How to Deal with Team Members Who Don’t Get Along

Few things drain a team faster than two people who just can’t seem to work well together.

And for a team leader, it can be surprisingly easy to get pulled into the wrong conversation.

In this short episode of One Simple Thing, Gerry Murray looks at a familiar workplace challenge and shares one practical shift that can help you respond with more clarity, confidence, and impact.

If you’ve ever had to deal with friction between team members, this episode is for you.  

Curious to learn more?

Check out Team Leader Essentials and The Performance Accelerator https://www.widecircle.eu/our-services 

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Transcript

The Team Conflict Scenario

Refuse The Drama Trap

Reset Collaboration Standards

Concrete Expectation Examples

Stay Leader Not Referee

Addressing Conflict Process

Lead With Standards And Impact

Programme Invitation And Link

Subscribe And Connect On LinkedIn

Tease Next Episode And Close

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Welcome to Leading People with me, Jerry Murray. This week it's One Simple Thing, where in each episode I share a quick, actionable tip to help you bring out the best in yourself and others. One simple thing is created for young leaders. But hey, us older folks can still learn a thing or two? Ask my dog, he's learned a few new tricks recently. Here's a question for you. What do you do when two people on your team just aren't getting along? Maybe they keep blaming each other, maybe they snap at each other in meetings, or maybe the tension is starting to affect their work. That's tough, and it's where many team leaders drip up. It's tempting to get pulled into the argument, to work out who started it, to listen to every complaint, every counter-complaint, and every bit of history. But here's the problem the more you get dragged into the drama, the easier it is to lose focus on what really matters. And what really matters is this is the work getting done? Are the standards being met? And are people cooperating and collaborating in a professional way? So here's one simple thing you can test out today. Don't referee the drama. Reset the standard for collaboration. Your job is not to make people like each other, your job is to make it clear that working well together is a key part of the job. In many teams, performance depends on collaboration. So when conflict starts affecting results, bring the conversation back to expectations. For example, you might say, whatever the disagreement is, the standard is that customer calls get answered within a specific time frame. Or you don't have to be close friends, but you do have to work professionally together. Or let's focus on what needs to happen from this point forward so the work gets done properly. Now that keeps you out of the blame game. It stops the conversation drifting into side issues and it positions you as the leader, not as a referee, in someone else's argument. Now that doesn't mean you ignore the issue. You may need to speak to each person separately first and then bring them together if needed. And if the conflict continues, you may need to move into a more formal process. But the key is this lead with the standard, lead with the impact on the work, and lead with what professional collaboration looks like. Because when people know the expectation is clear and that you will hold that line, you protect both performance and your credibility as a leader. So remember, don't get lost in the conflict. Lead the collaboration. Because that's what great leaders do. Wanna take this further? Our team leader essentials and accelerating performance programs are designed to help leaders just like you handle difficult situations with more confidence, clarity, and credibility. So why not get in touch today? You can check out the link in the show notes. And that's another one simple thing. Thanks for tuning in. Remember, small steps can lead to big changes. Test out this one simple thing and notice how it transforms your day. Let me know how you get on. Reach out on LinkedIn and connect with me. Mention the podcast. And if you'd like to learn more One Simple Things, then subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast channel and follow our LinkedIn Leading People page. In our next episode of One Simple Thing, we'll explore another easy way to be a great leader by bringing out the best in yourself and those around you. And in between, you can check out one of my longer conversations with leading people about, yes, you've guessed it, leading people. So until then, keep exploring and stay curious.