You sense your team has issues simmering beneath the surface.
But no one talks about them, including you.
It’s easy to hope they’ll just fade away.
But have you ever wondered what ignoring them really costs?
Your high performers will start planning their exit.
Productivity will take a nosedive.
And you’ll continue to lose your team’s respect.
Imagine the shift you could make if you had the courage to tackle these issues head-on.
What kind of culture could you create with openness and resilience at its core?
Do you face the challenges and grow, or ignore them and risk everything you’ve built?
In this week’s episode, we’ll explore how to navigate team challenges and lead them to high performance.
How Women Leaders in IT Navigate Conflict and Restore Team Trust
I think it’s safe to assume you’ve experienced this scenario at some point in your career.
These conflicts and unresolved issues don’t just disappear.
They linger and grow. And they start to impact performance and team culture.
So as a woman leader in IT, where do you begin?
By listening.
Having one conversation at a time.
Sitting down with each team member and asking open-ended questions like:
- What obstacles are preventing you from doing your best work?
- How can I better support you and the team?
- How do you feel about the current communication within the team?
- What do you believe needs to change?
This is where your presence really matters.
Put the laptop away.
Silence the notifications and messages.
Listen without defending.
And listen without trying to fix the problems in the moment.
Once you’ve gathered feedback, bring the team back together.
Share the common themes and talk openly about the challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Collaborate with your team to determine the highest priorities.
- What is creating the most risk?
- What is impacting customers?
- What needs attention now—and what can wait?
When your team helps solve the issues, they’ll become more invested in the solution.
If the conflict involves specific individuals, meet with them one-on-one first. Then bring them together. And if the situation calls for it, involve HR or another independent partner to help guide the conversation.
This type of work takes persistence and follow through. Continue to meet with your team at least monthly to report on progress and next steps.
Working through team challenges like this can feel heavy when you already have a full work load and other responsibilities.
And yet…this is the work of leadership. As uncomfortable as it can feel sometimes.
The issues will not resolve themselves on their own. It takes a dedicated leader to ensure they are addressed successfully.
I recall a time in my career when two teams I worked with were at odds. There was constant finger pointing and placing blame. Neither team wanted to take responsibility or ownership for the problem.
The conflict was impacting a highly visible IT service across the company.
I knew it couldn’t be ignored, so for an entire year (yes, you heard that right—12 months), I worked through the issues with them.
We met weekly and the issues were treated like a project with clear accountability and follow-up.
At first, progress was slow.
But after about a month, a positive shift began to take place.
People started taking ownership and accountability for issues that only they could solve.
The blaming and finger pointing turned into productive problem-solving discussions.
Over time, partnerships were formed and relationships repaired.
Customer satisfaction scores improved significantly.
I reported status and progress to our executive leadership team every quarter to keep them apprised.
And while it was challenging in the interim, it was incredibly gratifying to see the teams work together to achieve common goals.
We had achieved a cohesive, productive team environment. And let me tell you, that felt really good! Woohooo!
And yes—I gained respect from both teams and executive leadership.
It wasn’t because I had all the answers. It was because I was willing to lean in and stay in the discomfort long enough to guide the team through it.
Working through team challenges is not easy, but ignoring the issues is never the right long-term strategy.
So when you sense something simmering beneath the surface, don’t turn away. Step in and face the problems with grit and grace as a woman leader in IT.
Model the behaviors you want to lead by and be remembered for.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to lead the hard conversations with persistence.
Stay empowered and lead assertively!