FAHA: Dealing with a problematic team member

[Beth Sweet]

During the preseason, we have all sorts of new personalities and everyone is trying to get to a point where they can work together. This FIRST-A-Holic is having some issues with a difficult personality.

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I am having a problem with a team member of mine. It seems that they do not recognize what they are doing. They constantly are going against me when I come up with an idea or when I try to say something; it doesn't matter, they always have the right words it seems to catch me off guard. It's to the point that I can't prove that my point (which in fact is the correct one, by facts that is).

The part that gets me even more, is that people believe this person and they have created this reputation throughout my team as "the person who knows what is going on". They also keep thinking for the team, even though it is just their opinion for what they're saying. The worst part is that most of the time, what the team wants is different from what they think.

It got as bad as they started a rumor that another member on my team was going to get kicked off because the problematic team member said the other person was doing bad things at a competition. When I asked the team leaders, this never happened, yet the entire team believed that the accused did in fact do it.

Please, I need help graciously taking down this ego which is splitting the team into two parts causing trouble with in the team.

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FIRST-a-holic Anonymous mailbox is a place to share your concern and frustration about your FIRST experience anonymously. It is the perfect place if you just want someone to listen, or ask for advice when you don’t know what to do. Submit your letters today at the FIRST-a-holic anonymous mailbox forum. If you wish to respond to this thread anonymously, please PM Beth or Bharat with your response and thread title.