Team Chemistry
There’s something I want to address that most teams avoid talking about directly.
Sometimes one person’s attitude, behavior, or energy affects the whole room in a way that is costing the team. Not a conflict between two people. Not a general culture issue. One person whose presence is changing what this team is capable of.
I’m not going to name anyone. But I’m going to trust that the people in this room know exactly what I’m talking about.
Read this passage slowly.
Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?
1 Corinthians 5:6 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
Paul’s yeast metaphor is precise. A small amount of yeast affects the whole batch. The influence is disproportionate to the size of the source. One person, one attitude, one consistent pattern of behavior — it spreads. Into the mood of the locker room. Into the practice energy. Into whether people speak up or stay quiet.
This is not a moral judgment about the person. It’s an observation about how groups work. One voice that consistently pulls down — through cynicism, selfishness, disruptive energy, or divisive behavior — takes more than its proportional share of the team’s attention and energy.
What does a healthy team do with that? The first move is not to eliminate the person. The first move is to address the behavior directly, privately, with honesty and care. Most people who are bringing negative energy to a team are not doing it because they want to destroy the team. They’re doing it because something is going on with them that hasn’t been addressed. The disruptive behavior is usually a symptom of something else.
The second move is for the team to decide not to let the yeast spread. To choose not to absorb the negativity. To maintain the culture standard regardless of whether one person is holding it or not.
You are not powerless in this. The team’s culture is not determined by its least committed member. It’s determined by what the rest of you choose to hold.
The team’s culture is not determined by its least committed member. It’s determined by what the rest of you choose to hold.
How is this team responding to the disruptive behavior in our room right now? Are we absorbing it, or are we holding the standard in spite of it?
Group accountability question. The team answers for its collective response, not for the individual’s behavior.
Don’t let the yeast spread. Hold the standard.
Use this when the situation genuinely warrants it, not preemptively. Be prepared for real discussion.
Do not name the person in the devotional context. Address the behavior separately and privately.