The Moment: Too Independent

Dear Anne Marie: I love self-starters. There's a woman on my team who does good work with little supervision. The problem is that she is perceived by her team as being too independent. She often goes around other team members to do what she thinks is best, alienating everyone. As team leader, I need the team to work together while supporting individual initiative. How do I do both?
   — Dan G.

Dear Dan: You have the ability to see the big picture while staying focused on the details. This allows you to be very even-handed with all the members of your team. Your gift for being both impartial and supportive makes you an ideal leader.

Managing The Moment

The "Moment to Manage" is your feeling of conflict. You have a high performing, "low maintenance" employee. It is understandable that you might feel conflicted at the prospect of reeling her in. Beware! More is at stake here than the mutiny of your team. The real crisis is the potential loss of your credibility and the threat to your leadership that is certain to occur when this woman chooses to go around you in pursuit of "doing what is right".

The Game Plan

First, have weekly, mandatory staff meetings. Conducted properly, staff meetings will offer you and your team the opportunity for honest communication, conflict resolution and high accountability to each other.

Second, educate her about the impact this behavior can have on her career. In her zest to get the job done she is losing sight of the big picture, which includes her impact on other people, on the project, on the team leader as well as her impact on her future. This form of "tunnel vision" is the antithesis of great leadership and needs to end immediately if she wants to be promoted.

Third, help her understand "what's in it for her" to be part of a team. The savvy business person invests in relationships, manages relationships and leverages relationships. Help her understand that taking care of relationships is good business

Fourth, give her a project that is all hers. You want to help her be a team player without squashing her initiate. Accomplish both by setting clear boundaries for team projects while simultaneously giving her a project that belongs to her.

Finally, don't take sides when dealing with your team. Your love for self-starters may unduly influence you when dealing with your team. By keeping your focus on the business at hand and the big picture of what the team wants to create, you can avoid getting entangled by the personalities you are managing.