bringing out the best talents and temperament in everyone. That makes work more productive and satisfying. You become the glue that holds the group together.
Here are five tips to reduce the chances of future freeloading. They are my lightly-adapted version of Ken Thompson’s tips for “stopping team freeriding.”
1. Meet in person at least once
Face-to-face meetings are more likely to build relationships than meeting virtually, by phone or online. After making a connection in person we are inclined to bond with the group and want to follow through.
2. Establish rules of engagement in advance of a problem
As a group create ground rules that involve rewards and penalties. If, for example, someone doesn’t meet a deadline and doesn’t explain in advance, offering an alternative to make up for the loss, will the group drop that person?
As a group, prioritize top goals and tasks. Never more than three. Rather than agreeing to many assignments, settle on a few that are important to each member. Success begets more success – and group esprit de corps. Over-committing then missing goals makes one feel guilty and avoid teammates. It brings down the whole team.
4. Create a visible task tracking system
Create a way that all committee members must record their progress on a task and view others’ progress. Such transparency affects each member’s reputation with others on the team. The most successful self-managed teams have a specific top goal and a short, prioritized list of concretely-described tasks – each with a lead person and timetable. All these elements are easily viewable by all members.
5. Provide an automatic reminder system
Create a way that members receive reminders for key deadlines, perhaps by email. This system may also include notification when other team members have completed tasks or provided information that’s needed for a member to take the next step.
Want to learn more about adept teamwork? As the author of Bioteams and an expert on team dynamics and virtual collaboration Thompson has a treasure trove of Me2We tips including two of my favorites, Five tips for a perfect meeting and The seven beliefs of high performing teams. Hear Ken’s interview and discover more about the power of self-organizing (peer2peer) groups.
