Inheriting a dysfunctional team?

For many tenured club managers, inheriting a dysfunctional team is nothing new. For me, assessing my new team is my number one priority and primary focus when assuming the club manager position at a new club. This is no surprise to my club boards as I specifically address this in my cover letter and interview. To me, my team will always be my number one priority and members second. Following some discussion, they typically understand and agree with this approach. I work very hard to create an environment where team members can get to know me and each other at a deeper level and gradually build trust. However, at first, weather its one manager or a handful are typically perceived as non-performers or individuals who are not team players. Unfortunately, many club managers terminate these individuals without having a full understanding of the root problem.  Here are three commonly misdiagnosed problems when inheriting a dysfunctional team.

What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. To change someone’s behavior you have to change their situation. A few could be underperforming because they were part of a dysfunctional culture with a high degree of politics. Some might have endured several club manager changes in a short period of time while others were brand new who followed individuals who were very popular and well liked (sacred cows). As if that wasn’t enough, in some cases, not only was the relationship between the leadership team not healthy, but neither was the one between the club manager and the Board. Ultimately this led to no trust or communication.

What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity? It’s not that the team doesn’t know what to do, they just don’t have clarity as to what is expected from them. Often, the former club manager who didn’t understand the club scorecard gave his team the guidance and direction that yielded negative results. Meaning the club manager instructed his team to go in one direction while the membership expected them to go in another and the Board had a different set of expectations. As the new club manager your job is to provide them with crystal clear direction and a destination postcard of the future.

What looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Imagine you are a new senior manager and member of a dysfunctional team and your club manager is not well liked or respected. The members are witnessing multiple leadership changes. You realize the club culture is not at all what you expected and there is no one to help you understand it or deal with it. You get no support from your team, your boss or your coworkers. Seems like the harder you work; the worse things get. Eventually you are emotionally drained, deflated and unmotivated. As humans we only have so much capacity for self-control. The team is not lazy – they are exhausted! 

As a new club manager, it’s very tempting to jump to conclusions and make decisions that appear to be no brainers or low hanging fruit.  However, making hurried decisions about your team based on your limited knowledge or worst, based on other people’s assessment is both unprofessional and cruel. Far too often club managers are eager to get started on improving the membership experience while failing to recognize a dysfunctional team. Striving for superior member service with a dysfunctional team is like straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic while sinking. A motivational pep talk, a leadership seminar or a group retreat will not be enough to get you and your team where you need to be. From experience, whatever degree of emotional energy and effort you think is required to fix a dysfunctional team, will probably require more, much more.