For New Leaders: How to Successfully Navigate Team Dynamics
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This article is part of the GVL leadership essentials series that shares highly practical insights we’ve learned from experience with new leaders to help them efficiently lead and manage teams.
The term team dynamics refers to how people behave when they are in a team. Understanding team dynamics helps leaders avoid foreseeable problems and makes it easier to deal with management challenges.
As an example of team dynamics at play, most teams usually have an outspoken and opinionated member who is not afraid to challenge authority. An inexperienced leader is likely to take such behavior as a personal attack and end up turning small issues into huge problems.
Fortunately, with a basic understanding of team dynamics, leaders can navigate such situations effectively and keep their teams performing well, as I’ll show below.
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Perception Matters, and It Defines the Roles Team Members Can Play
Different people in a team are viewed differently.
I once joined a volunteer organization and every time I went to meetings, I would go around the room, greeting everyone. Unknown to me, this was unique behavior, and it led to someone jokingly remarking, “That is how a leader behaves.” Interestingly, I was voted into the top leadership position of that organization not long after.
Team members use all sorts of factors to form perceptions about others on their team. And while the factors considered may be as simple as shaking hands around the room, the resulting perceptions have a serious impact on what members of a team can and can’t do.
For example, I’ve learned over time that in places where I’m viewed as a leader, it’s prudent to be careful about the jokes I make. Since the people in such environments respect me and take me seriously, I can make a joke at someone’s expense and it will be hurtful. Or I can say something I didn’t mean and it will be taken seriously and have unintended consequences.
On the other hand, there are always people who are allowed to make jokes in teams. They can say almost anything and it will be taken lightly and be funny.
But if the jokester has something serious to say, it might not be treated with the weight it deserves because it doesn’t align with how they are perceived in the team and the resulting role they are given.
With this in mind, if you want to succeed as a leader, it’s important to be intentional about perception management.
Classic “Troublemakers” Exist in Most Teams, and You Should Handle Them Carefully
The phenomenon of the troublemaker is one of the most interesting concepts in team dynamics. It’s also one of the most consequential, as it can make or break teams.
One of the reasons leaders exist in teams is to provide direction, and this often involves proposing initiatives to the team.
Interestingly, almost any initiative can be opposed and the “troublemakers” often voice any opposition that comes to mind when an initiative is proposed.
On the one hand, such opposition is crucial because, at times, it brings up useful points of view and helps the team avoid costly mistakes.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s not helpful. When you’ve worked hard to come up with an initiative that makes sense to most people but a few people stubbornly and unreasonably oppose it, it’s frustrating.
If the frustration leads to you losing your calm and acting emotionally, you’ve failed, and sooner or later, the negative consequences will catch up with you.
If you deal with the “troublemakers” in a way that makes them feel despised or unvalued, you’ve failed, and you’ll have created a lot of trouble for you and the team.
One of the lessons I’ve learned from experience is that everyone on a team (including the “troublemakers”) has unique value that you’ll need to realize the team’s potential.
Additionally, different points of view, while at times annoying, can shed light on game-changing solutions to problems.
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People Have Different Personalities, and It Affects the Team
Some individuals are naturally argumentative, a personality trait that makes them the “troublemakers”. Conversely, some people hate confrontation, and will go to great lengths to avoid arguing with anyone or opposing anything.
Others, like me, are opinionated, and always have something to say. We don’t shy away from sharing our opinions. In contrast, there are people who will never voluntarily give their opinions, however useful they may be.
One of the biggest mistakes a leader can make is approaching everyone in the team in the same way.
The most successful leaders take the time to learn their teammates and use the insights to lead and manage better.
Team Members Are Driven by Different Motivations
A team can be compared to a lecture room in college.
There are those who work hard because they are driven by personal reasons to succeed. They’ll attend all the classes, consult the lecturer outside class, and go out of their way to deliver excellent assignments and projects.
Some are in that lecture room because circumstances have placed them there. They just want to get by, and they won’t do anything they don’t have to do.
As a team leader, you must figure out how to effectively deal with different levels of motivation and passion.
You must also learn what drives your teammates to do things. One person on your team will be excited about getting something done because it’s the right thing to do while another will do it because they expect to have fun while doing it.
Just because you’re passionate about a cause doesn’t mean everyone on your team is. But just because they’re not passionate doesn’t mean they can’t contribute meaningfully. You just have to find a way to speak to what matters to them.
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The Takeaway
In any setting, the people you lead will behave differently, and their behavior will affect the wellbeing and performance of the team.
Your success as a leader will depend on how well you understand your team and the different forces at play.
Who are you dealing with and what do you know about them? How can you use that information to lead and manage better?
GVL offers basic leadership and management training to both individuals and organizations. Contact us to equip yourself or your team with the skills necessary to lead successfully across situations
