When Project Partners are Passive
The conference room clock ticks ominously as Syd, your project co-lead, saunters in annoyingly and predictably late. "Did you know Sarah from Accounting is my neighbor's cousin?” He grins, oblivious to your fraying patience. Weeks of shouldering the load while "Syd the Sloth" (your private moniker) ducks out for marathon lunches and early departures have left you at your wit's end. The bottom line is you're doing more than your fair share as Syd is MIA. He’s nice enough… endearing even, but as equals on this crucial initiative, you face a delicate challenge: how to hold a freeloader peer accountable to contribute in a focused, consistent, and meaningful way. Syd might not report to you, but it's time to clarify roles, responsibilities, and the definition of an equitable partnership.
You could certainly continue to bite your tongue, bide your time, and pick up Syd's slack. After all, it would be more comfortable than the discomfort of conflict, right? It could be, but saying nothing sends a loud message – that Syd's behavior is acceptable and you're fine with the status quo. Plus, it's a proven prescription for burnout and resentment (mainly yours!). Keeping mum might seem safe, but in this case, it's more like clocking in for a catastrophe.
"Hey Syd, nice of you to grace us with your presence. Did you have a productive chat with your neighbor’s sister’s cousin’s goldfish while I completed our customer analysis assignment?" Oof. While enticing, sarcasm and public ridicule are career-derailing moves. They'll likely turn Syd into a workplace adversary faster than you can say "water cooler gossip".
"Listen up, I'm drowning in work here. Either pull your weight or find another team to coast with." Blunt? Absolutely. Cathartic? You bet. Effective? Not even close. In fact, this confrontational approach is counter-productive at best, and is more likely to ignite emotion than inspire collaboration. It’s time to aim for solidarity, not mutiny.
Last, this one is your responsibility, not your manager’s. Talented managers expect their employees to handle the first, and sometimes second round, of conflict resolution talks. If Syd remains disengaged after your talks, take your frustration (calmly) and your data (detailed) to your manager and ask for their guidance and/or coaching. They might have additional context to offer.
Saying the better thing has the potential to transform this sloth into a stallion (or at least a steadily trotting pony). Consider:
"Syd, I've noticed our workload distribution seems off-balance lately. Can we talk about ways to better align our efforts? I value your input and just want to ensure we're both contributing effectively to meet our deadline." This opener acknowledges the issue without attacking Syd personally. It invites dialogue and emphasizes teamwork, setting the stage for a constructive conversation.
"As our project work gains traction, it would help to revisit our roles, responsibilities, priorities, and upcoming actions. I'm also interested in your ideas on how we can maximize our combined strengths to deliver this on time. I’ll schedule something for us on Thursday." This statement focuses on solutions and invites Syd to take ownership. It's collaborative yet assertive, steering the conversation towards concrete actions and commitment.
“I appreciate your friendly nature, Syd. I think your people skills could really shine in our need to collaborate with other departments. Would you take the lead in setting up those operating reviews with our stakeholders?" Here, you're aligning Syd's strengths to specific project actions. It's a positive approach that shows you see where he could add value. Of course, we don’t only get to work on tasks we’re good at, but this could be a step in the right direction.
Syd is deserving of your feedback, but he will only hear it from you if you have earned the right to give it to him. If trust is at the core of your relationship, go for it with love, kindness, data and specifics. Even if trust is present, respect doesn’t seem to be. He’s taking advantage of you and that needs to stop. Try:
“Syd, I really value our working relationship, but lately I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the disportionate amount I seem to be doing on this project. For example, I have [data, example, description]. This has caused me to fall behind on other obligations […or I’m working unreasonable hours, or I’m beyond stressed, or….] I’d welcome your thoughts on this with the hopes of finding a solution that works for both of us.”
Instead of mustering the strength to shoulder this project, muster the courage for a productive conversation. With the right words, you can nudge Syd from passive to productive, turning your team tension into a shared triumph.
“Gain a verbal response from not only the person in question but from your entire team to ensure they understand what’s expected of them and why their work is important A) to the organization B) to the team and C) to each other. Remember that as a leader, your role isn’t to do all the work yourself but to set the conditions for your people to optimize their potential.”
Jeff Boss, author, Navigating Chaos: How To Find Certainty In Uncertain Situations
“I’m a big fan of ‘I’ statements, such as I’m really swamped with this assignment Ted gave us this week, do you know when you’ll have time to start on it?’ or ‘I’m worried we won’t get this proposal out in time if we both don’t work on it today.’ This underutilized communication strategy always makes your comments feel less confrontational and more ‘I need you, how can we fix this together?’”
Alyse Maguire, freelance writer, editor, and content consultant
“…expect them (and everyone else on the team) to report publicly on progress during team meetings. If they haven’t done a task, they need to be saying that in front of everyone. Sometimes, the public commitment to doing a task and the public confession that it hasn’t been done, especially if everyone else is reporting real progress, can be enough to tweak someone’s attitude so the work gets done.”
Elizabeth Harrin, author, Managing Multiple Projects
Don’t stop now! Learn more from a few of our personal fav resources below:
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