How to Fix a Struggling Team – Get Back to Basics

I love running teams and giving my colleagues the opportunities they need to develop and grow as professionals. When the team is successful, my team members can easily define their careers and achieve their goals. But, when the team is struggling, I am doing a disservice to them. It hurts their career, undermines their potential, and destroys their confidence. Watching your team flourish and supporting them is one of the highlights of managing a team. So how do you fix a struggling team? You get back to basics and instill a sense of ownership over their job.

Let’s look at Apple as an example. Go back to 1997, and Apple was a very different company. They were failing, unprofitable, unpopular, and lacked direction. Then in the early 1980s, Steve Jobs returned to take back over the company he co-founded. In 2000, just three years, Jobs had turned the company completely around. He was able to fix a struggling team by taking Apple back to basics.

First, Jobs focused on the products. He identified which ones Apple was great at and eliminated the rest. He went back to basics with Marketing by rethinking how to best communicate with customers about Apple and its products. Finally, he cut unnecessary inventory and waste from suppliers and manufacturers, which created a leaner and more efficient product creation process. Steve Jobs had to fix each of these struggling teams, and he did it by getting them back to basics.

However, getting back to basics isn’t unique to Apple or Steve Jobs. Throughout my career, I’ve had leaders use the term and process many times. Back to basics can take many different forms and methods. To fix a struggling team, focus on going back to basics in these critical areas because doing so helps create a sense of ownership, and it lays a solid foundation for success.

Help employees take ownership to fix a struggling team

Learning how to take ownership of my job was my first management lesson taught to me by one of my first bosses. While the concept was easy to grasp, making it a habit took time and practice. She would constantly tell me to take ownership. She encouraged me to think, act, and manage the team as if I owned the business. In doing so, she instilled a strong sense of pride in the work I did and the business as a whole. Furthermore, it planted a great responsibility to coach, develop, and grow the team I managed.

Inspire your struggling team to take ownership. Helping your struggling team take ownership over their job creates a culture of pride and accountability. The courage to take ownership is the single most powerful, most desired, yet least utilized characteristic of a successful team. Here are some ways to get back to basics and encourage your team to take ownership.

1) Share the vision to fix a struggling team

The first step in helping your struggling team take ownership is by making them feel part of something bigger than themselves. Communicate your vision often and ask the team for continual input. Paint a picture of the possibilities so they see what you see and are committed to working toward that result. Getting back to basics starts by communicating your vision and getting their commitment to work toward that vision.

2) Involve your team in goal setting and planning

Fix your struggling team by asking for their ideas, knowledge, and feedback during the goal setting or planning process. Invite them to contribute when making important decisions. Invite your team to participate in setting goals because they will have a sense of ownership and buy-in to working toward those goals.

3) Get back to basics by starting with why

Noting brings a team back to basics more than starting with why. Fix your struggling team by making absolutely sure they understand why you are asking them to do something, even more, why you’ve selected them for the challenge. Starting with why gives the context of the bigger picture you want them to achieve.

4) Fix a struggling team by allowing them to choose how

When you set out to fix a struggling team, help them take ownership by empowering them to choose how they accomplish a task or goal. First, you have to agree on what done looks like and then let the team figure out the method to get there. You just might find their way is far better than what you would have given them. However, if they make it harder than it should be, ask questions to help them see better options. Don’t just jump in and take over.

5) Delegate work and authority

You can’t instill a sense of ownership in your struggling team if you only delegate the work. Instead, create opportunities for your team to take on leadership roles. Examples include leading an important meeting or leading a project. Not only will you create a sense of ownership, but you will help them develop leadership skills. Fix your struggling team by sharing authority as much as you share the work.

6) Ask questions rather than give the answer when helping your team problem-solve

Fix your struggling team and get back to the basics by helping them learn to solve their problems. Some leaders will rush to give the team answers, but that doesn’t instill ownership or confidence. Instead, ask open-ended questions that lead them to the correct answer. Don’t abandon your team, but help them see they can trust their judgment.

7) Freely give them your trust to get back to basics

How can you trust a struggling team? If you want to fix your struggling team, eventually, you will have to extend trust. Your trust gives them confidence, and that confidence is critical to their personal development. Confidence will also help them take ownership over their job. Get back to basics by extending trust in your team.

8) Hold your team accountable

Finally, to fix a struggling team, you have to hold them accountable. Trust and autonomy alone won’t fix your team. Hold them accountable for their work, meeting deadlines and goals. You need to hold them accountable consistently. Otherwise, your team will continue to struggle. Demand their best effort and call them out when they are delivering anything less.

All teams will hit snags from time to time. When you find your team is struggling or delivering less than their best, get through those sticking points by getting back to basics.

Managing a successful team isn’t about having a great quarter or exceeding your goals. It is about pulling through when times are tough. Fix your struggling team by getting back to basics and instilling a sense of ownership over their job.

Last updated on May 16th, 2021 at 07:22 am