In this blog Let us talk about the different types of ineffective team members .These team members are usually “forced on” to the leader either as part of “mentoring exercises ” or as part of “organizational restructuring initiatives”. The leader in most cases, would be left with no choice, but to roll up his sleeves, and pray that his efforts would transform this “rag-tag unruly bunch” into a “cohesive collaborative perfect team” which he so desperately wants!!! Please feel free to add more insights, based on your unique perspectives and experiences .Do share and comment!!

1. How to deliver results successfully, with an incompetent team
“A groupis a bunch of people inanelevator.A teamisalsoa bunch of people inanelevator,butthe
elevatorisbroken!” Bonnie Edelstein
To all leaders,let me start by asking a pertinentquestion ------
Whenwas the last time, you‘Inherited’ a self-organized,immensely-skilledandhighly-collaborative
perfect team to fulfill yourdreamvision?
If you are still reeling undertheimpact of the question, and racking yourlittle grey cells hard to find a
“respected”number,then don’tworry atall!!!
We all are on the samegodforsaken rickety boat;a boatwhich also containsthecustomeron board!!
We need to getthis customersafely on shoreby steering this “rickety boat”acrossthe stormy seas!!!
That is what we are expected to do as leaders,and that isour only UniqueSellingPoint!
In mylast blog,Howto be incompetent,and yetsurvive'peacefully' I spoke aboutincompetentleaders
whowreakhavoc on the teamdue to theirweirdcharacteristics.InthisblogLetustalk about
incompetentteammembers .These teammembers are usually“forcedon”tothe leadereitheraspart
of “mentoringexercises”or as part of “organizational restructuringinitiatives”.
The leaderinmostcases would be leftwithnochoice,butto roll up hissleeves,andpraythathisefforts
wouldtransformthis“rag-tagunrulybunch”intoa “cohesive collaborative perfectteam”whichhe so
desperately wants!!! Pleasefeel free to add more insights,based on yourunique perspectivesand
experiences .Do share and comment!!
The Glowing Greenhorn
The greenhorn is theultimate victor in everything;it is he thatgets the mostoutof life - GilbertK.
Chesterton
As the name suggests,theyhave eithernoexperienceorverylittle experience intheir roles.Butthey
make up fortheirlack of experience withaglowingzeal forlearningnew thingsand averyinfectious
attitude of teamworkand collaboration.Unfortunately theirlackof experience makesthem non-
productive andan initial liabilityforthe leader.
How to get results out of the Glowing greenhorn.
 Investinthem,train them,andexploittheirattitude.Remember, Skill istemporary,attitudeis
permanent.
 Setthemgoals,monitorthe goalsand raise the bar higheraftereverycompletion.
 Protectthemfromorganization“bullies”.Keeptheirmotivationhighalways.

2. The Withered Greenhorn
Your attitude,notyouraptitude,will determineyouraltitude. - Zig Ziglar
Theyare alsogreenhornsbutwithzeroattitude towards work.They are characterized bya marked
lazinessandlethargytowardsanythingremotelyresemblingworkand tendtoescape whenthe pressure
becomes high.They maybe strikingly intelligentguysorout of the worlddumb guys,butthat oftendoes
not matter,as everythingtheyhave is effectively neutralizedbytheirlaissez-faire attitude and
unwillingnesstogothat “extramile”tolearnnew things.They love beingspoon-fedanddollopsof it!
How to get results out of the Withered greenhorn.
 Have a candidtalkwiththemand alignyourobjectiveswiththeircareeraspirationsintoa
perfectfit.
 Adopta dictatorial attitude.Setthemgoalswithdeadlinesandmonitorthe progressclosely
everyday.Don’tgive themtime to breathe!!
 Alignthemwithteamshavingthe “highest”work load.Use worktocut throughtheirslimy,
muddy exteriorsandexposethe real goldthey have;Theiruntappedpotential.
The Dead Dodo
The Dodo neverhad a chance.He seemsto havebeen invented forthe sole purposeof becoming extinct
and thatwasall he wasgood for--Will Cuppy
The dodo bird inhabitedthe islandof Mauritiusinthe IndianOcean,where itlivedundisturbedforso
longthat it lostitsneedandabilitytofly.Itlivedandnestedonthe groundand ate fruitsthat hadfallen
fromtrees. Thusdue to its own deficiencies coupledwithhuman exploitation,this wonderful bird
became extinctinlessthan100 years.
Our “Dodos”are the old timersinthe organizationwhohave yearsandyearsof experience butlackof
newlearningshave made theirskills obsolete andredundant.They are mostlybestowed as“largesse”to
leaders,aspart of “corporate restructuring”exercises.Thus the Leadergetsa setof individuals whoare
veryexperiencedonpaperbutof no use when“actual”workneedstobe done.
How to get results out of the Dead Dodo.
 Theyhave spent “years”in the organization,Respectthat.Use empathyandcompassiontoget
your pointacrosssoftlybutdecisively.
 Learningnewthingsisboth“alien”and“difficult”tothem.Give themextendedsupportandall
opportunitiesforthemtoupdate theirskills.
 Use theirexistingexperienceandfindoutwaysandmeanswhere thatcan be leveragedinthe
currentsetup. Keep their morale flying high!!

3. The Mysterious Yeti
I thoughtIsawhim once,butit turned outto be a yeti --JohnScalzi
In the folklore of Nepal,the Yeti orAbominableSnowmanisanape-like entitytallerthananaverage
humanthat is saidto inhabitthe Himalayanregionof Nepal,BhutanandTibet.Althoughmanysitings
have beenreportedfromtime totime of thismysteriouscreature,lackof credible evidence has
confinediteffectivelywithinthe realmsof mythical folklore.
Our “Yeti”is noless mysterious.He revelsinhisremarkable abilitytostayas far away as possible from
the team whichhe calledthe “crowd”.He isreclusive,aloofandsometimesabitof a maverickinhis
work.He may be skilledand experiencedbutthistotal lackof collaborationandunorganizedwayof
workingmakeshimmore of a liabilitythananassettothe leader.
How to get results out of the Mysterious Yeti.
 Understandthe reasonsbehindtheir behavior.Pluck the “low hanging”fruitsfirsttogetthem
intothe “groove”.
 Alignthemtoteamswhere collaborationis “mandatory”.Make them“accountable”forthe final
result.
 Pushthemto participate inteambuildingactivities.Assign some “Greenhorns”tothemandask
themto “mentor”themto success. Break the ice, weldthem intothe team DNA!
The Barking Dog – Which seldom bites.
If you are a junkyard dog,you assumethatthat'swhatlifeis: chained up,barking all day --Bruce
Robinson
Theyare supposedlythe mostexperiencedandmost knowledgeable guysinthe team.The onlyproblem
withthese guysis“lack of accountability”.They claimtodo this,dothat and whatnot but whenit
comesto the crunch time of takingthe ownershipanddelivering results,they convenientlyescape out
of the volcano!!Theyexcel inwastingtime inirrelevantnitty-gritties,ignoringwithdisdainthe mountain
that loomsaheadof them!!
How to get results out of the Barking Dog.
 Adoptan assertive attitude.Confront them,allay theirfearsandstressonthemthe
“expectations”requiredoutof them.
 “Put themincharge” and make themaccountable forthe successandfailure of a particular
team.Merge accountabilitywithcareeraspirations.
 Pushthemto participate intrainingsrelatedtotime managementandorganizedworking.Ask
themto prove themselvesby “walkingthetalk”.

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About the author-:
Ravi Rajan is a global IT program manager based out of Mumbai, India. He is also an avid
blogger, Haiku poetry writer, archaeology enthusiast and history maniac. Connect with
Ravi on LinkedIn, Medium and Twitter.
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