Getting People Focused

Remember that everyone brings different skills and knowledge to the table and is capable of achieving the tasks and responsibilities required. Get things back on track and restore harmony by focusing people on their shared mission instead of on personality differences. Those who cannot focus on what is important—bringing the team's resources to bear on the mission and their particular roles and goals in relation to that mission—will not be able to continue as team members.

To set the focus, call a team meeting. Everybody must attend. You will need to accomplish three things:

Clear the air.

Clarify mission, roles, and goals.

Establish ground rules for conduct and for keeping communication lines open.

1. Clear the Air
Have each person take a turn speaking for three minutes. This process continues for three rounds:

Round 1— The speaker says one thing that he or she appreciates about each team member.

Round 2— The speaker says one thing that he or she thinks each member needs to improve.

Round 3— The speaker says one thing that he or she is committed to improving about his or her own performance or behavior.

2. Clarify Mission, Roles, and Goals
What work needs to be done by each team member? What projects, tasks, and responsibilities are involved? What deadlines and guidelines must be observed? Communicate the clear mission, goals, deadlines, and guidelines, indicating which guidelines are negotiable and which are not. Once you convey that information, see who will continue as a team member and who will not.

3. Establish Ground Rules for Conduct and for Keeping Communication Lines Open
Let people know that it's acceptable to express anger appropriately and effectively—at the right time and place to the right people in a productive, task-oriented manner. Share with people the approach to dealing with anger in yourself (see Chapter 6) and offer coaching to those who need it. Plan a follow-up meeting with the team to gauge improvements. Then get back to work.