The Ideal Team Player

Have you ever wondered why a team of all-star soccer players can still consistently lose matches? Such teams can be considered dysfunctional, and there can be five possible reasons for this.

First, in a dysfunctional team, team members might not care about the team’s overall results, as each member is too focused on personal success. A star player might be so determined to score a goal that he refuses to pass the ball to a teammate ready to take a shot. As a result, the team as a whole misses a chance to score.

Second, members of dysfunctional teams may lack accountability. This means that the team doesn’t call its individual members out for mistakes, such as a player showing up late or even hungover to practice. This attitude lowers the team’s standards overall, as members see it’s acceptable not to give their best.

Third, dysfunctional teams struggle with committing to collective decisions. If a soccer team decides on a strategy but one player does his own thing during a match regardless, the strategy falls flat and the team fails.

Fourth, dysfunctional teams often suffer from a fear of conflict. When team members avoid necessary conversations or debates, issues fester and the potential for conflict grows.

Finally, dysfunctional teams are marked by an absence of trust. When a team member distrusts the team as a whole, that member will hide weaknesses, avoiding asking for help even when needed. In turn, a member who hides weaknesses won’t be trusted by other team members, either.

So how can you avoid the pitfalls of dysfunctional teams when building an organization?

Great teams are made of team players. A bad team player can disrupt not only the work of an entire group but also an entire company – just like that soccer player who refuses to get on board with the team strategy.

Employees with good social skills and who are driven workers – the team players you should cultivate and reward – won’t stick around if your team is ineffective or even hostile. Thus you need to be proactive by hiring team players, coaching dysfunctional staff and letting go of those employees who won’t change.

But how can you ensure you have the right people on your team? Let’s explore the three traits for which you need to keep an eye out in current and potential employees.