Door 8

The fir tree is crooked, the aunt is late, the grandson doesn't like the socks that grandma knitted so lovingly and would rather play Playstation than sit at the table with the family ... Christmas with the family can be an explosive mix. Things often clash, especially with your own parents or partner. A third argue about the course and organization of the festivities. For a quarter, relationship problems cause conflict and 19 percent of respondents quarrel over the distribution of tasks, according to a survey by YouGov. And yet everyone just wants a perfect and harmonious Christmas Eve ...

But why is it that the oh-so contemplative holidays so often mean stress for everyone? First of all, it is certainly due to the different ideas of the festivities - there may be very different definitions of the ideal Christmas, from contemplative to boisterous to merry. And then everyone has their own "customs" and "rituals" in their head that are simply part of Christmas. A lot comes together and this mixture often brings out subliminal conflicts that can otherwise be concealed and covered up so well.

This or something similar is often the case when working together in project teams, especially when different departments, countries and experts come together for a project or topic and there is one person responsible for the task, but no disciplinary manager who can perhaps put their foot down here and there. Often, not everyone is pursuing the same goal or does not have the same expectations of the outcome. Sometimes the project is more important to some participants than others, as everyone is still busy with their day-to-day business and may prioritize their own issues higher. And different people bring different ways of working together to the team. Leading teams without the corresponding authority to issue instructions therefore seems to be a bottomless pit. Nevertheless, there are many ways, tools and methods to achieve excellent results even without the authority to issue directives and especially with a diverse team - with fun in the process and from a motivation that does not stem from a brief instruction from the disciplinary manager.

Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of "Leading beyon Authority – shaping collaboration, driving topics and projects" in our thyssenkrupp Academy program. This program is available in German and English, virtually and on-site learning format.