# Approach Your Team's Problems With These Three Tips

" transform="translate(6.667 25)" width="26.666666666666668px"/><path d="M 6.667 13.333 C 10.349 13.333 13.333 10.349 13.333 6.667 C 13.333 2.985 10.349 0 6.667 0 C 2.985 0 0 2.985 0 6.667 C 0 10.349 2.985 13.333 6.667 13.333 Z" fill="transparent" height="13.333333333333336px" id="m1fSvCRzI" stroke-dasharray="" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="3.33" stroke="rgb(13, 27, 62)" transform="translate(13.333 5)" width="13.333333333333334px"/></svg>)

We’ve all been there. I’m sure at some point in the last year you’ve dealt with a crappy boss, impossible coworker or a part of your job that is unnecessarily stressful.

I’ve been lucky in my career to experience a wide variety of team dynamics: first at very large enterprises as a management consultant, then at a mid-size startup and now leading the fast-growing Hive team.

I’ve noticed that there’s a very simple formula that guides 90% of my thoughts when a friend or colleague seeks advice on a person-to-person challenge in their workplace.

## Step 1: Now

As the old saying goes:

> The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now.

Same goes for these challenges. I’ve never heard a compelling reason to take action later than the following day.

## Step 2: EPR

Humans are funny creatures. A good way to structure your thinking about someone else’s behavior is to look at it from 3 angles, an approach borrowed from the [playbook of major organization change](https://www.paconsulting.com/insights/benefits-realisation-balancing-the-emotional-the-rational-and-the-political-to-achieve-success/) used by major management consultants:

**Emotional:** How does this person _feel?_ What part is their personal happiness / hopes / stresses playing in this situation?  
**Political:** How does this situation affect the person’s navigation of their career, their power, their credibility with their colleagues?  
**Rational:** Is there a practical, logical reason for the issue? Is the situation caused by a perfectly reasonable behavior?

## Step 3: Communicate

This is the hardest part, but also the most important. Frequently, we create an imaginary barrier that stops us from simply articulating exactly how we feel. 9 times out of 10, the best thing is to ask them what they’re doing for lunch, grab a sandwich together, and have a good old-fashioned yap.

Have a think about a work frustration, run it through these three, and see how it goes!

Test Hive out with a 2 week free trial

## Want to learn more about Hive's features?

[Learn More Here](/content/features/index.html)

4.6 on G2.com