Have you ever found yourself on a team that’s not living up to your expectations? Or a team that simply isn’t performing at all? I’m sure at some point you have. It’s very common to be a part of a team in which the members are not on the same page, members don’t pull their weight, or members don’t believe in the team leader.

There are many problems that can come up when dealing with teams. Teams are always changing and evolving. Teams are dynamic because people are dynamic. It takes the effort of every single individual in the group. Once the group of individuals starts to work toward the same vision, they start to build relationships with each other and come together. Only then can this group of individuals be called a team. A team is an assembling of people with complementary skills working toward the same vision with a clear purpose. Each member takes pride in the results of the team. If a team is doing anything less than that, they are under-achieving.

It’s always a tough situation to be a part of a team that under-performs. But no matter the circumstances, it all boils down to the group’s leadership. It all lies under the responsibility of the team leader. The leader must be the one to diagnose the problem, find solutions, and implement the solutions as effectively as possible. Let me give you an example.

Go the Extra Mile

A couple of years ago, I was a part of a team made up of six individuals. Our project consisted of analyzing a company, finding areas in which the company can grow or improve in, writing a thorough report, and making a presentation about our findings. It was a large project that would take several months to complete. I was selected to be the team leader, meaning along with my responsibilities with the team I would have to have a weekly meeting with the person overseeing our project.

As a young leader, I felt confident in my abilities and was anxious to prove I knew what I was doing. My teammates were all intelligent, enthusiastic, and ready to go. I put in a lot of effort to make sure we stayed on track and kept making progress. As the weeks progressed, two of the members started falling behind in terms of their contributions to the team, to put it kindly. A third member of the team contributed a decent amount. The two remaining teammates and I took on most of the project. As time went on, only the three of us could write the report and speak during the presentation because the two members had missed so many meetings and were so far behind. The team members that did the difficult tasks and put in the hours resented the team members who didn’t contribute nearly as much. I knew then that I hadn’t lived up to my responsibilities as team leader.

This was a great learning experience for me. While I had done a lot of work to prove my leadership with that team and make sure we stayed on track and worked towards our goal, I fell short in keeping everyone on the same page. I let two of my team members fall behind. Looking back, there were so many things I could have, and should have done as leader of that team. I could and should have scheduled an extra meeting with these two teammates and kept them up to speed. If I wanted my team to work up to its potential, then I should have put in the extra time and effort. It was ultimately my responsibility. I also could and should have asked my two superb teammates for their opinions or even ask them to help the two members that were behind!

The leader always has ultimate responsibility. As a leader, it’s important to go out of your way to help your team. The extra effort, going the second mile, and going out of your way means that much more when it comes to building a great team. It’s a part of leadership. If you don’t want to do the extra work then you will not live up to your leadership potential. But if you chose to put in the extra time and effort, you will be rewarded. Your teammates will be thankful. Your team will be stronger. Your leadership will be greater.