I had an interesting discussion yesterday regarding friction within a team, and how it sometimes reaches a level where it becomes difficult to work with each other. This happens in many group settings. There will always be a greater level of friction among certain individuals in a group, which will in turn impact the rest adversely. It is simple to identify this level of friction, dealing with it appropriately and diplomatically is where the real challenge lies.

If you have not read my 5 Steps to Manage Conflict article series, I do recommend it. This provides a good foundation on how to approach such matters and helps develop a good framework to deal with them. Conflict is an area which involves great deal of emotions, these often lead us to saying and doing things in the heat of the moment, which we may not mean or do ordinarily. This is fairly common and natural behavior, and all we need to do is focus on clearing our minds about the options we have, and decide how we would ideally like to resolve the conflict.

If we do not think in terms of options about closure, we are treading a dangerous path, which will only make matters worse, as well as negatively impact the morale of the entire team. Once a decision is made regarding how to proceed, it is important to stick to it, and aim to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. This could entail having to let a team member go, or leaving yourself, either way it is an emotionally draining experience. Given that a lot of work is put into building and bringing a venture upto a certain stage, having to give it up is tough.

However bigger and better things may await you, and the lessons learned from this experience will inevitably enable you to make better decisions in the future.