How To Put A Conflict Aside For The Good Of The Team

You have a team member who happens to be the best pitcher in a baseball team. This team member has had a misunderstanding with the head coach, they just don’t see eye to eye. Now the head coach will not play this player & makes him sit on the bench as a form of punishment. This situation is getting worse & has had a toll on the team’s overall performance. Pitcher #2 has been trying his best to fill in, but being the only pitcher in the team now, it has really been hard on him & his performance. We are losing games that we could have won had we played our ace pitcher. If this player cannot be removed from the team, how can we smooth the rift between this player & the coach to take advantage of this player’s skills for the better of the team? The team feels that if the coach who is just as stubborn as this player can work out their differences for the better of the team, we can some how salvage this season in a positive manner & possibly even go into post season. Is it possible to make this situation into a win / win result? Please advise.

The Team Doc Says…

Are there any adults in the house? Geesh. Sounds like the coach is acting like a two year old having a temper tantrum. Not a good demonstration of leadership by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, that could be an incorrect interpretation on my part since I don’t know the facts of the situation.

Having an effective team is about focusing on the goals of the team and how each team member can contribute to this objective.

You don’t say what got the coach and pitcher into this conflict mess, so I’m going to assume the pitcher did something the coach told him not to and the coach is holding him accountable for those actions. That is not a bad thing.

One of the biggest issues in the business world today is that people are not held accountable for their actions — but — we don’t just sideline them and keep them out of the game. We put them on a performance plan by outlining specific behaviors they must demonstrate and key outcomes they must achieve. Then if the team member can’t meet those expectations, we get rid of them.

That’s what should happen in this situation to achieve a win for the coach, a win for the pitcher and a win for the team. Put the pitcher on a performance plan and if he can’t meet the criteria for acceptable behavior, he’s off the team (not just on the bench).

But you have to help the coach be a grown up first and see the error of his ways. He needs to be held accountable by someone too. I would guess that would be you or a group of parents that are willing to help the coach see the error of his ways. You will need to keep this discussions as “emotionless” as possible. Talk about facts, expectations and outcomes and how he can lead the team better by rising above his current level of behavior. And if he doesn’t, maybe he should be fired too.

How about you reader? What are your thoughts about this situation? Please leave a comment.