Second Chances

One of the most difficult situations that leaders must confront is how to deal with a team member who has acted out of bounds.  There are a variety of scenarios here.  Sometimes the member thinks that they can fix something on their own and on the fly.  Sometimes they think that they understand an issue better than you or the team. Or sometimes they simply think that they are smarter than the collective group (which includes you), and that they are the white knight who will save the fair maiden.

The last case is the easiest to address.  This person cannot be saved, and you cannot save them. This person is convinced that the smartest person in the room has not arrived until they walk in. They are convinced that their arrogance and disloyalty will be vindicated and rewarded.  You can’t change them. Cut your losses. 

The person who thinks that they understand the issue better than you or the team is a tough nut, as well.  They may be responsive to constructive criticism, but they will need to mend fences with the team, as well as with you.  They will also need to understand that their input is valuable, but that in the end the team moves ahead as a unit.  No one’s contribution can overshadow the consensus of the group.  By the way, that sometimes applies to you as a leader, as well.  The willingness of this person to come back to the team will be apparent and should help guide your decision in how to deal with them.


This person could ultimately end up falling either into the “smartest person in the room” category, or into the category of the person who goofed by trying to fix something on their own without understanding the ramifications.  This latter category is often the easiest to deal with.  The person involved is likely to be junior and relatively inexperienced.  They need guidance in basic process implementation, teamwork, and politics. With luck, someone on your team will mentor this person and the team will grow stronger as a result.  If not, it may be necessary for you to help this person understand the lay of the land and work with both the person and the team to determine the best path forward.

Of course, these scenarios are generalizations.  And we all know that no generalization is worth a damn.  But generalizations are often a damned good place to start.

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