Leadership in Action: Out in the Open: How Team Leaders Can Deal with Sensitive Issues

PLAY YOUR HAND

Whether a leader's judgment is that what she is experiencing is a nonissue to the team or is hindering it, she still must decide what to do—in poker parlance, whether to raise or to hold.

There are times when it's best to hold—to let it be. For instance, the issue may seem to be resolving itself as the team progresses in its work, or some change in the team or its work is about to occur that the leader thinks will break up the dysfunctional process she is concerned about.

Or it may be a time when it's best to gather more information—the leader may be unsure of what it is she's reacting to, for instance, or whether what she's seeing in the team is bad. Or she may be unclear about the way team members are responding to what's happening ...