Signs Of An Overwhelmed Team

• Talk to them one-on-one. They will feel more comfortable opening up.
• Offer multiple modes of communication. Instead of calling on them during a meeting, send them an email afterward.
• Help them feel psychologically safe at work. Let your team know they won't face negative consequences for voicing their opinion respectfully.

Passive communicators battle to express their needs and stand by their convictions. This is because they want to avoid conflict. They may be silent during crucial meetings. If they do make a suggestion and it is challenged, they may say, "never mind then."

• Outline and enforce boundaries. If they interrupt someone, step in and say, "Please let [Name} finish, and afterward, we'll give you time to speak too."
• Give them a safe and healthy way to vent their anger. People under pressure are more likely to act out. Pull them aside for a one-on-one time to address their concerns.

Aggressive Communicators voice their opinions in a straightforward, often blunt way. They often interrupt others, take up significantly more time than others during meetings and don't take into account others' feelings or opinions.

Every team has rules, but few are intentionally crafted. This could have a negative impact. For example:

• In a team of two, it's easy to create short back-and-forth emails. As more team members join, it becomes more complex keeping everyone in the loop. Emails may include reply-alls about weekend plans and real-time decision-making, leading to unread emails and lost information.
• A single individual dictates the rules for the group. He may inadvertently communicate late at night that can affect an entire company.

Setting up norms is easiest when the team is first created. It may take a special meeting at the start, but it saves time and diminish problems down the road.

Shifting group norms in an established team is possible, too. Cultivate positive behavioral expectations on high-functioning teams.

Some managers accept or create unreasonable expectations on performance without checking in with their workers, thus causing stress.

A good manager should talk to their employees and ensure expectations are well thought out and feasible before being defined.

Some leaders get too deep in the details around how the actual work gets implemented, but implementation belongs to the employee.

Provide accessible and regular oversight for the work to be produced—but don’t micromanage our produce it yourself.

In the 70s, creativity was thought of as a trait, something a few geniuses have, and the rest of us do not.

New studies show that ‘extrinsic’ motivators, factors outside ourselves, can influence our creativity. Competition, evaluation, level of strictness along with rewards and punishment play a huge factor in a person’s overall creative levels.

Knowledge that someone will check, evaluate and grade one’s work, surveillance, a promise of a reward, threat of a punishment, creative constraints, competition and motivating factors like power, money and fame can kill creativity.

Rewards generally provide the individual with a feeling of being controlled, but can also enhance creativity in some cases.

• Instead of looking for solutions, we waste time checking communication tools.
• We don't talk about our expectations.
• Communication bleeds into our out-of-work time, instead of leaving it at work.

It doesn’t mean just telling people to share their thoughts, but actually doing it yourself and setting clear rules and guidelines about how to share.

It isn’t just about how you share information but also what gets shared. 

• Fear of success usually doesn’t mean a literal fear of success. People fear the results and consequences of making lots of money, for example, not the money itself.
• Fear of success is often learned at a young age.
• Fear of success is maintained (and made worse) by avoidance.
• Fear of success is painful. It brings a lot of anxiety.
• Most people who are afraid of success are embarrassed by their fear.

• Validate your fear of success by understanding its origins.
• Track your avoidance strategies related to fear of success.
• Face your fears of success (the smart way).
• Get professional help from a cognitive behavioral therapist.

Passive aggressiveness involves giving backhanded compliments, ignoring a co-worker, or purposefully excluding someone.

Passive-aggressive behavior is a coping or defense mechanism. Toxic employees use this outlet when they feel threatened, jealous, or insecure.

Physical exercise can release anger. Fit in exercise before work. Also, take walks every few hours to get away from the computer screen.

Jealousy is a common trait that can turn toxic at work. You might express jealousy upfront or through passive-aggressive behaviors.

At the heart of jealousy lies insecurity. To overcome this, stop comparing yourself with others. Instead, keep focused on your own goals. Obsessing about other people's achievements can distract you from your own successes.

Creating accountability is a great way to manage the work remotely. Accountability is shifted to the teammates, who are now supposed to be responsible for their own work and decisions.

One way to build accountability in remote teams is to assign groups and let teammates hold each other responsible. Also make teammates share their work experience and any issues they face, publicly (within the team) so that it acts as a ready solution for others, reducing repeat work.

Even if the team is small, document, formalize and map each process, making it scalable and automatic.

Standard Operating Procedures, if used correctly in a remote setting, can act like a central nervous system.

In a remote team, you'll need the right tools to make sure everyone stays on the same page and can continue to execute without a physical person standing next to them.

You likely will need a tool in certain categories like group chat and video conferencing to make remote successful.

Good processes let you get work done in the absence of all else. They provide structure and direction for getting things done.

A few examples from Zapier:

• Weekly Hangouts;
• Weekly One-on-Ones;
• Bring the team together 2 times/year somewhere cool;
• Automate anything that can be automated.

Build and maintain a unique connection with the employee, using your listening skills and attention to detail. Avoid the one-size-fits-all approach.

Make other people who are good at a particular task mentor the newcomers for on-boarding, reducing your load and helping the new joiners. This also builds trust among the mentors, making it a win-win situation.