Our workplace has become a perpetually changing environment fueled by the demand for greater results with fewer resources. People are called upon to participate in teams to repeatedly rethink, restructure, reinvent, and redeploy business resources. The changing times in which we live require talented individuals skilled at working in teams.

Teams are enriched with individuals who offer a wide spectrum of talents in areas such as behaviors and motivators – that is a given. Or is it? After closer observation of teamwork in your organization, you may find a number of team members who are merely tolerating their counterparts due to what is commonly described as “personality differences.” Gregory E. Huszczo, author of Tools for Team Excellence (1996), and Tools for Team Leadership (2004), advises that successful teams must develop an awareness of the individual strengths each member contributes. 

“Capitalizing on the natural strengths of your personality and enjoying interaction with people who are different from you are crucial for (team) success. Tolerating differences in the personalities of people you work with is not enough – you need to celebrate those differences. They provide the natural strengths you may need to benefit the team.”

Personality conflicts are common, and they inevitably lead to “talent withdrawal” by team members who are experiencing them. As a result, these individuals most likely have opted out of actively contributing to attaining team goals. The team cannot perform up to its maximum potential until solutions are found. How do you recognize talent withdrawal in your teams? It can be demonstrated in several ways. Here are two of the most common:

1) LIMITED PARTICIPATON IN TEAM MEETINGS

If team members withhold contributions during team meetings, this signals talent withdrawal. Their energies are being directed elsewhere. Looking through their eyes, some reasons may be:

	One or two members consistently dominate meetings by talking all the time
	A member habitually uses the team meetings to promote personal successes and self-interest
	Too much theory and details are regularly discussed at length, with no practical applications
	A couple of members regularly engage in heated debate, perceived by others as undesirable conflict and aggressiveness

2) MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN TEAM MEMBERS

No two people are exactly alike, and differences can contribute either great value or unwanted tension to any team. Misunderstandings between team members can often be a matter of the following:

	A team member with an indirect communication style feels continually “shut down” and resentful about another’s naturally direct communication style
	Another is not aware that his lengthy, analytical communication style regularly blocks his messages from being welcomed by others
	Someone consistently displays a lack of value for people-related topics, offending those whose motivators are more people-oriented
	One team member is personally motivated to take the lead all the time, while others feel their contributions are consistently overshadowed

How can you take steps to prevent talent withdrawal in your teams? Many team leaders use behavior and motivator diagnostics to reveal how team members can leverage their different talents to work together most effectively. Individualized reports on behavioral styles and personal motivators reveal both strengths and potential weaknesses. With this knowledge, teams gain effective tools for addressing teamwork issues and maximizing performance.

Teams will continue to fuel progress in the workplace, and valuing and leveraging different talents will remain essential tools for achieving powerful teamwork.