10 Ways to Break Your Team’s Spirit

1. 10 Ways to Break Your Team’s Spirit Dr. Tonjua Williams St. Petersburg College

2. 1. Be Critical • A critical spirit eats away at a team and nobody likes being with someone who is constantly critical. • If you notice that team members are avoiding you, you might want to evaluate how you communicate. • Negativity drains others, being positive builds the team.

3. 2. Take credit for what others are doing • While it may be flattering to hear words of affirmation for something that you were involved in, you need to think twice before taking credit. • If there are others who were involved, take the time to acknowledge them by informing others of their contribution and/or leadership.

4. 3.Refuse to perform outside the lines of your role • You can’t be a team player if you refuse to pitch in and help with additional projects • People who won’t assist outside the lines are less likely to have help from others when the shoe is on the other foot

5. 4. Arrive late or leave early • If you are on a team, your ethics are displayed daily. • Coming in late or leaving early cheats the team of the time you committed to being there. Active participation can make or break a team, especially your leadership credibility.

6. 5. Be unprepared • Do you remember working on a class project and a group member was unprepared or did not do their part? • Hold yourself and each other accountable for their role and commitment to a project. • Being unprepared shows a lack of respect for your team.

7. 6. Talk about other team members • If you are known for talking about others, you can also bet that others are talking about you. • Those who gossip are not trusted by the team and the team gets tired of hearing it.

8. 7. Speak poorly of those in authority • A quick way to avoid an opportunity for a leadership role is to speak poorly of those in charge. • Speaking poorly of your leaders eats away at the unity of your team and deepens the divide between team members and your team leaders.

9. 8. Make others look bad • You can easily maneuver conversations to make others look bad. • If you have a spiteful spirit, say no to telling partial truths or playing dumb in an effort to hurt fellow team members. • In many cases, instead of making someone else look bad, you end up with the negative reputation.

10. 9. Fail to get to know team members • Leadership does not excuse you from being responsible for knowing those you are leading or co-leading with. • Getting to know your colleagues builds support, team strength and the ability to survive.

11. 10. Cheat, lie, and steal • A good way to lose trust and build disharmony on a team is to cheat, lie, and steal. • You can cheat by taking the easy way out, by relying on another team member to pick up your slack or giving less than your best. • Lies can be blatant or subtle half-truths – they don’t equal the truth.

12. 10. Cheat, lie, and steal • Lies can be blatant or subtle half-truths – they don’t equal the truth. • Stealing may be in the form of taking credit for something you did not do, taking others’ ideas, or stealing time away from others who are doing what you should have been doing. • Stealing can also mean stealing money and items that don’t belong to you.

13. Building a team takes time • It takes time to build a strong team • Your students count on your part so you can operate effectively as a team. • Strong teams support each other during times of crisis. • As a leader your team will need to know that you are in the trenches with them.