If it feels like you’re experiencing more conflict at work over the last few years, you’re in good company. Our research shows that not only is conflict more frequent, but it’s also getting more challenging to navigate. Today’s examples of workplace conflict can best be described as a complex cocktail of challenges: tired workers in an uncertain economy; a pandemic hangover of isolation and anxiety; rapid social and technological change; and exhausted managers doing the best they can– many of whom lack the training and resources to navigate this well.

4 Examples of Workplace Conflict (And What to Say Next)

This guide is your recipe book, offering you a few Powerful phrases and strategies needed to craft the perfect chaser to the biggest examples of workplace conflict. So, cheers to you as we give you some starter words to navigate these conflict cocktails.

The Conflict Cocktail: The Wedge Driver

The pandemic sped up changes in the workforce. More than ever before, people want meaning in their work. And, work itself is changing fast. The World Workplace Conflict and Collaboration results citing continued overwhelm, economic instability, lower levels of motivation, and poor management are symptoms of this upheaval.

Larger organizations have people scattered across seven different time zones. In a world of remote work, many of these people have never met each other in person.

Most managers don’t have formal training on how to deal with such issues (27% of the respondents in our research attribute the increase in conflict to poor management practices).

If you’re in a matrixed organization, it gets more complicated. Lines of responsibility can be fuzzy, and your priorities or incentives might clash with your coworkers’ goals. But you need your coworkers’ help to succeed at your job.

That’s a conflict cocktail.

What to Say Next

(See Chapters 9 and 11 of Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict: What to Say When You’re Overwhelmed and What to Say When Expectations Aren’t Clear)

This is one of the trickiest examples of workplace conflict, but there is hope. The antidote to uncertainty is clarity, so start by aligning around a vision of success.

“What would a successful outcome DO for you.” 

You may or may not agree on what success looks like, but when you’re dealing with a remote workforce dealing with lots of change, gaining clarity around expectations can save a lot of time and wasted energy. This powerful question also gives you insights into deeper motives and unspoken expectations.

Andi, if expectations are unclear, or there are differences of opinion about how to handle a situation, you can try this combination of Powerful Phrases.

“It seems that we see this differently.”

Rapid change and new technology can often lead to unclear norms. How do we use AI? And, how do we check the facts? What communication channels are appropriate for what messages? Should cameras always be on in team meetings? What about customer conversations? One-on-ones? 

“Here’s the challenge we face..“

And then describe the consequences if the lack of clarity continues.  For example, “There’s no rule about this, so it’s up to us to figure it out. The challenge we face if we don’t agree on how we …. (use cameras in meetings, include people in radically different time zones on decisions, communicate sensitive information when we can’t look each other in the eye). So it’s up to us to figure it out. The challenge we face if we don’t agree on how we use cameras is that we’ll all feel resentful, disrespected, and exhausted.”

It’s also helpful to empower every member of your team with words to say when they’re feeling overwhelmed. Here are a few of our favorites to deal with such examples of workplace conflict.

“If I had to drop a ball here, which one should that be?”

and simply, “I could use some help.”

The Missed Shot

See chapters 10 (I feel visible or ignored), 23 (boss doesn’t see my genius), and 26 (know it alls) 

The missed shot happens when you combine a fast-moving manager with a thoughtful employee with innovative thoughts they’re keeping to themselves because they don’t want to slow things down or appear negative.

What’s left behind? Potentially revolutionary ideas or vital micro-innovations – unspoken, unexplored, overshadowed by the urgency of immediate tasks.

This ‘missed shot’ phenomenon is not just a communication gap; it’s a significant loss for organizational innovation.

The most transformative ideas often emerge from those who take time to think deeply, analyze thoroughly, and speak after careful consideration. When these ideas are overlooked, you miss out on opportunities for big ideas and smaller micro-innovations that would make work, work better.

What to Say Next

So how do navigate this conflict cocktail?

If you’re a manager, be deliberate in your ask. This is more than an open door.

Ask specific courageous questions such as:

“What’s one thing we’re missing in this process?”

Or…

“What’s your biggest concern about the plan we’ve laid out?”

And if you’re the one with the overlooked ideas, you won’t want to miss chapter 10 (on feeling invisible and ignored) and chapter 23 (doesn’t appreciate you or see your genius).

“I have an idea that will ______ (insert strategic benefit statement here).”

A strong benefit statement in the first sentence is the best way to slow down a well-meaning, fast-moving manager.

“I know you haven’t had much opportunity to see my ability to ______. What if I took on _____ (a special project, a pilot of an idea).”

The Power Trap

Several chapters from Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict work well here (Chapter 13, Matrix Organization; Chapter 18, Micro-Manager, Chapter 20, Boss Won’t Make a Decision,

Has this ever happened to you? You’re on the hook for results, and you want to achieve them. But there’s a catch. You’re not empowered to make the decisions you need to be successful.

Or maybe you work in a matrix environment where every decision requires consensus. Or you’re in a customer-facing role, held accountable for NPS (net promoter score), but your hands are tied to make even small “common sense” choices to delight a customer without placing them on hold to escalate the issue.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents who said they’re experiencing more or significantly more workplace conflict in the last few years said it was due to “poor management practices.” This example of workplace conflict- Accountability without empowerment is certainly one aspect.

So how do you navigate this conflict cocktail?

A few Powerful Phrases can be helpful here… framing your conversations in four dimensions of productive conflict: Connection, Clarity, Curiosity and Commitment.

What to Say Next

 “I’m fully committed to our shared goals (CONNECTION) and am seeking ways to enhance our efficiency. Could we discuss expanding my decision-making authority to streamline our processes” (CLARITY)?”

By starting with a connection to the relationship and the outcomes, you open the door for solutions. And then, you follow up with a specific ask. Be sure to be prepared with specific suggestions.

“Our matrix structure has its strengths, but I believe we can improve our response time (CLARITY). What are your thoughts on creating a fast-track decision path for certain operational decisions” (CURIOSITY)?

With this Powerful Phrase, you’re starting from a positive frame of mind and inviting others to be part of the solution.

The Blown Fuse

This is one of the hottest trending examples of workplace conflicts, tensions between exhausted workers and strung-out customers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries have found it more challenging than ever to attract and keep talent. Employees in the education, healthcare, service, and hospitality industries say they’re sick and tired of rude and hostile customers, students, and patients, grueling hours, and impossible demands.

And customers complain about long waits, poor service apathetic staff, and tip creep.

What to Say Next

Your connection G.O.A.T.s (Greatest of all Time) Powerful Phrases and habits are vital in these complex examples of workplace conflict, and you won’t want to miss chapter 32 on dealing with difficult customers. 

First, the connection G.O.A.T.s

“I care about ______ (you, your experience, your concern), and I’m confident we can find a solution we can all work with.”

Acknowledge the challenge, your difference of opinions, and your confidence that you can work through it together.

“Tell me more.”

Nothing builds connection more than being seen, and this Powerful Phrase gets there in just three words.

“It sounds like you’re feeling __________ is that right? (pause for affirmation. And that you for letting me know how you feel. ”

This Powerful Phrase is a tried-and-true relationship-building technique called “reflect to connect.” When you “reflect to connect” you’re not agreeing with what they’ve said or telling them you agree with their emotion. Rather you’re acknowledging how they feel You see them. When you reflect, you create a common starting place for the conversation.

And now a few for dealing with difficult customers.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you. Let’s fix this right now.”

A good start is always “I’m sorry,”  and acknowledging their concern or emotions.

“I know exactly what we need to do next and I’m on it. I’m not letting you go until we get this resolved.”

Building the customer’s confidence in the first forty seconds of the interaction is another great way to calm a concerned customer. This Powerful Phrase infuses confidence into the conversation and reassures the customer that you care.

Becoming a Master Mixologist.

The post Shaken, Not Stirred: 4 Examples of Workplace Conflict and How to Build Stronger Bonds appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Your team’s under pressure to perform—fast. The stakes are high, the deadline looms, and emotions are running hotter by the minute. Just last week, your team was cruising along. They weren’t going to win any high-performing team awards, but things were working well enough. Sure, there were a few bumps in communication, and collaboration wasn’t always seamless, but nothing too disruptive.

But today you got… the news.

Suddenly, everything feels like it’s unraveling. Casual conversations have transformed into tense exchanges, misunderstandings are piling up, and people are tripping over one another.

Of course, it happens just when you need everyone at their best—focused, fast, and flawless. But instead of smooth execution, you’re dealing with constant rework and rising frustration.

Under stress, people move fast—but not always in the same direction, and certainly not with the same level of clarity.

So, what do you do when cracks start to show under the weight of tight deadlines and high expectations? How do you prevent the stress from spiraling into mistakes, drama, or even burnout?

Pressure doesn’t have to lead to panic—it can lead to progress. Let’s explore four dimensions of collaboration and a few of the habits that help your team not just survive pressure, but thrive.

4 Dimensions of Collaboration in High-Performing Teams

• Connection: Do We Know One Another as Human Beings?
• Clarity: Do We Have a Shared Understanding of Success
• Curiosity: Are We Genuinely Interested in One Another’s Perspectives and What’s Possible
• Commitment: Do We have a Shared Agreement

Connection: Do We Know Each Other as Human Beings?

The post How to Build High-Performing Teams: Help Your Team Thrive Under Pressure appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Your boss tells you you need to be a better team player. And you think, “Wait, what? Me? Where is this coming from?  I AM a team player. Do you know how much I care about this team and the work we do? Do you SEE how hard I work?”

But that’s your inside voice.

You don’t say THAT because you also care about your career and want your boss to respect you.

So what do you do next? How do you get underneath this vague (and frustrating feedback) and decide what to do next?

5 Ways to Gain More Insight on How to Be (or Be Perceived) as a Better Team Player

“You are not a team player” is fuzzy feedback. It’s right up there with “you need to be a better critical thinker,” or, “be more strategic.” It’s hard to know exactly what that feedback means. Your best bet is to get curious and specific.

1. Ask for the CLARITY you need

The key here is to show up genuinely curious (and not defensive). If your words, tone of voice, or facial expression scream “I’m not interested in your F$*@#&% fuzzy feedback, you’re not helping your “I’m a team player” case.

Try this instead:

“Hey, thank you so much for caring about me and my career and wanting me to be successful. I want to be a team player. What do you think I could do so people see me as collaborative?

2. Look for PATTERNS

Have you received this kind of feedback before? Because if there is a pattern, you want to pay attention to it. 

Consider the unintended consequences of your well-meaning actions. Is your passionate nature being interpreted as aggression? Is your concern about getting it right, or avoiding problems, coming across as negative?

NOTE: If you think this is an issue, check out David’s Leadership Without Losing Your Soul Podcast episode: How to Be a Less Negative Leader.

3. Identify the HABITS that will enhance collaboration and change perceptions.

Based on your feedback and self-reflection, identify one or two specific habits that will help you to be a better team player. 

For example, suppose you learn you need to slow down and build relationships. In that case, you might choose a connection habit like reflecting the emotion you’re hearing, or taking time to learn about your coworkers’ people, pets, and projects.

Or, if you get feedback that you don’t appear receptive to new ideas or alternative ways of doing things, here’s a list of curiosity habits you might choose to work on.

One way we do this with our clients is to use our SynergyStack™ Team Development system, based on four dimensions of collaboration: connection, clarity, curiosity, and commitment.

4. Create a Mini-Personal Experiment

Of course, identifying the habits is the “easy” part. Now it’s time to translate that habit into tangible action. One way to do this is to choose a mini-personal experiment to engrain the habit. A mini-personal experiment is a new behavior or action that you will try for two weeks.

A mini-personal experiment should meet the following criteria:

1. It’s easy to do every day
2. It will help engrain a habit you desire
3. And, it’s slightly uncomfortable– encouraging you to try something new.

5. Invite Ongoing Feedback

In our recent interview with world-renowned coach, Marshall Goldsmith he said, “Changing behavior is easy, changing perceptions of others is hard.” One of the best ways to do that is to let people know what you are working on. That way, when they see a change in behavior or a new habit, they are more likely to notice it.

The key is to get underneath the fuzzy feedback, so you can decide what you want to do next by focusing on tangible habits.

See Also:

Expert Strategies for Handling Vague Feedback From Your Boss (Podcast)

Why Your Great Boss Might Be Hurting Your Career

The post My Boss Thinks I Need to Be a Better Team Player, Now What? appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

If you’re reading this article, you know how much attention to detail matters. There’s not much more infuriating than a consistent stream of sloppy mistakes.

You’re not trying to micro-manage. You don’t have time for that.  But every time you catch a mistake it confirms your need to triple-check your team’s work. Plus, you’re a human-centered leader, and you don’t want to overreact to one small thing. But small issues add up and damage your ability to trust your team. 

So how do you get your team to sweat the small stuff as much as you do, without coming across as a jerk?

7 Ways to Build an Attention-to-Detail Culture

Help your team understand why attention to detail matters and how to do it well.

1. Set Clear Expectations

Be clear about your expectations and why they matter. Explain what sloppy mistakes communicate to your customers, stakeholders, and to the rest of the team. Get specific about what meticulous work looks like with examples.

Of course, they SHOULD know this stuff. But if you want to make attention to detail a habit, get specific.

For example:

• Before you share a spreadsheet, ensure you’ve double-checked all the formulas.
• Greet every customer with a warm smile and offer to help.
• Run your writing through a grammar tool before submitting.
• If you’re using a template, be sure what you’ve created makes sense for this customer or situation.

2. Demonstrate Your Process

Demonstrate the behaviors you want to see. Show them how you check your work, ask clarifying questions, and ensure precision in every task.

For example, “When I review a customer communication like this, here are the steps I follow and the questions I ask myself before I consider it done…”

You can also flip the script and have them walk you through their process.

Talking through a process out loud is one of the fastest ways to help a team member discover a missing step or come up with an idea to improve the quality of their work.

3. Create Processes and Checklists

Another great way to encourage attention to detail is to create processes and checklists for recurring tasks. Even better, encourage your team to develop checklists and share them.

Of course, you’ve got to ensure these checklists stay up to date– and that your team stays on the lookout for better ways to do things.

Encourage your team to meet to discuss what’s working and to suggest improvements. This ongoing dialogue helps maintain high standards and adapt to new challenges.

4. Use Technology Carefully

Used well, tools like project management software, automated checklists, and collaborative platforms are great ways to ensure tasks are completed accurately and on time.

Just be careful that your team isn’t outsourcing functions to AI without checking the quality. Every day we hear from frustrated managers reviewing the “crap” their team has given them by using AI carelessly.

5. Provide Training and Resources

In addition to setting clear expectations on what matters, be sure your team knows HOW to focus on the details, as well as how to manage their time to prevent frenetic scurries that lead to mistakes.

One practical time-saving communication tool is the “check for understanding”.  When you teach every team member to ensure the message sent is the message received, you can save a lot of time in rework or details slipping through the cracks.

6. Build a Peer Quality Check Process

You don’t always have to be the checker. Set an expectation that nothing comes to you without a peer review. Having another set of eyes on a project catches errors, improves quality, and offers different perspectives. This practice improves the quality of work and fosters a collaborative environment where team members learn from each other.

Plus, building a peer review process is another way to communicate how important quality checks are.

“On our team, quality matters. And we’re in this together.”

7. Recognize Excellence and Foster Accountability

Acknowledge and reward team members who consistently demonstrate great attention to detail. You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore. Help your team to celebrate one another as part of their peer review process. When a co-worker checks the work and finds no concerns, celebrate that win.

You can also foster a culture of team accountability by training your team on specific techniques to hold one another accountable and techniques to talk about concerns when processes break down.  On the highest-performing teams, accountability is a team sport.

These seven strategies will help your team pay more attention to detail, resulting in less stress, better outcomes, and happier everybody.

What would you add? What are some of your favorite ways to help your team get it right the first time?

The post Attention to Detail: How to Help Your Team Have Less “Oops” Moments appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Often, people have unspoken values or expectations, and there isn’t one “right” way to do things. Maybe your manager never clarified an important process. Or the team hasn’t agreed on norms, so you’ve found yourself in a conflict cocktail of vague and unclear expectations and strong points of view.

Here’s an example that many remote and hybrid teams experience: should you have your cameras on during a meeting?

Your coworker, Rachel, may feel like it’s completely unnecessary. It drains her energy. Most of the time, no one asks her opinion anyway, and her surroundings aren’t chic, so why turn on the camera? For her, a camera-off policy is as comfortable as wearing pajamas during a work call – no one knows, but it feels just right.

For Zach, however, the lack of face time is disrespectful and frustrating as he presents his project and seeks feedback. “Cameras should always be on,” he insists, “unless you’ve got to step away or sneeze or something.” He views a camera-on policy like a firm handshake – a sign of respect and engagement.

“No,” interjects your colleague, Pat, “that’s wasteful and unnecessary. We only need to be on camera for clients or for a real discussion.” Pat prefers a pragmatic approach, seeing camera use as a tool, not a rule, like using an umbrella only when it rains.

This is a classic case of unclear expectations creating ‘camera drama,’ where a lack of established norms creates conflict. None of these people is “right” as there is no objectively “right or wrong” answer for cameras. It’s more about preference than policy, like choosing between coffee or tea for your morning boost.

Finding Clarity When Rules Are Fuzzy

In every organization, there will be activity that isn’t covered by a corporate policy. As norms shift, technology changes, and social standards develop, you and your team can resolve these ambiguous norms and unclear expectations with a conversation. If there’s no company policy, it can either become a conflict—or an opportunity to use some Powerful Phrases and build a team agreement, much like deciding on the office’s unofficial dress code.

This is one of those workplace conflicts that takes some investigation and intentional conversation to understand what’s happening. It’s so easy to get caught up in an argument without realizing that it’s really a lack of clarity, like arguing over who finished the milk without checking the fridge first. As you see a conflict building, start with Powerful Phrases that “put the fish on the table,” and help people understand what’s happening.

Note: This article contains 12 vital “clarity habits” for better collaboration.

Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Unclear Norms and Expectations

“It is very simple, but hard to do. Set expectations and follow through.”
-Male, 65, Israel, The World Workplace Conflict and Collaboration Survey

“It seems that we see this differently…”

Summarize the situation and call attention to the fact that people have different perspectives. This might feel like stating the obvious, but it helps everyone rise above their position to see the situation more objectively, like taking a step back to see the whole elephant, not just its trunk.

“Here’s the challenge we face…”

Now you describe the consequences if the lack of clarity continues. For example: “There’s no rule about this, so it’s up to us to figure out. The challenge we face if we don’t agree on how we use cameras is that we’ll all feel resentful, disrespected, and exhausted.”

“I know that’s not what we want… I’m confident we can…”

As you describe the negative consequences, you can then call everyone to their best intentions with this Powerful Phrase. It assumes good intent. For example:

“I know we don’t want to exhaust each other. And I know we all want to feel supported, seen, respected, and valued as we do our work. I’m confident we can come up with an agreement that will work for all of us.”

“Let’s decide how to decide.”

At this point in your conversation, the team might realize that it’s someone’s job to make a call. If so, invite them to the discussion or make an appointment to talk with them. Use the same Powerful Phrases from Chapter 12—Navigating Competing Goals to have a conversation with the decision-maker and get clarity.

But, when there’s no assigned decision-maker, it’s helpful to agree first on how the group will decide. Usually, this is going to be a vote or consensus. In a vote, the majority rules. In consensus, everyone can live with a choice, even if it wasn’t their first option. For example:

“Okay, this one’s our call. Is everyone comfortable with a vote? Or do we want to go for consensus?”

(And yes, that’s an example of a quick consensus decision about whether to use a vote or consensus. So meta, right?)

In conclusion, navigating the murky waters of workplace norms and unclear expectations can be like trying to assemble furniture without instructions – frustrating, but not impossible. By using Powerful Phrases, teams can not only build bridges over these gaps of misunderstanding but also strengthen their collaborative spirit. Remember, the goal isn’t to win the argument but to find a solution that works for everyone, like choosing a movie everyone can enjoy on movie night. So next time you’re in a camera-on or camera-off debate, remember, it’s not just about seeing faces; it’s about seeing eye to eye.

Your turn. What’s one powerful phrase you like to use to clarify unclear expectations?

Interested in more Powerful Phrases for Dealing With Workplace Conflict? Click on the image below to download FREE sample chapters.

Click here for FREE Sample Chapters

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You didn’t mean to tick them off, but here you are. Your words backfiring like a faulty engine, and now a cloud of awkwardness fills the room. You know collaboration matters and you want to be a team player. So what went wrong?

5 Phrases to Avoid if You Want Better Collaboration on Your Team

Let’s talk about some of the most common phrases that sabotage collaboration, why they’re so annoying, and what to do instead.

1. Let’s Agree to Disagree

In the realm of collaboration, “Let’s Agree to Disagree” is basically your team’s attempt at taking a shortcut around a gnarly problem—except this shortcut leads straight into a brick wall painted like a tunnel à la Wile E. Coyote. You’re not solving anything. What you’re really saying is, “I value the absence of conflict more than I value arriving at a shared solution.”

Sure, it momentarily saves face, avoids immediate friction, and allows everyone to sidestep the awkwardness—but it also bookmarks that problem for a sequel. Now you’ve got an unresolved issue lurking in the background like an unopened email forever marked as ‘important’ but never read.

Instead of closing the door on discussion, why not keep it ajar for more ideas, refinements, and maybe—just maybe—finding a path to team unity that doesn’t involve mutual evasion tactics?

If you’re looking for some additional confidence and conversation starters see, Let’s Talk About It: How to Start the Conversation Everyone Wants to Avoid.

And a few of our Powerful Phrases G.O.A.T.s work great here too.  For example:

“I care about _____ (you, this team, this project) and I’m confident we can find a solution that we can all work with.” or “Let’s start with what we agree on.”

2. It’s Too Late to Change Course Now

This phrase acts like quicksand for team progress, promoting a fixed and inflexible approach that could stifle innovation and adaptability. By saying it’s too late to change course, the team shuts down opportunities to adapt to new circumstances or pivot based on fresh insights. It can trap the team in a “sunk cost fallacy,” escalating commitments to failing or suboptimal projects. The phrase discourages reevaluation and course correction, which are often necessary for fast-paced, ever-changing landscapes.

Curiosity powerful phrases work great here.

“I know we’ve already invested a lot here, and changing course would be rough. But I’m curious about what you’re thinking. Can you tell me more?”

See Also: How to Not Be Perceived as Negative at Work.

3. I’ve Done My Part, The Rest Is Up to You

This phrase sounds like a benign statement of task completion, but its impact is anything but. It subtly erodes the sense of collective ownership and accountability that are vital for effective teamwork. By declaring that one has “done their part,” it implies a disinterest in the project’s broader success and fosters a culture of siloed responsibilities. This can be detrimental to team morale and unity, as it signals a lack of engagement with the project’s overall objectives. Moreover, it inhibits cross-functional collaboration and skill-sharing, ultimately limiting the team’s versatility and adaptability.

Instead try, “What can I do to be helpful here?”

4. That’s a Terrible Idea

You’re not Simon Cowell judging amateur karaoke, and even if you were, every idea has some merit. In an era of disruptions and paradigm shifts, the ‘terrible’ idea you scoff at could well be the next big thing. Instead of shutting down your colleagues, respond with regard, with gratitude, information, and an invitation to continue contribution.

For more on responding well and getting more remarkable ideas, you might want to take a peek at Karin’s popular TEDx talk, The Secret to Getting Remarkable Ideas You Can Actually Use. 

5. We don’t have time for this

Of course, it might be true. You might not have time to talk about their idea or suggestion right now. And, if you want better collaboration, consider how you can keep the conversation on track while being respectful of what your teammates want to say.

Instead, you might try a few of these phrases for better collaboration.

“This is an important topic; let’s schedule a dedicated meeting to discuss it.”

“I understand this is a key issue. Can you summarize it in a few points, and then we’ll decide on the best time to dig deeper?”

“Let’s identify the most immediate priorities for today’s meeting, and make sure we allocate time for this in the near future.”

This one is a proactive approach that involves the team in prioritizing tasks, including the issue brought up, for future discussions.

In conclusion, the next time you find these phrases slipping off the tip of your tongue, pause. Replace them with phrases that promote an atmosphere of innovation, openness, and collaboration. It’s not just about keeping up with the buzzwords; it’s about fostering a culture where everyone’s a buzz-worthy contributor.

The post Stop Right There! 5 Phrases that Crush Collaboration and Tank Teamwork appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Commitment is vital to effective teamwork, collaboration, and results.

One of the most frustrating aspects of teamwork is the feeling of futility – of spinning your wheels. You connect with one another, establish clear success criteria, get curious, and build on one another’s suggestions, but nothing happens. Your conversation needs to produce action, or nothing changes. And if nothing changes, it’s worse than if you never had a conversation. Now you’ve wasted time, trust drips away, and people lose hope. The answer is to build shared agreements – commitments – that move you from words to action. In this final installment of our “Great Teamwork Series,” we share 12 collaboration habits to create commitment and build momentum with follow-through and results.

More in this excerpt from our interview on Brainwaves Anthology with Bob Greenberg.

Click here for more insights on creating commitment.

12 Habits Great Teams Consistently Do to Create Commitment and Build Collaboration

1. Ignite Action: Turn intentions into activities

Habit: I get things going—moving the conversation to create specific plans

When your team has tight conversations that lead to meaningful results, trust and morale improve along with the team’s capacity to make even more meaningful decisions. You can help your team avoid endless discussions, analysis paralysis, and chokepoints by moving conversations to intentions to specific actions.

Related Article: Help Your Team Do More-Stop (over) Talking and Start Doing

2. Say “No” for a Better Yes: Explain tradeoffs and gracefully decline opportunities that derail critical effort

Habit: I keep us focused on what matters most and empower a strategic “no.”

Related Article: How to Say No at Work: Powerful Phrases to Stand your Ground

It’s never easy to say no at work. After all, you want to be helpful, responsive, and a team player. And yet, every time you say “yes” to something or someone, you’re saying “no” to something or someone else. One way to help one another create commitment and say no effectively is to start with a “yes.” Do this is by affirming the request and the value the request might represent—that’s the “yes.” Then bridge to the context, consequences, and decisions—that’s the “no.”

3. Keep Things Organized: Provide structure the team needs to work efficiently

Habit: I make it easy to collaborate and integrate our work.

Can everyone find the information, tools, and data they need to do their work? If not, you’re wasting time interrupting each other asking for what you need or in frustrating fruitless searches. A little organization will help everyone work more efficiently. (Just avoid the temptation to over-organize. You’ll know this happens when you spend more time on the organization system than you do on your actual work.)

4. Create Ownership: Verify that every task has a specific person responsible for its completion

Habit: I ensure we conclude our meetings or conversations by clarifying responsibility.

When everyone’s responsible, no one is. Guarantee that any conversation requiring action ends with a specific person taking responsibility to follow through on an assignment. The project may require a team. But one person has ownership and responsibility to follow through.

5. Respect Confidentiality: Build trust with appropriate discretion and privacy

Habit: I protect sensitive information.

Related Article: Confidential Information – What to Say When You Can’t Say Anything

It can be tempting to share private information. It feels like a shortcut to building intimacy and connection. But every time you violate confidentiality, you tell the person you’re talking to that they can’t trust you with critical information. When you can’t share information, be honest about it. For example, “That’s not something I can talk about. It’s important that to me you can trust  that if we’re ever in a similar situation, I won’t talk about it then either.”

6. Schedule the Finish: Create shared appointments to meet, discuss, and conclude tasks

Habit: I confirm specific deliverables and timeframes for when we will follow up on our commitments.

You’ve got more to do than time to do it. Your plan is going to get interrupted, and your interruptions are going to get interrupted. If you don’t have an intentional, focused way to finish what you start, it won’t happen. Effective teams consistently achieve meaningful results and build a healthy culture–but they don’t leave it to chance or a heroic act of willpower. They create commitment by scheduling the finish with specific, shared appointments to follow through. These conversations consider competing priorities and adjust accordingly.

Related Article: High ROI Leadership: Schedule the Finish

7. Hold Others Accountable: Practice peer-to-peer check-ins and closure

Habit: When people don’t follow through, I follow up with them.

Look at the research about high-performing teams and one universal characteristic jumps out. In high-performing teams, accountability isn’t just the manager’s job—the team holds one another accountable (and their manager too). When you talk to high-performing teams, it’s easy to see that this team accountability doesn’t just happen. They work at it. Help your team succeed by following up and creating closure for commitments.

Related Article: Great Teams Hold One Another Accountable (You Can Too).

8. Honor Deadlines: Get work done on time and watch out for barriers

Habit: I take our commitments seriously, and proactively talk about obstacles that might derail our deliverables.

The distractions that creep up and disrupt our follow through feel like a surprise. But are they really? When you lift your gaze, look outward and ask “is there anything that could prevent us from making this commitment?” you can help your team anticipate and deal with these disruptions before they interfere with your focus.

9. Keep My Team on Track: Help your colleagues maintain focus and avoid distractions

Habit: I ensure our team meets our obligations together.

One of the most tempting distractions that can take you and your team off track is other meaningful work. That new shiny assignment may be great for your career – and so is delivering the results you’ve promised. You can help your team maintain focus and a manageable workload by suggesting “Let’s get this done before we take on that new project.”

Related Article: Get Your Team Back on Track: Leading Through Distractions

10. Do What I Say: Keep your commitments

Habit: I follow through and keep my word.

Can your team rely on you? Your reliability directly affects your team’s trust in you. Can they rely on one another? Often, when reliability breaks down, it’s not because people lack integrity, it’s because they said “yes” to something without fully thinking through what it would take to keep that commitment. You can increase your reliability by consistently scheduling the finish and discussing tradeoffs. (See #2 and #6 above.)

11. Speak with Candor: Give the gift of truth, spoken gracefully

Habit: I address difficult issues directly and in a timely manner.

Direct, honest communication helps everyone know where they stand and minimizes drama within your team. The earlier you address challenging situations, the easier they are to resolve.

12. Celebrate Success: Acknowledge wins in all their forms

Habit: I acknowledge wins, progress and learning.

You get more of what you encourage and celebrate, so take time to recognize all that you and your team have achieved together. You can do this in the middle of projects to energize one another for the road ahead. Pay attention to the different forms of “wins” – it’s not just successful completion. You can celebrate learning, progress, and improved capacity.

Related Articles: True Gratitude: More Than Pleasantries or Recognition and Leading Through Rapidly Changing Priorities

13. Your Turn: What habit would you add to create commitment and build shared agreements?

Note: This article is part four of our 4-part Better Teamwork Series. Find the other parts here:

1. Better Teamwork: 12 Practical Habits to Build Deeper Connection
2. Great Teams: 12 Practical Collaboration Habits to Create Clarity
3. Creative Teams: 12 Habits that Foster Curiosity and Collaboration

The post Create Commitment: 12 Habits to Build Agreement and Accountability appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Hi Karin, “I attended your Courageous Cultures, how to Read Courageous Cultures with your team book club, and we loved it. We are using the book and we’re reading it. The good news is we’re getting SO MANY IDEAS.  I continue to respond with regard (with gratitude, information, and an invitation) to the ideas I receive. The team knows I want their ideas, so they keep bringing me more. Now I have too many ideas. I don’t want to crush team innovation, but I can’t possibly use them all.

How do I respond and SAVE THE IDEAS for later? #AskingForaFriend

The Challenge of Abundance: Too Many Ideas, Too Little Time

First let me say, GREAT JOB! You’re doing a lot of things right when it comes to fostering psychological safety and encouraging team innovation.

I would start by ensuring that everyone understands your vision and your MIT priorities. The more clear people are about where you need a great idea, the more remarkable, usable ideas you’ll receive.

This is the essence of my TEDx Talk: How to Help Your Team Bring You Remarkable, Usable Ideas

The best innovation comes from a combination of strategic clarity and psychological safety.  See our article in Smartbrief on Leadership: Safety First, Clarity Next: The Secret Formula For Better Workplace Innovation.

The Idea Garden: A Solution for Sustainable Team Innovation

Even with strategic clarity, you’re still going to get some great ideas you don’t want to lose, or that might be useful to consider as your strategy evolves.

Enter the “Idea Garden,” an innovative approach to team collaboration that acts as a repository for creativity. Here’s how it works:

• A Place for Every Idea: In this garden, no idea is too small or too wild. It’s a space where every seed of thought is valued and preserved, ensuring that nothing is lost in the hustle of immediate priorities.
• Accessible and Organized: Using project management software, this garden is not a wild thicket but an organized oasis. Ideas are cataloged, making it easy to revisit and nurture them when the time is ripe.
• Inspired Team Innovation: It’s a space where members not only pitch their ideas but also appreciate the creativity of their peers.

Why Team Innovation Matters More Than Ever

Here are five reasons why team innovation is so important.

1. Ensures No Idea Is Left Behind: In the rush of deadlines and deliverables, brilliant ideas can slip through the cracks. The idea garden ensures that doesn’t happen.
2. Encourages Continuous Engagement: Knowing that their ideas are valued and preserved, team members are more likely to continue contributing enthusiastically.
3. Fosters a Culture of Innovation: By institutionalizing the practice of saving and revisiting ideas, you create an environment where innovation is not just encouraged but expected.
4. Improves Project Management: With ideas organized and accessible, integrating them into future projects becomes seamless.
5. Strengthens Team Bonding: Collaborating on nurturing ideas strengthens relationships and builds a sense of shared purpose.

Cultivating creative team collaboration in an idea garden helps you manage an abundance of ideas. It’s a strategy that not only saves ideas for later but enriches the soil of creativity from which future innovations will sprout. So, next time your team’s creativity feels like a wild garden, remember: with the right approach, you can turn it into a well-tended haven of remarkable ideas.

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Is your team full of good intentions and meaningful conversations that don’t translate into action and results? Do discussions regularly bog down in analysis paralysis? Or do you have choke points of one overwhelmed expert or manager that keeps everyone else waiting around? If any of these are true of your team, here are seven ways to help your team do more, improve morale, collaborate, and grow together.

7 Ways to Help Your Team Do More

1. Clarify Who Owns the Decision (Ideally, the person closest to the decision)

One of the biggest reasons teams bog down in discussions is a lack of clarity about who owns the decision. People feel disempowered and discussion grinds to a frustrated halt. Keep things moving by clarifying who owns the decision.

Ideally, this is the person or people closest to the decision. Avoid making yourself a choke point for decisions by ensuring people have the information and criteria they need to make an effective decision.

2. Provide Context for Decisions

When you begin a discussion, empower your team by giving them the information that’s relevant to the decision.

If there are specific success criteria, boundaries to observe, or regulatory issues, get them in the conversation from the beginning so people don’t waste time “discovering” them for themselves. Share what a successful outcome will do so everyone knows what they’re looking for.

If your team regularly brings you solutions that won’t work, they probably don’t understand the context well enough. Help them do more by taking time to make sure they have the information they need to make relevant, strategic decisions.

3. Recognize When You Begin Repeating Yourselves

Want to shorten your meetings, energize your team, make decisions, and move to action faster?

One way to get there is to pay attention to when you repeat yourselves.

If it’s the third time someone (including you) has shared the same anecdote or concern, acknowledge it. You might say, “We are all repeating ourselves now. Sounds like it’s time to summarize and move on. Does anyone have something to add that we haven’t discussed yet?”

People repeat themselves when they don’t feel heard, so ensure the point is made, recorded, and acknowledged. You might help facilitate check for understanding among participants to ensure everyone understands relevant information.

For example, “Victor, that’s the third time you’ve mentioned how the last change cost us a big account. I want to ensure everyone’s got that and make sure we’re not rehashing so we can get all the perspectives in the conversation. Alicia, can you summarize what you hear Victor saying and let’s make sure it’s in the notes.”

4. Ask If There Is Specific Additional Information or Perspective Critical to Make a Good Decision

What else does the team need to know before moving on? Sometimes just asking this question will help everyone realize that there isn’t anything to add. It’s time to decide.

Other times, this question will provide clarity. “Oh, we really need to know a realistic IT implementation time and if there is any other way we might get that part done.” If that’s critical, you can make gaining that information a key next step.

5. Identify the Next Specific Action to Take

Help your team do more by moving from ideas and intention to activity by getting specific and detailed about next steps. Avoid corporate jargon. There’s no “run it up the flagpole” or “stakeholdering” or “we’ll talk offline.” Those are vague intentions.

Be specific. If the next step is for Valeria to discuss two specific regulatory issues with Jose from legal, say so. Everyone should be able to state what will happen next. A good check for understanding here will help clear up any misunderstandings.

6. Identify Who Owns the Next Step

One reliable way to move from great discussions and intentions to practical action is for one person to have responsibility for following through. Several people might participate in the activity, event, or project, but one person is responsible for ensuring it happens. This avoids the “when everyone’s responsible, no one is” conflict.

7. Schedule the Finish

How will you and your team know the next steps have happened and are ready for their response? Schedule the finish by setting a specific time on the calendar of everyone involved in the handoff to go over what was done and what is next. This can be a five or ten-minute meeting. Scheduling the finish ensures people do more, follow through with their responsibilities, and provides an opportunity to reset for the next steps.

Your Turn

When your team has tight conversations that lead to meaningful results, trust and morale improve along with the team’s capacity to make even more meaningful decisions.

You can help your team avoid endless discussions, analysis paralysis, and chokepoints by clarifying who owns the decision, ensuring they have the necessary information, and moving conversations to action and ownership.

We’d love to hear from you. What would you add? What is one of your favorite ways to help your team avoid over-talking and do more?

The post Help Your Team Do More: Stop (over)Talking and Start Doing appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

In our Courageous Cultures research, 67% said their manager operates around the notion of “this is the way we’ve always done it.” That’s not just a lack of imagination. It’s hard to solve a problem differently when you’re holding on to outdated assumptions. If you want your team to get better at strategic thinking, start by helping them challenge assumptions.

Here are seven of our favorite questions to help your team reframe problems and consider alternative perspectives

7 Questions For More Strategic Thinking

1. How would our competitors approach this problem?

This assumption-buster nudges your team to consider overlooked opportunities. Understanding a competitor’s angle can be incredibly insightful, sparking creativity and perhaps, a bit of that winning spirit.

This is one of our favorite questions to ignite strategic thinking because it’s not only an “I wonder” question. Because guess what? Your competitors probably ARE faced with a similar problem. And these days, it’s not that hard to poke around and see what they’re doing.

This question also promotes strategic thinking, as you consider why your competitors might approach problems differently.

In Courageous Cultures terminology, this is a great question to ask as part of the Y- in Own the U.G.L.Y. Where are we missing the Yes?

2. How would we handle this issue if our budget was cut in half?

This provocative question is a call for efficiency and prioritization. This question encourages your team to think lean and imagine scrappy, cost-effective solutions. Sometimes, a little budgetary pressure can hatch the most brilliant ideas.

3. If we had unlimited resources, how would we solve this problem?

This strategic thinking question is the flip side of the one above. When constraints are lifted, the sky’s the limit for creativity. It allows the team to think without barriers and then work backward, scaling grand visions to match our resource constraints.

4. What would happen if we did the opposite of our initial plan?

This question invites the team to view the problem from an entirely different angle, potentially revealing unexpected solutions. It’s about challenging the norm and the beauty of 180-degree thinking.

Encourage your team to think past the sunk costs and consider a do-over. This kind of strategic thinking is remarkably liberating. A related question is “What if we DIDN’T do it this way?”

5. What would future generations criticize about our current approach?

This assumption buster instills a sense of legacy and responsibility. It encourages your team to think beyond the immediate and into the long-term impact of their decisions. It’s about making decisions that our successors will thank us for.

This is a great way to expand your team’s thinking to more sustainable, inclusive solutions.

6. If we could only choose one aspect of our project to succeed, what should it be and why?

This is a great way to get your team thinking about the MITs (most important things). Identifying the core element that defines the success of the entire project can help the team focus on what truly matters. It’s like finding the keystone in an arch; without it, everything else crumbles.

A related question, “Which elements of this project should we say “no” to? Note: We have an entire chapter in our upcoming book, Powerful Phrases for Dealing With Workplace Conflict about how to say no, for a more strategic yes.

7. What would we do differently if we were to start over with the knowledge we have now?

This is a look down the mountain question. Help your team reflect on the journey. This strategic thinking question is a recognition that wisdom today results from yesterday’s lessons.

When you’re working hard and moving fast, it’s not always easy to take a step back and challenge assumptions. When you’re feeling stuck in a rut, or results are suffering, invite your team to show up more curious and with these strategic questions.

What would you add for #8? What’s your favorite question to foster strategic thinking?

See Also: Year in Review: 7 Questions to Help Your Team Reflect on Success and Key Learnings

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