I was sitting at a café recently, waiting for my wife to arrive.
Next to me, a young man and woman were deep in conversation about work.
“I hate my co-workers”, said the guy.
He proceeded to reel off stories about them, about how difficult they were to work with. They were the problem. He was the only good worker in the team.
I grinned.
We’ve all been there, right? Working with people we don’t like. And who probably don’t like us, either.
It’s the nature of both work and human beings.
Most workplaces are just a bunch of random people thrown together, and told:
“Be a team. Get along with each other. Off you go.”
As a manager, you will face this: some of your team members simply don’t like each other.
❌ One finds the other annoying
❌ One doesn’t pull their weight
❌ Someone’s too blunt
❌ Someone else is too sensitive
It’s frustrating. It can derail performance.
But here’s the thing: it’s normal.
You’re not building a friendship circle – you’re building a team.
And great teams? They don’t always like each other. But they do:
✅ Respect each other
✅ Know the goal
✅ Get the job done (without killing each other)
✅ Stick to standards (that don’t depend on mood or popularity)
So no, you don’t have to make everyone get along.
But you do need to coach them to work well together anyway.
Start with shared goals. Hold clear standards. And don’t shy away from the occasional ‘come to Jesus’ chat.
That’s leadership.
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Struggling with team dynamics, internal drama, or poor culture?
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