There is a leader in just about every competitive situation in life. In sports there are coaches and in the workplace there are managers or top executives. These individuals have been promoted to their leadership positions in part because they have the ability to work well with others. If there is ever an issue with another teammate that you are having trouble resolving on your own, talk with your coach. It is better to have an honest conversation with your leader and obtain his or her advice as soon as possible to avoid allowing any issue to fester and be blown out of proportion. Many people are hesitant to talk to their leader because of fear of retaliation from the remainder of the team. If you have a problem, keep it between you and the person you have issues with. Gossip with other teammates only makes the situation worse. Children who are having trouble getting along with teammates should feel comfortable asking a parent to contact the coach on their behalf if the confrontation is too stressful for them.

Another great suggestion that is helpful if you want to start getting along better with a teammate is to make an effort to spend time with your teammate outside of the office or away from the court. Spending time together in a non-competitive situation allows both parties to focus more on the person rather than the opponent. These social interactions also build trust between teammates which is always beneficial for fostering better teamwork once back in the competitive environment.

If you are in a leadership situation and are the one being called on for advice on how to handle conflicting personalities remember these three steps:

1. Evaluate personalities

Everyone has their own unique personality; however, most personalities fall into one of several categories. Understanding what some of the most common personality types are and which personalities clash with one another can be very helpful in understanding why some people are less likely to get along in the first place.

2. Encourage the strengths of each team member

You can encourage the individual strengths and weaknesses of individual members of your team through giving them opportunities to play to their greatest potential. Make it a point to have each team member understand his or her strengths and encourage them to see how those strengths can be used to benefit the team as a whole.

3. Provide education on how to handle individual weaknesses

Many disagreements and other conflicts within a team are due to personal weakness. Feelings of jealousy, injustice, perceived dishonesty, etc., all lead to problems in getting along with teammates. Help your people to better control their own emotions by thinking in terms of the benefit of the team and not personal motives. Managers and coaches can provide training to team members to help them to better understand themselves and each other.

Whether you are a struggling member of a group or a coach with a teamwork problem, there are definitely ways to educate people on how beneficial it can be to learn how to better get along with each other.