"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
George Bernard Shaw, Leadership Skills for Managers
Joe was frustrated with his relationship to Marcus. Every time they worked together on a project Joe's blood would begin to boil because Marcus was slow to follow through, did not have any original ideas and continued to present obstacles to moving the project forward.
Joe would analyze the tense situations to see if he was the catalyst to most of the problems and also to see what tools in his leadership tool box he may apply to work more effectively with Marcus.
Have you ever found yourself in this situation? Have you found yourself dreading the interaction of a fellow co-worker or boss? I have discovered three areas that need clarification that will often help solve or at least ease the tension.
-
Authority- who has the authority to make final decisions in the project or department? Share an organizational chart if necessary.
-
Accountability- who will be held accountable for getting results?
-
Roles & responsibilities- what is expected of each person on the project team and what will happen if they do not follow through?
What Joe realized after learning of these three critical components was that Marcus never really understood his role and responsibility to the project. Marcus thought Joe needed to make all decisions and that Marcus would only recommend what needed to happen. After Marcus learned that he has the authority to make the decisions affecting the project and was being evaluated on how fast he completed the project, he began taking charge of the activities needed to complete the work sooner.
These steps may seem simple or obvious to anyone working on a project team but many times we assume everyone knows the answers and conflict shows up which damages the team member relationships and ultimately the project results.
Question for You:
Do you have a person in your work life or volunteer life that drives you crazy? Does your blood begin to boil at the thought of having to converse and work with them to get a project completed?
Action for You:
Collect your thoughts, clarify who has the authority to make critical decisions and who is ultimately accountable for the project being completed. Outline the roles and responsibilities of each member on the project team and have a discussion asking for clarification around those definitions.
"It's dreadful what little things lead people to misunderstand each other."
L.M. Montgomery, Emily's Quest
"
