Every company has struggled with it at some point. It’s a mindset, but more importantly, it’s a sickness. When left unchecked by leadership, it’s something that rears it’s ugly head in explicit manners. Though, even when combatted by management, it still can be seen in implicit ways.
I am talking about the Us vs. Them sickness. Like any bodily infection, it starts small and can fester and grow if nurtured. I am going to present a few quick tips on how to nurse this wound and prevent future infection.
Step 1. Identify the source of the infection and severity.
We can’t treat anything if we don’t know what we are dealing with. This presupposes that you must spot it for it to be treated. It’s easy to spot because you can analyze the sentences being used to find it’s presence. It might be isolated to a few individuals or it might be affecting an entire sub-group of teammates. It is deathly afraid of positivity, synergy and hard work.
Once you have found it hiding, you need to judge the severity. This is not an easy task, as it can disguise itself as a valid concern. Also, a poorly worded concern isn’t necessarily a sign of Us vs. Them. Severity can be addressed as sub-groups and in an individual. The former is our primary concern in this post. The latter will be addressed briefly at the end of this post.
Step 2. Apply medicine to the open wound.
“Great.” You’re thinking, “I have noticed it, but how do I address it?” The best salve is to directly address the mind set. In the following hypothetical scenario, you’re in a leadership position. Addressing the issue would look something like this:
“We can all appreciate your concern on this matter. I hear your reservation about our other teammate’s attitudes. I can assure you of two things: 1. This is not the standard we hold ourselves to. 2. We are all on the same team and are all important to our team’s success. This circumstance was not purposefully designed to make our lives difficult. They have our back and we have theirs. Sometimes hard decisions must be made, this is one of those. We’re doing this for the good of the team.”
This conversation is predicated on the idea that you have earned their trust. (Otherwise they will just provide lip service). Notice, that I included myself in the conversation. At all costs avoid isolating a person when publicly addressing something. Also notice that I did not refer to the Marxist worker. We’re a team. We are all a team. Further, I unified the “them” as part of us. Lastly, see how I restated the goal: Our team’s success.
There are times when it is best to address things publicly and there are times when it is best to have a private conversation. In my experience, this is one you want to address publicly. The way in which you do this will decide how the team reacts and morale. It takes a level of tact, concern and realism that cannot be faked. This could obviously cause immense damage to the trust you have built and the team’s morale if executed improperly.
Step 3. Stay consistent with your application of medicine.
If we continue with the analogy of a wound, we will remember that when something requires medicine there are instructions. The age old phrase, “Take two of these and call me in the morning.” comes to mind. Though, if you’ve ever needed antibiotics, you would know that it is a constant application; “Take morning and night for 2 weeks.”
You can’t just pick and choose when you will let the attitude slide. You need to stay consistent and on top of it. Do not give up hope and do not get weary.
Step 4. Never stop treating the wound.
Finally, you have treated the wound and it’s started its retreat. The natural instinct is to raise the victory flag and forget it ever happened. WRONG! Notice the antibiotics you received for your inner-ear infection say “continue taking for 1 week after symptoms subside.” As coaches and team captains, we need to stay on top of this. The explicit responses are gone, but the implicit responses will be there. These come disguised as casual and valid grievances that are looking to get a foot-hold again.
Stay on it and you will have solved the symptoms and prevented them from recurring. Be forewarned that treating symptoms is good, but eventually you need to address the root.
Step 5. Take it to the Next Level
A phrase like, “Hello Production Team!” is just as destructive as, “The Sales Team is killing us with this order!” It implies that there is a “production team.” If someone honestly believes in their heart of hearts that there are 2 teams in a company, then no matter how it is addressed, it will be a root of a thought process that manifests itself in the us vs. them symptom.
“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
If you want to solve this problem in your organization, you have to shed the idea of departmental teams. Team is a loaded word, try a new vernacular. I recommend groups and sub-groups. This is a mind-set that must be embraced by all leadership to be successful.
Often times when coaching HS and College sports, I would divide up my team into smaller groups for a period. These groups were not our identities. The team was our identity. They were temporary and for a specific purpose: training, competition and growth.
If we truly want our Team to act like one, we need to find a way to desegregate the departments to confirm that we’re all on the same team. Company picnics are great ways to break up the segregative mentality. At a team picnic, you will meet the family and friends of your teammates. It will humanize them in ways unimaginable.
A field trip to an amusement park or fair is another great way to break it up. Fantasy football is another offline tool that can bring camaraderie and connecting points with people who wouldn’t normally associate. A regular company lunch where people are encouraged to sit with people outside of their group. Perhaps there can be some prized based mini games where people break up into groups and compete together to win a free coffee or ice cream.
Breaking down the walls between departments is a post for another time, but it is the root of this Us vs. Them mentality.
Special circumstances call for special treatment
Before I sign off I want to make one final point. It’s a difficult point, but something that needs to be said. When Us vs. Them is deeply engrained in someones mind, it is very difficult to break. When it gets to this level, it has escalated to a Me vs. Them. The person cannot see outside of their rose colored lenses.
Many have rightfully referred to this as “The Me Monster.” Everything is either in support of them or an affront to them. This is a dangerous teammate and they’re infectious. They fester and spit venom at every chance they get. They’re motives are selfish and are rarely aligned with the teams.
Regardless of the cost to the organization this needs to be handled. These people either need to be willing to receive treatment –or– they need to be let go. It is hard; They may have 15 years with the company. They may be your top performer in their field of expertise. It doesn’t matter. Synergy is the variable that will justify the decision from a metrics stand point.
I have had to make this difficult calls several times; Never once have I regretted it. It is hard. Very Hard. It may even mean 5 steps backwards and 3-6 months of training a replacement. It may mean long hours recovering from the surgery. Remember, everyone is a human and everyone has a life, but not everyone is a fit for your team. Also, people may have been a fit in the past, might not be one now.
If it was easy, they wouldn’t need you. Stay strong and press on.