How to handle a complaint about a teammate
In a 1:1, someone on your team says a colleague is making it hard to work together.
What they might say
- “They keep shutting down my ideas.”
- “We can't agree on who owns this.”
- “I'm tired of having the same argument.”
What's usually behind it
The tension may come from unclear responsibilities, different expectations, or repeated behavior. You need specific examples before deciding what support or action is needed.
What you can say
- Can you walk me through the most recent example and how it affected your work?
- I want to understand what happened before deciding what to do.
- Let's agree on what I'll take forward and when I'll follow up.
Try not to
- Taking sides before understanding what happened.
- Telling them to sort it out without checking how serious it is.
How Earshot helps in the moment
Earshot listens live, shows one short card with a suggested line to clarify the conflict, and nudges you on pace.
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