Trainer Talk: Teambuilding Dilemma

By Bonnie Burn

A volatile manager dumps his problem employees at your door. Or executives decide you will begin next week implementing the new training course for the organization. Where do you find practical training solutions for these dilemmas? Great question! My best resource has been seasoned trainers who shared 
their insights. So this new column, “Trainer Talk,” will offer just that: practical training solutions to your training problems. You are welcome to submit your training challenges to Editor Lorri Freifeld (lorri@trainingmag.com) for consideration for this column. To get started, here is a training “opportunity” I have encountered:

Q: I started working for the company three months ago. One of the managers dropped by, on the pretext of just saying ,“Hi.” As I looked up, he launched into one complaint after another, blaming “two problem employees.” Then he inserted, with a big smile, “But, I have the solution. I told my boss you would do one of those teambuilding sessions with my group. She thought that was an excellent idea. So, my assistant will contact you tomorrow to schedule. Thanks.”

Should I do the teambuilding training?

A: Yes, do the teambuilding training, but first...

REVIEW REALITY:

• You are new to the company and probably have little or no clout established.
• Just a teambuilding session most likely will yield little to no buy-in with the team.
• A formal needs assessment might cause alarm among team members.
• Quick results are expected, and if not realized, you are the scapegoat.
• The manager actually may be the problem…then what?

PRACTICAL PROCESS

1. Select a validated, online self-assessment (e.g., True Colors, Short MBTI, DISC).

• When choosing, consider whether the report 
includes individual, group, and manager 
insights and emphasizes accountability.
• Administer and plan to weave in an informal needs assessment while debriefing.

2. Gain the manager’s buy-in.

• The strategy: self-assessment, debrief, team session, action steps.
• You’re the expert; he came to you for help. Provide team success examples.
• Ask the manager to take the assessment and evaluate the strategy.

3. Facilitate confidential, one-on-one 
debriefings.

• This makes it easier to address resistance, establish rapport, and build group buy-in.
• •dentify complaint patterns, “real” issues, and positive communication skills.

4. Conduct a targeted teambuilding session.

• Incorporate learning activities that tactfully 
address identified “real” issues.
• Strategically pair members for confidential 
discussions. (You assist where needed.)

5. Check back with the manager.

• Discuss his feedback with the “two problem 
employees” and ask about the team’s progress.
• Use this feedback to “unofficially” coach the manager. (Remember, he might be the real problem!)

WHAT DID YOU ACCOMPLISH?

• The manager can show his boss he took action to address his “people problem.”
• You tactfully did a needs assessment, without alarming team members.
• You provided every team member with additional, practical communication support.
• You increased your credibility, setting the stage for future teambuilding successes.

Bonnie Burn is CEO of DISCcert and the author of “Assessments A to Z” and “Flip Chart Power.” For 25 years, organizations have used her assessments, coaching, management skills training, teambuilding workshops, and train-the-trainer certification programs to grow.

Visit www.trainingmag.com for a “3 R’s Checklist” designed to help you “review reality” the next time a teambuilding or special training opportunity lands at your training doorstep. And if you would like input on one of your challenging training “opportunities,” please send to an e-mail to Editor-in-Chief Lorri Freifeld at lorri@trainingmag.com.