How do you navigate a situation where a team member consistently undermines your authority?

A leader should ask themselves the question: “Have I created a team environment where ‘undermining authority’ can thrive?” Build a team of contributors who bring their expertise, ideas, and concerns. Create a safe environment where collaboration can thrive. Sometimes a stifling environment can cause frustration that leads to undermining authority. In addition, create a culture of accountability where everyone is expected to do excellent work and where people discuss openly when excellent work isn’t done. This culture is more likely to call out the gossip and criticism that goes along with undermining authority. Then address any issues that your team doesn’t confront.

Understand the background of this team member. Try to find out his/her reason for resistance. Check how harmful this is for the team and its impact. In smaller teams the impact is big. Talk to the team member and find out what he/she has in mind. Keep communication crisp and clear while talking to this member and also set boundaries of communication. Explain to him/her about how importance of harmony v/s hostility and also topics like servant leadership. This will help smoothen communication and elevate the team members. Have consecutive meetings with the team member and provide support to navigate through. Possibly chalk out a plan and then monitor progress else have regular cadence and seek informal feedback to check for improvements.

I would look into myself.... were the goals properly defined? do we clearly defined a common goal for the team? How are we going to support each other in order to achieve them... what does that member need from us, the rest of the team? Look into different ways to engage that person back... finding the root cause made him/her disengaged...

Nesse cenário há que se avaliar qual a origem do comportamento tóxico. Em um negócio pequeno, um comportamento que mina a lideran?a é fatal e a tomada de decis?o deve ser o mais rápida possível pois pode n?o haver tempo nem recursos o suficiente para um olhar mais ponderado da situa??o. Uma conversa clara, que enfatize os impactos negativos como consequência podem ajudar a dar uma chance ao profissional para reverter a situa??o, caso contrário a substitui??o pode ser a única saída.

When an individual shows dissent or is uncomfortable dealing with a particular leader, the first option is always to encourage an open dialogue with them. As a leader, they would be in a better position if they were to listen first than to just act based on their team member’s actions. Next, acting in an unbiased manner and helping them understand the objectives strategies and plans can help clear the air. Last resort is to opt for disciplinary action because by then the leader would be clear as to their stance and what next steps. As always, it’s every leader prerogative to have their entire team in sync for success.

From personal experience, understanding the WHY was critical in addressing the situation with the team member who was undermining my authority as a manager. I had one to one conversations with the person where I tried to understand their perspective and why they were doing what they were doing, what motivated them, what was going on at a deeper level. I've approached the conversations with honesty, genuinely wanting to understand the other person, asking questions and truly listening. It turned out that serious personal issues were the route cause of their behavior and this person had nobody to support them. My coaching skills played an important part in these conversations and creating the space where my team member could open up.

Try to stay neutral and not make too many assumptions. Have a private and discrete but honest conversation with the individual. Preface the conversation on a positive note and that the objective is to seek alignment to most effectively work together. State your perception - do not accuse and be mindful of your tone and delivery. Notice the facial reactions/body language and both how and what the other person says. It may be a misunderstanding or a misalignment. Use this opportunity to get on the same page and turn over a new leaf. If the conversation is going downhill, wrap it up and determine the next best steps, which may require a subsequent conversation or trusted ‘mediator’ but try to handle it 1:1.

Setting consequences is a hard but necessary step. Sometimes it is not obvious to people that if they don’t adjust a certain behavior, the consequence may be losing their jobs. So the sooner this is clear, the sooner the individual has a chance to decide which option they prefer: to modify the behavior by understanding the impact of that change and why it matters, or to keep doing the exact same thing while signing off their termination of contract eventually.

Exatamente! Após um diálogo aberto, estabelecer limites claros e consequências para comportamentos futuros é essencial para garantir que todos estejam na mesma página. Isso ajuda a criar um ambiente de responsabilidade e respeito mútuo, além de prevenir futuros mal-entendidos.

An example is where there are set guide lines through systems and procedures with structures and codes of behavior ( integrity, professionalism and respectful ethics and standards) with reporting channels of information flow and interactions or communication respectfully and possible rewards and punishment for disregard or disrespect to authorities and systems or procedures and guidelines or codes of conduct at work place or outside, locally or internationally during duration of engagement or contract

Establish clear boundaries and expectations for future interactions, making it clear that undermining behaviour is unacceptable. Reinforce your leadership position by ensuring these boundaries are respected, while remaining supportive and open to feedback.

Once again, the proposed solutions are taking the individual approach: i.e. one person is right and the other one is wrong. From a Systemic lens, the difficulty is in the relationship between the 2 people which means that we can take the 'personalising' aspect out of the problem making it easier for people to tackle it without feeling blamed or accused of wrong-doing. The truth is that there is negative impact on the people involved as well as the other team members. Both individuals will need to access support in the journey of building trust in their relationship so that they can create a new way of being together which can take time and a lot of practice.

More than once, as a leader, I had a team member constantly undermine my authority. Thanks to the 'leadership coach style', I was able to put into practice the skills of emotional awareness, appreciative listening, conscious empathy, generative communication, full feedback, handling difficult conversations, evaluative negotiation and adaptive learning. With this, I also managed to make the person more aware of their own communications skills and improve their behavior. With the mutual agreement of regular meetings, I achieved better communication, better coexistence and better results with this person and for the good of the entire team.

Como Coach Senior observo que muchas veces las personas a quienes se les asigna puesto de jefaturas, gerencio o dirección, no tienen ciertas habilidades sociales desarrolladas. Otras tantas, y más graves en mi opinión, no cuentan con el conocimiento pertinente. En ambos casos, sucede que los miembros de sus equipos no legitiman la autoridad, no los respetan y tiene que ver con que no se han ganado el respeto y confianza de sus equipos. A veces, la situación cambia cuando el jefe, se comporta como líder y delega tareas y responsabilidades, brinda apoyo y recursos y sobre todo escucha a sus colaboradores. Al dar el espacio para que los miembros del equipo se expresen, se produce en la persona pertenencia y confianza, lo que cambia el contexto

Offer the necessary support to help the team member realign with the team’s goals. This might involve additional training, mentorship, or simply more frequent check-ins to ensure they feel valued and understood. Showing that you are invested in their success can foster a more cooperative and respectful working relationship.

Como conselheira de carreira, tenho visto em primeira m?o como a conectividade pode impactar a experiência de aprendizado e desenvolvimento profissional de estagiários. Concordo plenamente com a importancia de explorar alternativas tecnológicas para mitigar esses desafios. Em minha prática, tenho aconselhado estagiários a optar por solu??es que economizem dados, como chamadas de voz ou plataformas mais leves, e a se prepararem para suas atividades baixando materiais essenciais quando a conex?o estiver estável.

Yes indeed there's need for continuous and consistent monitoring and evaluation with clear, specific and reliable feedback with corrective measures appropriately and on time and accurately diagnosed cause and effect and possible impact both on you and the team member or team at large. You also need to self asses and evaluate whether you could be the cause and work out on the best resolution measures and methods or approach so that you can reinforce and retain or maintain sustainable respect to your authority and relationships with team and team member (s)

During monitoring, there should be key milestones and if those milestones are missed then course correction is required. We should understand the priorities of team member and if it aligns with overall team. If yes, then we should provide a path else identify the right position for him where he/she may excel.

After addressing the issue, it’s crucial to closely monitor the team member’s progress to ensure they are making positive changes. Set specific, measurable goals and regularly check in to discuss their progress and any ongoing challenges. Document interactions and feedback to maintain a clear record of their behavior and performance. Consistent monitoring not only holds the team member accountable but also signals that their actions are being observed, which can discourage further attempts to undermine your authority and encourage positive contributions.

Monitoring progress is ongoing accountability. Set milestones and use them to gauge commitment. If you’re not seeing measurable improvement, it’s time to reconsider whether this individual belongs on your team. Sometimes, the most valuable lesson you can teach someone is that the team moves on without them. Recognize effort, but don’t hesitate to cut losses when needed.

Para lidar com um membro da equipe que mina consistentemente sua autoridade, mantenha a calma, avalie a situa??o, comunique-se claramente, ou?a e compreenda suas preocupa??es, reforce as expectativas, ajuste seu estilo de gerenciamento se necessário, estabele?a consequências claras, e busque media??o se a situa??o n?o melhorar.

What I’ll do is to inform the team member I've noticed a pattern of behavior where you've made comments or taken actions that have undermined my authority as your manager. I understand that we may have differing perspectives at times, but it's crucial for the team's success that we maintain a respectful and collaborative working relationship. Your behavior is creating a negative dynamic within the team and hindering our ability to achieve our goals. I'd like to schedule a meeting with you to discuss this further and explore ways to improve our communication and collaboration. Your input and cooperation in addressing this issue are greatly appreciated.

In my experience, if you take time to build trust with your team, listen to their concerns, ideas and input, this does not happen. When people feel valued and that they are being treated fairly then their behavior and commitment aligns to their leader. I've only observed this happening with a team when there is a bad relationship/fit from the outset.