This week Noorul Choudhury was shown the boardroom door after the team he was in lost a bric-a-brac selling task. In addition to selling a skeleton for far below its worth, Noorul was dismissed by Sir Alan Sugar for not contributing enough to the task.
Monster.co.ukís Apprentice watcher observes:
ìIt seems that Noorulís exit was caused not by what he did but by what he didnít do. When we work in teams itís essential that our presence is felt. Itís vital that everyone has a say, and is encouraged to contribute to tasks.î
Workers who take a back seat can ruin any teamís productivity, but this can be counteracted. Monster.co.uk recommends the following tips to help motivate and include less confident members of teams:
- Think – is your colleague actually underperforming or does he/she simply need training in a certain area?
- Speak out immediately when a mistake happens – but criticism should be constructive
- Remember a team is the sum of its parts – failure reflects on everyone involved, so it is important to work together
- Quiet team members are just as capable of producing good ideas as anyone else – itís important to be able to manage all the different personalities on a team
- Keep control – anger directed at an underperforming colleague wonít help the situation
The Apprentice: teams are the sum of their parts
Tips from Monster.co.uk on how to work with underperforming colleagues
