The Defining Factors of Team Inactivity

Being a manager in any industry can be challenging.

You are a perpetual juggler of people, their skills, your objectives and your success as a manager.

Sometimes it can seem like you know exactly what needs to be done, and what you need from your team to achieve it , but for some reason it is just not happening.  There seems to be a disconnect between knowing what the outcome is and engaging your team in getting there.

So what is getting in the way?

The Defining Factors of Inactivity.


The following factors can potentially cripple the activity of a team of people. As manager it is good to be aware of them...

Strength Conflicts

You know what you need your team to do, but have you thought about which team member is doing what and whether or not that alignment of task and person has a 'Strength Conflict'?

A 'Strength Conflict' is when a person has been selected for a task but they neither have the skills necessary or the motivation to do the job.  For me a strength is more than having a skill.  We can be skilful in doing something and not like doing it.  If we feel like that then we are not likely to show strength in that role as someone who is skilful and loves applying their skill to the task at hand.

So often as managers we select people that we believe are good at something without thinking about whether they would be motivated to do the job well.  We need to think about what it is that motivates and ensure that the correct motivating factors are in place to ensure success.

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Communication Breakdown

Does your team understand you?  More to the point, do you communicate to the team assuming that they have the same ears as you?  Think, are you communicating to the team as though each member is you, or do you consider how your team members need to be communicated with as individuals in order to activate their skills?
We all listen differently, and so many times we assume that we have covered everything when we ask our teams to deliver and often the gaps in knowledge that we don't cover can cause the team to stumble.
Don't assume, communicate in the way that your team needs you to!

Letting yourself get in the way.

What type of manager are you? Micro-manager? Stressed manager? Everyone's friend?

Do your insecurities cause difficulties in letting your team work at their best?  There is a good chance that with such a mix of personalities comes conflict.  Not everyone gets on 100%.  Do you rise above that and direct your team like a master chess player or do you get involved in every little detail and slow down the team?
Sometimes we react react to people in a subconscious way that can cause our body language (or our decisions) to send out unfavourable messages to those that we are speaking to, leading to disaster down the road.
As manager your responsibility is to get the job done.

Are you letting yourself get in the way of your own success?

John Hicks is an experienced international performance coach for scientists that are new to management. John combines his scientific career of 21 years, his experience as a senior manager and his training as a performance coach to support scientists that want to be better managers and care about making their teams more successful.  Contact John for a FREE consultation, click here.