How to Solve the EGO Problem on Your Team

March 24, 2013 by

How-to-Solve-the-EGO-Problem-on-Your-Team-Sean-GlazeAll high-performing groups will have people who are confident, but if your team is struggling, it may be because people on your team have an ego problem.

Ego is not in itself a bad thing.

All achievers have a healthy ego.  Bo Ryan, Head Coach of the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program explains that, “The selfless player with ego is a great team mate.”

But not every player with an ego is selfless, and it is those teammates or coworkers (the ones who have a destructive ego) that make succeeding in an organization difficult.  A teammate with a “bad” ego has a negative influence on team chemistry, but also limits his or her productivity and improvement – because bad ego “Eliminates Growth Opportunities.”

A “bad ego” is dangerous.  The ancient Greeks used the word “hubris,” and that blinding self-pride was often the tragic flaw that led to a powerful character’s downfall.

So what is the difference between “Bad” ego, that destroys team productivity and cohesiveness, and “Good” ego, that contributes to group success?

The difference can be simplified as destructive arrogance vs. constructive confidence.

Read the following eight descriptions, and see if you recognize yourself or a teammate:

  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego)  – needs to be in the spotlight and takes credit for team success.
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) – is comfortable being part of something bigger than himself.
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) is often difficult to approach and belittles others
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) is open and warm while sharing encouragement
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) spends most of his / her time talking (and bragging)
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) spends most of his/her time listening (and learning)
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) becomes defensive when a conflicting idea is shared
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) is interested in understanding other perspectives
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) is threatened by others’ success and focused on self
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) celebrates others’ success and wants team victory
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) refuses to acknowledge weaknesses and makes excuses
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) admits weaknesses and takes responsibility
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) assumes he/she knows more than his/her teammates
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) is willing to ask for advice and leverage others’ strengths
  • Destructive arrogance (bad ego) usually uses the word “I” in conversations
  • Constructive Confidence (good ego) usually uses the word “we” in conversations

As you read through the descriptions, did someone in your organization pop into your mind?

Did you see yourself in any of the italicized “bad ego” examples and descriptions?

If so, the good news is that anyone can modify their perspective and behavior to be a more positive and valuable member of a team.  A team ego problem can be solved.

So, if someone in your organization has an ego problem, how do you solve it?

As G.I. Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle!”

The most important thing you can do is to make them aware of the issue.

In many cases, just the suggestion to a person that they are damaging the team dynamic can be a powerful catalyst for them to begin making a few personal changes in their behavior.

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.” ~Benjamin Franklin  Tweet This!

Destructive egos eliminate growth opportunities when they refuse to acknowledge their own need for improvement or refuse to see themselves as one piece of a much larger and more important puzzle.

Bad ego causes people to focus on themselves and their own personal accomplishments.  It leads to a self-importance that seeks to focus attention on them instead of seeking ways to use their talents and contribute to others.

So what are a few other ways to solve the ego problem on your team?

Well, once you have become aware of the problem (or helped a teammate to acknowledge the problem), you can try the following ideas:

  1. Have the person list the ways that others have contributed to their success – it wasn’t by themselves that they succeeded in the past, and it will not be by themselves and their own efforts that they will enjoy success in the future!
  1. Choose one of the destructive ego descriptors and then assist the person in changing REPLACING the destructive behaviors with more productive and positive ones.
  1. Identify a behavior from the constructive ego descriptors that the person may already do well and suggest ways to leverage it and begin building better relationships with the team.
  1. Have the person make it a point to inquire about other teammates more often – and have them ask for advice about things that they are working on.
  1. Place the person in situations where he/she MUST depend upon others to be successful.  Learning interdependence can be difficult, but it becomes easier once the person finds that he/she can trust and depend on others.
  1. Provide opportunities for team building activities and bonding – the more the person learns about their teammates’ strengths, backgrounds, team personality types, and challenges, the more he/she will feel a part of care for the group.

Many years ago, Benjamin Franklin wrote that “a man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.”  Our job as teammates is to work together – and remember that confident collaboration creates a far better culture (and far more success to celebrate) than arrogant competition.

When Rick Pitino was coaching the Boston Celtics, he asked Bill Russell to speak to his team before a game.  Russell agreed, and began his brief speech by telling the group that HE was the most egotistical S.O.B. in the room.  “But my ego was always a team ego.  My ego was linked with the success of my team… and the greatest disappointment I had as a player was the year i was hurt and we didn’t win a twelfth title.”

Everything we do as leaders should be geared toward building a stronger team ego.

If you are looking for a special addition to your list of meeting topics or breakout sessions as part of your next conference, consider the benefits of a team development event as a catalyst to improve your group morale, energy, and interactions!

Have you thought of anything that you would like to add to the list? Please comment below.

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Eliminate Barriers and Borders by Leading Effectively When You’re Not There

March 10, 2013 by

Leading-Effectively-Andy-PhillipsThe days when your team would be all located together have long gone. Even in the smallest organizations multi-site and multi-national teams are commonplace. Leading virtual teams is a challenge for most leaders. There is always a risk that the virtual team will become not a team at all but a group of individuals and that the leader is not a leader but someone who spends their time endlessly chasing up the team, checking that everything that needed to be done has been done.

Leading virtual teams effectively means taking leadership best practice and handling it in a way that takes into the account the fact that they team is dispersed over different countries.

What steps can you take to better lead virtual teams?

  1. Define the mission in a way that inspires the team to commit to something bigger than their own contribution. The most inspired people have a sense that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves. To do this, you need to explain why the work of the team is valuable. Even in the most commercial environments, there is a clear benefit that the work of the team will deliver. You need to explicitly state this regularly and often. Say it, write it, include it in documentation as often as you can. Every member of the virtual team needs to fully understand the mission of the team and commit to it.
  2. Define the interdependencies of each team member. There is a danger in virtual teams that each member loses sight of how their work is critical to the work of others. While in non-virtual teams you can do this in a casual way, in a virtual team you need to be explicit: a simple chart illustrating how each person’s work enables the work of others. Peer accountability is the most effective motivator and critical to the success of a virtual team.
  3. Set team and individual targets and share with the whole team. Everyone should know what everyone else is accountable for. Don’t just do this once then forget about it. Open sharing of progress against targets is essential. Some people get uneasy about this but in a virtual team you cannot be the sole chaser of work. By openly and explicitly sharing progress against targets and deliverables, the team itself takes on this role.
  4. Meet face-to-face at least once a year. Don’t just have a kick-off meeting. You need to meet up. It is much easier to work as a virtual team when you have actually met. These meetings should focus on points one to three as well as any project-specific issues that need to be tackled. I think it is a good idea to meet face-to-face as new members join.
  5. Agree communication standards and routines. I was once in a team where I spoke to the team leader once every three or four months. It was a disaster. Don’t rely on email to manage. Agree regular calls on a one-to-one and team basis. Provide the team with a monthly key update showing progress against targets and deliverables. Make sure that everyone in the team is comfortable with the level of contact. This is a good topic for discussion at the kick-off meeting. You won’t be able to please everyone but you should have spoken at least once with each member of your team every week. Be careful to take into account time differences. No one is going to be happy having a regular call with you at 10pm in the evening.
  6. Set language protocols. While English is the global business language, not everyone speaks it in quite the same way. Using metaphors or expressions that are unique to your location, such as cricket or baseball references, can be unintelligible to anyone else. While your average Brit understands what is meant by a sticky wicket, it is unlikely that those from elsewhere will. Agree with your team what type of language you will avoid. For non-native speakers prepositional phrases are hard to understand even though the words are simple. Use the Latin version instead. So instead of saying “We are going to call off the meeting” say “We are going to cancel the meeting.” Ask your team what they struggle to understand and build the protocol from that.
  7. Get culture out of the way. Don’t assume that as leader your cultural preferences are the ones the team will adopt. Different cultures have different approaches to risk, change, hierarchy, time and leadership. Don’t leave these to be discovered as you go along. Give time in the kick-off meeting to explore their attitudes to these areas and agree how you will adapt to them. Most cultural differences can be handled through discussion and flexibility. Don’t assume that your way is the best way. It is simply your way. Learn to appreciate the benefits of different approaches. You can formalize this into a team agreement that states how the team will work together. Get the team to write this and then all team members sign up to it.

Don’t assume that your way is the best way. It is simply your way. ~Andy Phillips Tweet this!

To better lead virtual teams you cannot leave anything to chance. The more explicit you are, the more effective the team will be.

What would you do to make leading virtual teams more effective?

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