My team is rebelling against me – what should I do?

Adam,

As it has already been mentioned it is hard for anyone to give you the exact advice to help you solve this problem since we don't know all the details but here is some general thoughts.

1. It is good that you realize a problem exists and are willing to get some help especially when you had a great year.

2. My suggestion is you talk to each sales person on an individual basis to see what is going on.

3.Before scheduling these meetings I would make them aware that you are going to have 1 to 1 meetings with them. What you can do is explain that these meetings are to review 2010 and talk about what needs to be done in 2011.

4. During these meetings which I would keep light in nature your goal is to find out what is going on and impacting the team. Regardless of what you hear you must try not to get defensive otherwise it will backfire and potentially be worse than it is today.

5. If you are lucky enough to get the info you need the next thing you need to decide is can you fix it or not. What ever the answer is you need to tell them and explain why or why not.

6. Lastly, if you don't feel comfortable with driving this process then I would ask someone in the company or from the outside to help you.

Good luck and just take your time.

Jim Geier

Great question. I've found it helpful to listen to my employees. Listen without interruptions, defensiveness, rebuttals, suggestions, opinions or any other things that block their ability to have a voice. When we give people the chance to speak we are able to gather information, learn things we might not have known and even get ideas on how to resolve the situation from our employees.

First remember that you manage things, but LEAD people.
What is the nature of the rebellion. If there is something that is causing them grief, solicit their input for possible solutions. Include them in the resolution process if possible, you might find more cooperation if they share in the ownership of the resolution process.

Address the issues of concern directly and set boundaries on behaviour. If an informal approach proves unsuccessful then formal disciplinary action may be merited depnding on how serious the matter is. The approach should not be viewed as punishment, but making it clear to staff what the problem is i.e. their conduct, what is expected of them and why, and the consequences if they do not meet the company's expectations ie discipinary action and ultimately dismissal if the behaviour is unacceptable or continues.

If you do not have the power to hire and fire, and consequently no power to discipline staff, then you should raise this with management that do have this remit.

If the team are meeting their targets then the focus should be on making the work environment acceptable, as performance is not an issue, and avoiding potential claims against the company including constrcutve dismssal or harassment in the workplace, depending on the circumstances.

Adam,

Your profile indicates that you were recently promoted to Sales Manager. Can you tell me about that?

Cheers,

William

I would have a " suggestion session " with each person on a
one - on - one dialog. Then I would gather everyone in a group letting each person to present their ideas, afterwards coming up with the best ideas from the given suggestions in a form of a compromise.

Adam, it's difficult to provide you with any type of answer without providing more information about your situation. I couldn't provide you a solution without more information.
Like William and Ken, I'd need as much information as you are willing to share about your relationship with your team, and what if anything has changed.

Adam,
I like my fellow field experts, need a little more information.
Define turning against you, how do you see or hear this?
What has changed recently that they may feel agrieved?
Have you changed recently?
Put yoursef in their shoes .. do they have a reason to turn against you?
Please let me know so that I can assist you inestablishing a plan to win their hearts and minds.

Hi Adam
teams dont just do this ,something has to have influenced this state, either the way your approach is perceived by them individually or as a group or has the company implemented some change structure recently that you have been detailed to take to the team creating an us and them scenario.?
I really would need more details in order to suggest a way forward and some strategies.
Have you had any sales management / coaching management training from your company since taking your role on ?

Under these conditions, nobody is a winner. It gets worse when your reaction is to give the sales staff detailed rules about how they should work and decide how to treat people by their sales numbers. But salespeople dislike being handled this way, and motivation and loyalty suffer.The better alternative is to treat the salespeople well, inspire them and develop an environment in which they enjoy their work.
Treat your sales force as if they are your best customers.

As a leader you should know what your people want, it's not about "you" all the time even if you're higher than them.
Yes, you will not be promoted if you're not good in your career but you
should also know that you're a "team", if someone hates you maybe there's something wrong with that person but if everyone's against you then maybe there's something wrong with you. I'll be honest to myself and evaluate me as a person and as a leader if I am on the same situation.

Or maybe they need some recognition, motivate your team by rewarding them when they hit their numbers.

Your willingness to recognize the sitaution and ask for help is your first step...congrats. And what has been said here about asking and listening will help you...as you continue to discover yourself as a leader, you might consider reading this book...http://multipliersbook.com/

Dear Adam,

Ambitious managers tend to compete with their teams from time to time especially when they say "this can't be done". "We all hit our numbers" - is it that you compare to them in terms of results? This may be a source of strong dissastisfaction from your team, especially if you are recently promoted.

Secondly, this may sound general but gaining the respect of a team means: knowing their results and understanding the effort, showing interest in their work, coach them rather than criticize. Try to build relationships with each one in part, rather than addressing issues to all of them in staff meetings.

Again, do not compete with them! Your tasks as a manager are probably different than theirs. Focus on your objectives while helping them to achieve their.

Regards,

Liviu

The fact that you asked the question suggests a sensitivity to your team and desire for cohesiveness. Without much to go on here, the first thought I had based on some past client situations is that you might have a narcissistic person within your team (perhaps not clinically but similar). This person may be "stirring up" negative thoughts within the team that would not exist otherwise. The other question I have is as their manager, what are you needing to provide that you are not?

Team is a key here and as others have pointed out, schedule one on one sessions with each team member asking:
(1) How may I assist you & the team to work together to reach all of our goals more effectively?
(2) How do you think my management style is working with the team and how would you suggest I change or not change?
(3) Thank each and ask them to always come to you directly if they think of other valuable input—always.

Don't be defensive, but inquisitive. Take detailed notes and summarize them to determine where the team is coming from and where you might improve your style, communication and focus.
You and the team will grow and succeed.

Hi,
Again as it was mentioned, it is quite difficult to give you a quick fix answer, but can help you analyze the problem first. I support Erik that you lead people and manage processes, so you have to listen to your people to find out the reason for their beahvior. when achieving objectives, it is important to celebrate success as a team. Be a leader who supports and contributes to the team, not only the boss. Inclusion is quite effective to get the cohesiveness your team apparently lacks.

Adam, as has been said without more details we only offer confjecture. If you were recently promoted to Sales Manager over your peers that may explain some of the problem. Going form peer to superior is one of the most difficult transitions I have ever encountered.

However, a tool that I have found very effective in transitioning into a new position is what is called a 360 Survey. It measures many characteristics as perceived by your superiors, your peers and your subordinates. It can be structured in different ways but in essence it tells:

1. What you do well and should do more of.
2. What you should continue doing.
3. What you need to do less of.
4. What you need to stop doing.

The answers can be confidential or if you and your team are strong enough you can have someone facilitate an open discusson.

Hope all goes well.

Adam,

Hmm, clearly everyone is not seeing the world the same way. In the world of sales, it's all about what's going to happen tomorrow. Congrats on hitting your numbers, but that is sooo yesterday.

The good news is that you've detected that your team has lost faith in you. If they are turning on you, then they don't think that you are going to be able to assist them in hitting their numbers in the future -- that's the core of your problem.

The solution to this problem lies in what has just happened. Specifically, how did you hit your numbers this time? I'm willing to guess that there was some money business going on and either your team artificially hit their numbers and they fear that it's going to catch up with them next quarter, or they feel that they could have done better; however, somehow you held them back.

You seem to feel that the entire team is turning against you so you need to solve this problem with the entire team, not individuals. Take a look at what you've done in the past and make you best guess at what you may have done wrong. Call a team meeting and apologize for you past mistake and ask for their help in making things go smoother.

They will either appreciate your apology or they'll correct you -- "no, this is what you did wrong". No matter what the issue turns out to be, you will have bought yourself one more shot at regaining their trust and support.

- Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting
Your Source For Real World Negotiating Skills™
Facebook: http://goo.gl/POgY
Web: http://www.BlueElephantConsulting.com

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

A job I worked in had weekly team dinners if we exceeded sales targets by 10% + 5% reward, if we hit 5% coffee for the week was on the boss. "Coffee is for closers."

I'm not an expert in team dynamics, all I know is that the jobs I've liked were built on the culture that we're a team and doing things with the team, and jobs I hated were places without any kind of team dynamics - came in, punched the clock and out.

What kind of culture do you have?

Zach
www.TrendHunter.com