You’re working on a team with someone who’s not pulling their weight. How can you get them to step up?

Actually, it's normal to have someone who is not pulling their weight on a team. In my opinion, we need to figure out what the problem is and see if the reason is due to the limitations of their capabilities, a lack of motivation, or others. From there, we will decide how to settle. The first step is surely a straightforward discussion with the person. But in all cases, the first priority is to keep the team moving forward without any concerns.

First, initiate a conversation with them. Be honest, positive, and respectful, and emphasize the importance of their contribution to the team's success. Understanding their perspective is crucial as it can lead to a solution and understand the root cause of the problem they are facing and look for constructive solutions which enables them to contribute more effectively.

If the situation relates to a peer, ask how they are feeling and give them time to answer to understand what might be at the root cause. If in relation to someone that you mentor or manage, it's about understanding their motivations and setting inspirational but achievable goals that are explained and agreed. This is empowering and ensures accountability. At the end of the day we are all prone to 'drift off course' occasionally and someone that understands that will always get the best out of people.

In my opinion, it's best to reach out to the person directly and set up a 1:1 conversation. Clear communication is key, and you want to make sure you're not just interpreting emails or texts from your teammate; but rather having a face to face, google meet, or over the phone conversation. They might not be "pulling their weight," because: - they're new and still learning how to use technologies within your company (had a poor onboarding experience) - have a lot going on in their personal lives and could use empathy and understanding - need guidance on what the project is about and why their role and expertise is needed ...there could be muitiple reasons, but the first step needs to come from a place of kindness and understanding.

Sometimes individuals who are perceived as not carrying their weight are unable to navigate the challenges and changes being experienced. The fear of the change and the challenges that are part of the make up of change is a mental block. Either a person’s willingness will lean them in or the lack of openness to participate will consistently pull them back. Engagement and communication will in most situations enable a greater level of understanding the barriers that the individual is experiencing. Asking questions and setting the scenario to leverage their talents is a way to bring about a degree of confidence therefore participation.

I think finding ways to empower each other helps. What their strength is may not be yours. If they arent pulling their weight, they may be able to pull their weight in an area they thrive in. For example: for me, in sales, where I feel like I thrive is relationship management and retention. When it comes to expanding accounts and operating certain growth conversations, I tend to lean on others. We all have to know our strengths and weaknesses.

Approach the conversation with genuine empathy. Acknowledge that everyone faces challenges, and express your willingness to understand their perspective. Share your own experiences of overcoming obstacles to create a connection and foster an environment of mutual support.

Having a true empath as my best friend certainly has helped! Shout out to Felicia Ortiz. My rule is to always "walk a mile in another person's shoes". You have no idea what that person could be dealing with in the other parts of their life. Give people the benefit of the doubt first before rushing to judgement. Isn't that how you would want to be treated? Give that person the space to share. And maybe they don't, but at least you lead with empathy. Once that avenue has been exhausted, then I put my manager hat back on & try to understand why they are struggling. Could it be a training issue? Or the wrong role for that person? As a leader, I ultimately want and need everyone on my team to be successful so it's my job to figure it out.

Empathy is huge. I think people get empathy and sympathy confused. There issue might be something that doesn't require sympathy but does need empathy. I always like to show I understand and can relate to the obstacles. I also like to just listen and not offer solutions b/c that doesn't always work. Just having a conversation, showing empathy and relating to the situation and validating where the person is can really help open up the conversation for more direct conversation. Being able to show empathy and understanding opens up trust!

L'empathie est un atout majeur afin d'assurer l'engagement de ses collaborateurs, mais à l'instar de toutes les soft skills, ce n'est pas quelque chose qui s'apprend. Bonne nouvelle pour ceux qui en sont dépourvu, cela n'empechera pas de fonctionner efficacement en équipe. En revanche, cela necessitera de mettre le poids sur une communication particulièrement claire.

Before I set boundaries it’s important I weigh the consequences. Because transparently, sometimes the consequences of setting boundaries may not be worth it in a work scenario. And that leads to boundaries being set but not maintained. The last thing you want is to set a boundary and then still enable the same behavior. So before you set boundaries, assess if it’s worth the consequences. It will better equip you to set AND maintain your boundaries.

Je préfère ??fixer des objectifs?? de maniere a guider la personne Sur ses axes de progression, c est bcp plus positif de noter qu on progresse.

Posso ser redundante na quest?o da lideran?a, mas estabelecer limites, na minha vis?o, melhora o fluxo com o gestor puxando rituais de reuni?es com foco em atribui??es de atividades e ou fun??es a serem realizadas para uma demanda, pois assim todos sabendo: o que é a demanda, seu objetivo, prazos e movimentos que precisam ser realizados, garantem uma melhor qualidade de trabalho. OBS - N?o sou muito f? de muitas reuni?es, mas, as de alinhamentos de atribui??es s?o necessárias para cada um saber seu papel dentro do projeto e ou demanda.

"Being assertive and respectful plus saying no when needed" says it a lot while it's also very important to consider unspoken boundaries. Sometimes is not easy to communicate about individual values or even personal beliefs since we might be working with a person of very different beliefs. In this case, expectations and limits that co-workers might not be explicitly communicating to each other can be set on an unspoken way to set boundaries.

It is important to communicate that boundries are the limits that we set for ourselves. "If a teammate does XYZ (a very specific action/inaction), then I will do ABC." We cannot *make* other people pull their weight; all we can control is our response.

Collaboration looks like partnering with your teammates and understanding what is driving them to do the work, connecting with this and acknowledging it (e.g. I love that you're here because you care about serving customers, and you want to close this deal so that you can get more $$$ to support your family - I get it, I'm here for this too!) - and then from this place of common connection and empathy, you can collaborate to split up the tasks based on who is best positioned to complete them.

There is probably a better term for this, but something I've always found helpful is what I call "rubber-ducking". If I'm stuck, feel like I've tried everything, or am getting frustrated with a part of a project, I'll ping someone (teammate, peer, etc) and ask if I can chat. It's not a brainstorm, it's one person thinking out loud to another person. The goal is to see if your logic/thought process/idea makes sense to someone else. Sometimes the other person confirms what I was thinking. Other times this person will have a different way of thinking, which helps me recalibrate and approach the project with a fresh perspective. Rubber-ducking is what I do when I'm stuck. It gets me out of my own head and has yet to fail me!

Leave your ego at the door. To truly collaborate everyone should feel they are able to share their ideas, seek advice and brainstorm without being judged and without the feeling that a manager already has 'the answer' (normally that just means they have their answer not always the right answer)

In my opinion Collaboration is the best way to get the entire team involved. It allows everyone to work together for a period of time and ask questions. This will also be a time to share struggles in what part you’re doing and get insight or guidance on moving forward. We don’t know what someone is dealing with so always making them feel a part of the team and appreciated can sometimes help with other struggles in life.

Effective collaboration among teammates is vital for optimizing strengths, fostering creativity, and improving problem-solving. By leveraging diverse skills, teams approach challenges from various perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and increased efficiency. This collaborative process cultivates a positive team culture through open communication, promoting high morale and motivation. Additionally, it equips teams to adapt to change, facilitates continuous learning, and enhances accountability. Ultimately, effective collaboration improves work quality and creates a dynamic, resilient team capable of achieving common goals.

According to what I understand, incentives are really important in terms of careers. It doesn't necessarily have to do with financial success. To some of the individuals in this scenario, incentives can take many different forms. For example, they may be given choices based on their preferences for the task, given room to demonstrate their talent and excel in it, given the freedom to use their ideas to solve problems, or they may be made responsible and accountable for the task. This could cause them to overindulge in their natural talents, which may be neglected because of inhibitions.

Sometimes people struggle to pull their weight as their skills/strengths may make them better suited to different tasks where they can support the team in a different way. I would encourage leaders of employees or any type of team to always analyze the interests/passions against the skills/strengths of each team member and have them assigned to what they can be most successful and fulfilled by to have each person as equally committed to the task/project. This isn't always possible as sometimes we're good at things we don't enjoy and vice versa, but aiming for that balance and collaboration is almost always beneficial for the team as a whole.

We use motivational maps to help understand the teammates personality and what they need to be happy. Some might need recognition, others words of affirmation, whilst others might need to be challenged to get the best out of them. Understanding them as a human-being will allow you to effectively incentivise them to succeed!

Uma das formas de reconhecer, valorizar e incentivar nossos times é dando voz a cada um deles! O que fa?o que é muito bacana (pelo menos eu acho...kkk), quando temos um projeto, eu organizo o Squad ou time do projeto, e coloco um líder do projeto. Este líder n?o tem rela??o com seu cargo ou posi??o, mas com atribui??o! E com isso colocamos para rodar, muitas das vezes temos resultados excepcionais que s?o compartilhados com a nossa alta lideran?a. Aqui vem o diferencial, quem leva e apresenta o projeto, bem como seus resultados é a equipe que fez, n?o o líder da área! Eles aparecem, s?o vistos e reconhecidos por nossa lideran?a e isso abre portas para novas oportunidades dentro da organiza??o! Reconhe?a e dê voz para quem faz!

Best advice is that one size does not fit all when it comes to incentivizing teammates. You must find out what motivates them, which can be difficult to just straight out ask. So I have my team build vision boards. I know, I know it sounds cheesy but it works! Then have each person present + share their goals-that way you know what's important to them. Next align to their goals & provide small incentives to help them towards the larger goals. Have also found that it's the little things that motivate people. Case in point, managed a team of sales reps that would compete hard for a prime parking spot. Or a top rep that went above and beyond for Starbucks gift cards or one that loved to see their name on a leader board. Whatever works!

It's always best to try and motivate a colleague to contribute fairly to a team task/project. Use methods such as empathy, transparency, and incentives where possible However, people are employed and paid to contribute, therefore there is the expectation that they do so without excessive intervention. Be prepared to be candid with a responsible person to ensure appropriate action is taken if necessary, but remember to always be respectful as you never know someone's personal situation that may be impacting their professional work.

Escalation is a last resort. If previous efforts haven't yielded results and the issue persists, report the problem to your manager professionally. Present the facts, detail the steps taken, and avoid personalization or blame. Trust your manager to decide the appropriate course of action.

Escalation is not the first exit to the problem at hand. We should make the person be aware of his actions and never make threats about escalation to get the person to comply. Instead, examine the aftermath of post escalation and the impact on trust, and perception of work commitment. If you are a manager and is paid to do a supervisory role, escalating to your boss will also mean that you are not capable to handle the situation. Therefore, best to address the situation and providing incentive as a peer to this team mate will only send the wrong signal. withdrawal from assistance and getting the other team mate to support is vital for this difficult team mate to realise their issues.

Strategy and Objectives are 2 eyes. also planning and execution, folloup, update, regular review, assist the team, motivate, sometime emotional route to be followed also. be one among them. understand the ground/floor level issues. remove the hurdles. you will get a quick and good positive response/productivity. Right man for right job!.

I've found that sometimes, a bad situation such as someone not pulling their weight may only be resolved by escalation. It doesn't mean the teammate in question is bad, but they may need more guidance from a position of leadership. A 1:1 from a manager can solve many problems that direct involvement from fellow team members could not. Inversely, I've found that when something of this nature has been escalated to myself, I try to follow a principle that gives someone a second chance while also empowering them to turn things around. "Next time, ask more questions if you're unsure", "Next time, do it this way", "Next time...etc" The phrase "Next time" itself has an inherently positive feel to it that can light a fire under someone

Any project is always a team work and a team is always decided on by those parameters. So when one member is not performing, as a leader the 1st question should be to understand where does the limitation lie. Is the said project something that he/ she doesn't identify with ? Or is the role assigned is not their core competency. Sometimes issues outside work can also hamper the productivity at work. So whenever I face a situation when a team member of mine is unable to perform, I first try to gaze into their working ecosystem. Once I'm assured that is in order, then only do I question the sincerity of their skill or intent.

Not everything is related to a technical issue. Sometimes a team member is dealing with a personal issue that may be impacting their performance. That's why it's important to have a collaborative environment. Life gets in the way at times and team members support each other in different ways.

Une équipe, c’est des objectifs individuels au service d'un objectif commun. Chaque personne est importante. Cependant, lorsque nous sommes responsables, nous devons trouver un équilibre dans l’engagement de chacun, pour contribuer au succès de l’objectif commun. Si une personne choisit de ne pas évoluer, qu'elle tire constamment l’équipe vers le bas, il est préférable de prendre des décisions qui serviront le bien commun. Ce n’est jamais facile, mais ne découragez pas les membres de votre équipe qui font leur part au profit d’une personne qui ne fait pas la sienne. Bien s?r, donnez-lui des chances, encouragez-la, redéfinissez les objectifs. Mais si rien ne change, avec respect, c’est à vous de provoquer le changement.

In my experience, I have found it imperative to evaluate 3 things before considering an effective solution or escalation: - Does the employee have all the necessary tools to be successful - accesses to platforms, necessary training on the ways of work, the necessary hardware, documents and the likes. - Is the employee able: do they have the right level of skills and experience to be successful - do they require training? - Is the employee willing: Are they happy to be trained? How do they respond to constructive criticism? Are they agile and open to change? If the response is yes to all of the above, I do feel that the issue can be alleviated with support collaboration and training - without escalation.

Being open to having an open conversation where your team member can express any concerns or may be able to tell you if the job duties assigned are within their scope! It could be a time management issue or a combination of making sure the duties have been distributed evenly. I feel all of the above steps are important in making sure that your team has the best possible outcome when working together.