Dear B: I think every manager wants skilled and talented employees, but not employees who cannot work well with their teammates. In a way, you have a good problem to have, except that your “talented employee” is alienating her colleagues. It appears that she isn’t trying to be this way – her impatience is a personality trait making it difficult for your other employees to work with her.
Every team must learn how to communicate amongst themselves and with their managers. Projects and tasks thrive on the ability of all employees being able to share necessary information, coach and motivate each other, and support each other when things get rough. This means that, not only should employees pull their weight, but they need to help and encourage each other.
It appears your team is not being patient with the impatience shown by your “problem employee.” Accordingly, you have three problems going on: your employee is having a problem with her team; the team is having a problem with her; and you are facing a problem that involves all of your employees. Management can be quite difficult and often involves challenges that you did not sign up for. Just know that problems don’t happen in isolation, and you must fix the teamwork system.
Also, I wonder about the feedback you are giving – or are not giving – your problem worker. It seems that she is bright and resourceful, so I suspect she knows that you know there is a team communication problem. I really wonder if she can cope with her lack of being challenged by the work and by her fellow workers and if she might be planning an escape. You need to talk to her regularly to determine if she is OK with her job and her ability to perform and use her talents to the best of her capabilities.
Simply, if you find that she is out and out bored with her work; I doubt she will stay on with the team for much longer. As Dr. Martin Luther King stated, “The only thing worse than unemployment is underemployment.” If she is not satisfied and challenged by her work, do not be surprised if she says, “Adios.” Find out what really matters to her and what kind of challenges will excite her. The plain truth is, she may be too talented for her job.
Your team must function as a team
You need to encourage your talented employee to work well with her coworkers so they can feel comfortable working with her. I would provide her a performance review – and do the same with all of your team members – and let her and them do most of the talking. Find out how they feel about the work they are given and the process they use to get the work done. Don’t assume anything – let them talk, or vent as needed.
I would, however, emphasize the fact that the whole team is being held accountable for not just what they do, but how they do it. If performance skills need development, discuss what skills need work and how they will be managed. The point is, there may be several people on your team that need help and your problem worker does not feel like she is responsible for their development. If this is the case, it is no wonder that your problem worker is zooming right by them when tasks and projects need to be completed.
I think you should find a way to utilize her talent in special and difficult work challenges and assignments. Try giving her tough problems to solve that require the education and skills of others to complete. You could give her a title such as “project coordinator,” but don’t let the power of coordinating a special project make her think she can boss others around. Define her role and the roles of other teammates involved in the assignment. And pinpoint the results you need from the group. The idea is to get her active and involved with others.
Also, find out if she wants to pursue a management position and then provide her some management training. Help her understand that the best leaders know how to build the best relationships. And make sure that any training given her is also available to her coworkers, too.
Contact Dave Conrad with questions or comments at conradd@augsburg.edu. Conrad is an associate professor of business at Augsburg University in Rochester.
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