Managing Difficult Team Members Through Neuroleadership Techniques - E89

Welcome, welcome, welcome. You're tuning into the Lead to Excel podcast, the hub where science meets leadership and transformation begins. I'm your host, maureen Cheyanna, founder of the Mindsight Academy, a trailblazer in the world of neuroleadership, I'm an executive neurocoach, leadership transformer and a neuroscience enthusiast, dedicated to empowering leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers like you. Every week, we delve into the heart of neuroscience to discover how you can unleash your potential, master your brain, manage emotions yours and others alter behaviors and exceed expectations. We're here to help you not just to survive, but thrive and flourish in the fast-paced world around us. We're about to kick off another high-impact episode today, diving into a topic that is powerful, intriguing and has the potential to shift your leadership journey. So, my friends, it's time to put on your thinking caps, grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable. It's time to elevate your leadership, to excel and so hire. Let's dive right in. Leadership is not domination, but the art of persuading people to work toward a common goal. This is a quote by Daniel Goldman, and it's one that I think is so appropriate for our podcast today.

Welcome back to another episode of Lead to Excel Podcast, where we strive to help you develop superior leadership skills. Today, we're diving into the challenging issue of managing difficulty members, and we're not just talking about everyday conflict. We're talking about individuals who, despite their talents, seem to create constant roadblocks and strife in the workplace. The first thing to note is that managing a challenging team member is not just about addressing the conflict. It's about understanding the root cause. There's often more going on beneath the surface, and that's where concepts like neural leadership and emotional intelligence come into play. Neural leadership is about using insights from brain science to help you be a better version of yourself, especially when you're dealing with others in a work or business environment. It's about learning how your brain works and using that knowledge to improve your interactions and effectiveness. It empowers you to optimize leadership performance, streamline collaboration and amplify productivity when faced with a disruptive team member. This approach will enable you to see beyond surface behavior to potential underlying factors like chronic stress. Neural leadership guides us to apply empathy and foster a supportive environment, reducing stress and its impact on behavior rather than unintentionally escalating the situation.

On the other hand, emotional intelligence, or EQ, is an incredibly important skill in managing relationships, particularly in the workplace. It's about more than just recognizing if you're happy, sad or frustrated. Emotional intelligence involves understanding the intricacies of your emotions, how they influence your behavior and how you can manage them effectively, particularly in stressful situations. Now let's imagine you're dealing with a difficulty member. Emotions are running high, both yours and theirs. This is where emotional intelligence really comes into play. First, it allows you to stay calm, composed and patient. You're able to recognize your own feelings of frustration or annoyance, understand why you're feeling that way and then manage those emotions so that they don't cloud your judgment or escalate the situation. Emotional intelligence also helps you to understand the emotions of the team member you're dealing with. It's not about justifying their destructive behavior, but rather about understanding what's driving it. Are they stressed, are they feeling unheard or undervalued? By understanding their emotional state, you're better equipped to understand the root cause of the issue rather than just the symptoms. Furthermore, emotional intelligence gives us tools for empathy, enabling us to put ourselves in the shoes of other people. This empathy can be a powerful tool for resolving conflicts and finding a way forward that respects everyone's needs and feelings. In essence, emotional intelligence is about building strong, understanding relationships based on empathy and effective emotional management. So, whether it's with a difficulty member or any other relationship, emotional intelligence is a vital component of successful relationships.

Let's discuss some practical strategies for dealing with difficulty members using these concepts now of neuroscience or neuroleadership and emotional intelligence. Firstly, address the issue immediately and clearly. Don't let a destructive behavior fester. This can damage team dynamics and morale. Instead, address the issue in a one-to-one setting, allowing them to voice their concerns or issues as well. Remember to communicate clearly, focusing on their behavior and its impact on the team rather than attacking their character. Next, listen actively. Give them the opportunity to express their perspective. Sometimes, destructive behavior is a symptom of unaddressed concerns or even misunderstood communication. Practice active listening, reflecting back what you've heard and seeking clarification if necessary. This gives the team member the assurance that they are being heard, which can be calming and supportive.

Let's break for a moment and discuss an important opportunity for all of you listening. If you're finding this conversation about neuroleadership and emotional intelligence intriguing and you want to learn how to apply these concepts in your own leadership or entrepreneurial journey, I want to tell you about the fantastic resource which is the Mindsight Academy. The Mindsight Academy offers specialized training that dives deeper into these concepts. The Academy focuses on training you to excel in leadership, management and personal development. Our courses are designed with a blend of scientific understanding and practical application to help leaders not just learn but implement these concepts into your everyday lives. Whether you're facing challenges in managing a difficulty member or simply want to refine your leadership skills, the Mindsite Academy provides the knowledge tools and supportive learning environment to help you succeed. Now let's get back to our discussion. As we dive deeper into the concept of managing difficulty members, keep in mind the importance of continuing learning and skill development that platforms like the Mindsite Academy can offer.

Number three on our list is to use constructive feedback. This is an essential tool when managing a difficulty member, and it's a process that requires thoughtfulness and skill. When we talk about constructive feedback, we're talking about feedback that is helpful, specific and focused on behaviour, not on the person. This is a subtle but crucial difference. The goal is to address the behaviour and its impact rather than assigning blame or passing judgement on the individual. Let's consider an example.

Let's say a team member is consistently late to meetings. A non-constructive way to address this might be to say you're always late. Or it could be that they keep dropping the ball, making the same mistake and you're telling them you keep repeating the same thing. You keep making the same mistake. These statements can feel personal accusatory and they don't give a clear direction for change. It can also be triggering, however constructive feedback could be. I've noticed you often arrive late to a team meeting, which can disrupt the flow and cause us to run over time. I'm curious is there something preventing you from arriving on time? This approach puts the focus on the specific behaviour and its impact and it opens up a dialogue by asking a question. It's not accusatory, but it does encourage the team member to reflect on their behaviour and its consequences. Remember, the purpose of constructive feedback is to provide clear guidance for improvement, not to criticize. This maintains a positive, growth-oriented environment rather than breeding defensiveness or resentment.

Now let's move on to our next point. Moving on to number 4, setting clear expectations. This is a cornerstone of effective leadership and vital in managing difficulty. Members, expectations should never be a guessing game. As a leader, it's your responsibility to establish clear, understandable guidelines for behavior in the workplace. This includes what's acceptable and what's not. It's essential to be specific about these expectations to avoid any misunderstanding. For instance, if punctuality is an issue in team meetings, specify the time by which everyone is expected to be present and ready. If the disruption is about unprofessional communication, lay out what respectful and constructive dialogue looks like in your team setting. But setting expectations is not enough. You also need to communicate potential repercussions if those expectations aren't met.

Now, this isn't about creating a culture of fear or punishment. It's about fostering a culture of accountability. Let's continue with our example of punctuality. If someone is repeatedly late, the repercussions might start with a private discussion, then perhaps a written warning, and then escalate from there if the behavior doesn't change. The idea is to be consistent and fair in enforcing these expectations and consequences. It encourages team members to take responsibility for their actions and understand that their behaviors have implications not just for them, but for the entire team. Fair expectations provide a framework for acceptable behavior, promoting a healthy, productive and respectful work environment. It's not about control. It's about clarity and mutual understanding.

Finally, encouraging behavioral change. This might sound challenging, but understanding how our brain works can give us the tools to make this process easier and more effective. Neuroscience provides insight into why we behave the way we do. For instance, our brains are wired to form habits through repetition. When we do something over and over, our brain starts to automate that behavior, which can be good if it's a positive habit, but not so much if it's disruptive or negative or limiting. But here's the good news we can leverage this very principle of habit formation to replace disruptive, limiting behaviors with positive ones. If a team member is continually interrupting in meetings, for example, you could encourage a new habit, such as getting them to write down their thoughts and waiting for an appropriate moment to share.

Changing a habit isn't easy and it doesn't happen overnight. It requires patience, support and reinforcement. It might be helpful to set small, attainable goals at first and gradually build up to the desired behavior, recognize and praise progress, no matter how small. This can go a long way in motivating the team member and reinforcing the new behavior. Remember, the goal is not to change the person, but to help them alter specific behaviors that are disruptive. This is a more compassionate, respectful and ultimately effective approach to dealing with difficult team members. So this brings us to the end of our main conversation and, as we wrap up this episode, I'd like to leave you with a few final thoughts. Dealing with difficult team members can certainly be a challenge, but it's part of the journey of leadership. It's important to remember that everyone is dealing with their own unique circumstances and stresses, and sometimes this can manifest as disruptive behavior at work when faced with such situations, it's your role as leaders to approach this situation with understanding, patience and a focus on improvement rather than punishment.

Neural leadership and emotional intelligence are not just buzzwords. They are tools that can help you navigate these challenges more effectively. Each challenge is an opportunity for growth and learning, and remember learning is a continuous process. Platforms like the Mindsight Academy can offer invaluable insights and tools to hone your leadership skills and navigate challenges more effectively. Thanks again for tuning in to this episode of Lead to Excel podcast. I hope you found it informative and insightful. Until next time, keep leading, keep growing and don't forget to excel by learning how to rewire your brain.

Bye for now, we've gotten to the end of another enlightening episode of Lead to Excel podcast. Thank you for spending your valuable time with us today diving deep into the intriguing world of neuroscience and leadership. Remember, the journey to personal and professional excellence is not a sprint, it's a marathon, and every step, no matter how small, brings you closer to your goals. If you found value in our conversation today and its packed insights or even questions, I invite you to share your thoughts with us. Join our community on the Mindsight Academy. It's called Limitless Leaders Community where we continue the conversation and share valuable resources to help you lead and excel.

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