One of the most difficult and destructive team personalities to deal with in an organization is one that I call the “Piranha.” Like the South American fish that eats other fish it perceives as a threat, this personality type sabotages team success by manipulating and coercing others for personal gain.

For example, a “piranha” type might send a subordinate to participate in a team meeting, but not allow their delegate to make any decisions. The result – no decisions get made. When this person finally does show up in a meeting, they contribute very little, even when specifically addressed, or are dismissive and caustic in responding to other members’ ideas and inputs.

When a person creates this type of internal conflict during a team meeting and it’s not addressed immediately, the project and sometimes the team can be left in shreds. A fast and easy solution to achieve team success would be to remove the person from the project. But what if that’s not possible? What if you, as team leader, have been instructed to “work with” this person because some believe they can add significant value to the team?

No matter how strong your team leadership skills, how charismatic your personality or how fluidly you negotiate, a “piranha” will require a lot of time and attention to manage. The key to managing this personality type successfully lies in finding a way to address them professionally and respectfully, while continuing to inspire the team, enabling them to succeed.

In my new book, POWER TEAMS: The New SQUARE ROOT MODEL^TM That Changes Everything!, I provide a series of SQUARE ROOT TOOLS^TM and collaboration strategies that help you support and promote team development, while improving company productivity. For a sneak peek at POWER TEAMS, visit my Facebook page at www.fb.com/PowerTeamsDeb. You can download Chapter 8 for free, and learn how to bolster your team leadership skills so you can deal with the “piranha” type personality and achieve team success.

Technological advances and the tightening global economy have prompted companies to relocate their employees around the world – creating virtual global teams. But how do you implement consistency and quality in business in this emerging world of telecommuting, flexible schedules, and global satellite offices?

As business leaders, we know first-hand that achieving goals takes drive, determination and focused persistence. And those same ingredients are required to create, lead and build high performance teams.

Let’s face it, team challenges arise, unforeseen events transpire and Murphy’s Law can rule despite the most thoughtful plans and objectives. Team distractions are powerful destroyers of team success. Therefore, it is important to handle them calmly and with authority.

Through years of participating on and leading teams, I have learned first-hand how to neutralize and remove negative behaviors and capitalize on positive conduct within a team. My experiences led to the development of a new model for team success, detailed in my new book, POWER TEAMS: The New SQUARE ROOT MODEL^TM That Changes Everything! In this book, you’ll learn how to use the model and tools I developed to help you leverage your own teams for success.

The SQUARE ROOT MODEL^TM of team development is made up of four key components: strategy, structure, systems and skills. Rooted within these key components are the SQUARE ROOT TOOLS^TM. By clearly defining the key team “issues” in order of importance, leaders are able to analyze and determine which of the SQUARE ROOT TOOLS^TM will effectively manage and provide the greatest potential for your company’s team success.

Designed to help you support and encourage team collaboration as you work together on improving performance, and coping with the natural set backs that come along, POWER TEAMS changes everything!  You’ll find that the SQUARE ROOT TOOLS^TM will prove influential in leveraging excellence from your teams, enabling you to make the greatest impact, accelerate progress, and drive your POWER TEAMS to success!