Number four, in a team there is always linkage between individual and team success. If you're taking notes today, you can write down these four letters, TIPO. It stands for Team and Individual Performance Objectives. If you're a team leader, link the reward that individual members receive to the success of the team. Link the rewards that individual members receive to the success of the team. That means you need two sets of objectives. The first set of objectives is the traditional workplace: Here's what you're responsible for and here's what you'll be evaluated on in terms of your personal performance. The problem is in most workplaces those are the only objectives. There needs to be a second set of objectives that says: Here are the goals for the team. You will also be evaluated on your contribution in helping the team achieve those goals. When you do that, you create that linkage that is sadly lacking in most organizations. My background is in professional… *** Think about it. Your goal as a team leader or as a team member is to create a holographic team. A holographic team is a team where every team member regardless of tenure or position or salary or background, every team member knows, understands, and is committed to the blueprint for the team's success. Now, this is powerful stuff, and I'll tell you why. Most teams don't have a blueprint, much less know what it is. Most teams, if you ask people what the team is about, they have a very vague sense of what they're supposed to be doing. They have no idea of how to tell if they're successful, and even worse, they have no idea of figuring out when it's over. All good teams have an ending point. All good teams know what the eventual success of the team looks like; because if people don't know that, they lose passion and momentum over time. People always need to know, what does success look like? *** One overriding principle, and that is in my opinion the key to dealing with conflict is to confront problems, not people; to confront problems, not people. Nobody wants to be attacked. When people feel attacked, they become defensive and resistant. When people feel you are cooperating with them to solve the problem, they feel supported and helped. Every once and a while when I try to check into my hotel, the person behind the desk will tell me they do not have my reservation. They will tell me that the hotel is full. There are no rooms at the hotel. Now, my inclination is to confront the person. It would be fun just to vent and tell them how tired I am and how upset I am that I made a reservation that's been lost and that I want a room. However, whenever I'm about to attack that person, I remember one thing. They're the only person that can give me a key to the room.