The 5 Types of People Who Hold Their Teams Back at Work

The 5 Types of People Who Hold Their Teams Back at Work Working collaboratively in the workplace can be a challenge. We all come with our own professional baggage, experiences, and opinions, and it can sometimes be difficult to accept that aelendher colleagues approach could be as effective or even better than our own.Whether we are leaders of an organization, a department, or a project, or chose somewhere else in the mix, we all have a role to play and a job to do. The best of us can put ego aside at work for the good of the team. Others not so much. We all know what its like to work with someone who just doesnt quite grasp the concept of teamwork.Here are five of the worst offenders.1. The Do-It-Yourselfer (DIYer)No, I dont mean the partie whos great at turning an old pillow case into a prom dress. Im talking about the one in the office who insists on doing everything him or herself.Whether in general office matters or on a project, this person will hijack anything they can get th eir hands on and run with it. They have no trust or faith in the competency of their peers or direct-reports, so they do everything on their own. Because of this, the DIYer can never effectually lead or work collaboratively with others. This type of behavior is toxic for teams because it never allows anyone elses thoughts or contributions to shine.2. The GhostHave you ever seen this person? No one has at least, not when you need them.The Ghost will float in and out of meetings and conversations without you even knowing they were there. When you need them to take the lead on a task, theyre nowhere to be found. They have an e-mail account and a phone number, so youre pretty aya they exist, but its impossible to be certain. The Ghost is bad for the team because their lack of effort means everyone else must work twice as hard.3. The ExpertYou may recognize this person from the way they preface every sentence with the word actually.This person knows everything and believes their way of doing things is always best. The Expert may sound a bit like the DIYer, but actually, theyre different because they have little interest in monopolizing the workloadthey just want you to know the right way things should be done. Who gets the job done is of no concern to them. This person holds their team back because they never cede to anothers point of view, and they rarely have anything collaborative to contribute.4. The Debbie DownerDid your team just knock a project out of the park three weeks early? Thats incredibleunless youre Debbie Downer. She (or he) cant get excited about anything.When things go well, she will find something to complain about. And when things go wrong? Well, Debbie Downers not surprised. She knew all along that this bad thing would happen. Debbie Downers are bad for teams because they bring the whole mood of the group down. Theyre self-limiting, and when they work with others, they limit everyone.5. The Kudos ThiefIm sorry, was this a group effort? You wou ldnt know it from talking to the Kudos Thief.If the Kudos Thief were a supervillain, theyd get their powers from stealing the credit due to others. The Kudos Thief is toxic to the rest of the team because they refuse to acknowledge anyone elses efforts. Worse, they usually know when someone else has done a great job, yet they still refuse to give credit where its due.If youre on a team, dont be a DIYer, Ghost, Expert, Debbie Downer, or Kudos Thief. Share, collaborate, and support your fellow professionals.--Candace is a practicing attorney, working parents advocate, freelance writer, and proud mom. Her legal practice focuses on workers rights. She can be found writing about law, motherhood, and mora on her blog asThe Mom at Law.