I had the privilege (I can say that now) of inheriting a toxic, dysfunctional, under-performing, miserable inside sales team a few years ago. I mean this group was bad off! Everyone was too busy to stop and actually do anything about this small group so the problems just got worse and worse until they were a sales AND HR nightmare. It was time to do something. So, lucky me, I was the chosen one to take this team and it's troubles on. This team was turned around within 30-60 days and became a model for other teams like it around the country. I thought it might be nice to share how we made this u-turn in case their are other managers struggling with the quicksand of a team with low morale and low performance.

First, I met with the Sales Manager to hear her side of the story. The problems were blatantly obviously and I quickly realized that her team ruled the roost and she had little control. It was like my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Jackson (I won't even go there!). She had no control and the team took advantage of her weakness.

I worked with this dedicated (most would have run screaming from this mess by now) Manager to help her gain some control and respect and quickly realized this was beyond her abilities and definitely beyond her comfort. I was able to work with my leadership and find her another more suitable role in the company where she thrives today.

I replaced her with a lady from another territory who wasn't even currently in management. She was in a sales role and demonstrated amazing leadership skills with her customers and internal team. She was process oriented, genuinely cared about her team and customers and made smart decisions about creating solutions that were good for everyone. And - she never got run over by her team mates or customers. In fact, she had successful run and sold a business during her lifetime. I had a gut feeling about her and, man, was I right! The rest of the credit goes to her.

The rest of this success story belongs to this new manager. She immediately did the following things:

• First, this Manager just spent a week observing and getting to know the team.
• At the end of her first week, she met with the team and acknowledged what everyone already knew. It maybe hadn't been said out loud, but this new manager said it. No one had confidence in this group, no one respected this group and they didn't operate like a successful team.
• She didn't necessarily make it personal. There are characteristics of successful teams across organizations and this team did not have most of those characteristics - sales process, goals, work time expectations, etc. She simply pointed this out.
• She regularly spent one-on-one time with each team member to find out their frustrations, personal goals, skills and motivations.
• She partnered with me and HR along the way as she began to enforce company policies (tardiness, dress code, etc) and implement performance plans.
• She quickly identified a troublemaker on the team, gave her a chance to turn things around and, in the end, fired her. That was the only loss on her team. (A good example for the rest, too!)
• She very clearly communicated her own performance and conduct expectations as the Manager of this team.
• She stood up for her team when needed. This team had done so many things wrong that even when something wasn't necessarily their fault, the blame still landed there. This Manager put a stop to that right away.
• She started a communication plan with the departments her team regularly worked with. They all became great partners with their extended teams instead of a thorn in one anothers' sides as they had been.
• She had confidence in her team's ability to contribute positive sales results to the organization. She had charts and posters posted all over the office showing them on the way to or at goals they had never come close to achieving. They were becoming confident and proud of their contributions.
• She shared these reports with me so I could "brag" on this team to senior leadership, also. It was a PR campaign and everyone began to see this team in a different light. They actually began to figure out ways to utilize their services more because it meant success to them.
• She stayed very close to the quality and workload of the team and added to the team as they got busier and busier. She made this a place to work and she had the pick of candidates from an internal pool. NO ONE wanted to work there even 6 months prior.
• We paraded senior leaders through there when they came to town to visit and asked our local senior leaders to make this department a regular stop. We realized this was highly motivating for them as they had been ignored and, quite honestly, avoided during the troubled times. They were really proud of their environment and loved showing it off.
• In the end, there were a successful team with clear sales activity and professional expectations, they were accountable to activity and sales goals, followed a repeatable sales process, executed a consistent internal and external communication plan, celebrated wins, examined losses and are enjoying successful careers today.

Being part of this team could have been a huge setback in the young careers of these inside sales people. Instead it was an experience that launched many great careers. The key throughout each of our steps was communication. We communicated daily and sometimes hourly in the first 30 days. It was so bad we actually considered shutting the doors and starting over. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my career. If you are faced with a toxic team, partner with your boss and HR team and get them turned around this month. It takes a lot of energy, heart and even tears, but it is so worth it. That team isn't happy being miserable either - they just don't know how to fix it. Step in and improve the lives of each and every one of them - including you.

Good luck!