151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People

88Establish Rules for Contentious Team Meetings

Teamwork can be an exhilarating experience. The rush of ideas and the possibility of solving a problem or creating a new product is heady stuff. A fully functioning team is a real powerhouse.

“When working effectively, a team can make better decisions, solve more complex problems and do more to enhance creativity and build skills than individuals working alone,” writes management expert Ken Blanchard in Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on leadership and creating high performing organizations.

But a team can also be a font of utter frustration. When underperforming teammates fail to meet deadlines or produce work that is decidedly underwhelming they nullify the advantages of working as a unit. ...