YEAH, BUT 197FAilURE TO LIVE UP TO AGREEMENTSnYEAH,
BUT...MY TEA MMATES ARE hypocrites. We get together and
talk about all the ways we could improve, but then
people don't do what they agreed to."The Danger Point
The worst teams walk away from problems like these. In good
teams, the boss eventually deals with problem behavior. In the
best teams, every team member is part of the system of account
ability. If team members see others violate a team agreement,
they speak up immediately and directly. It's dangerous to wait for
or expect the boss to do what good teammates should do them
selves.
The Solution
If your teammate isn't doing what you think he or she should, it's
up to you to speak up.
We realized this after watching a group of executives that
agreed they'd hold off on all discretionary spending to help free
up cash for a short-term crunch. This strategy sounded good in
the warm glow of an off-site meeting, but the very next day a
team member rushed back and prepaid a vendor for six months
of consulting work-work that appeared to be "discretionary."
A team member who saw the executive prepare for and then
make the prepayment didn't realize this was the crucial conver
sation that would determine whether the team would pull
together or fall apart on this issue. Instead, he decided it was up
to the boss to hold this person accountable. He said nothing. By
the time the boss found out about the transaction and addressed
the issue. the policy had already been violated and the money