We don’t always have the opportunity to choose our team.  Often, and especially in the military, we have to succeed with the team we have been given.  This is a challenging reality.  And, as I wrote about here, developing talent is harder than managing talent.

What do we do when there is conflict on our team, and a member leaves because of the conflict?  To reduce the potential for new conflict, as well as to ease the tension, team leaders can take three steps.

1 – Send the outgoing team member away with honor.  Celebrate what they have accomplished, and leave no space for any other members of the team to sense your displeasure.  Treat the outgoing member with dignity and respect.

2 – During your next team meeting, celebrate the accomplishments your team has made while the outgoing team member was transitioning out.  Often, the remaining team members are forced to take up the slack or accomplish additional tasks.  It is important that we, as the leader, celebrate them for this and praise their actions.

3 – Meet with your remaining team members one on one and ask how they are processing the potential tension created by the loss.  This is vital as it allows each team member to voice their concerns and understand that you care about each member.

Losing a team member due to conflict is hard, but it is inevitable.  By taking proactive steps we can ensure our remaining team members feel heard, safe, and mission focused.