4 minutes
The Most Common Negative Habit That Undermines Teams
One of the most common and damaging dynamics I see in organizations starts with simple moments of tension or challenge. Toxicity in teams rarely comes from one dramatic event or a single team member. More often, it builds slowly through everyday interactions that aren’t handled productively. A concern goes unspoken in a meeting. A frustration gets shared with a colleague instead of addressing it directly. A leader doesn’t agree with a decision, but doesn’t raise it in the meeting, and shares their concern with others afterward (hence, “the meeting after the meeting”). A manager is frustrated with an employee, but complains to a coworker instead of addressing the issue directly.
This damaging pattern is called back-channeling—processing challenges with the wrong people instead of addressing them with the right ones, and it’s an unhealthy leadership habit that can be undermining your team and your credit union culture.
Over time, these moments add up. What starts as small, seemingly harmless exchanges begin to shape the culture of the team. When issues are avoided rather than worked through, trust begins to erode, psychological safety weakens, and collaboration suffers. People become more guarded, assumptions replace curiosity, and teams spend more energy navigating tension than doing meaningful work. These habits ripple through the organization, which results in misalignment, tension, and siloes.
Sometimes back-channeling is unintentional, rooted in discomfort or uncertainty. Other times, it’s a deliberate way leaders vent frustration by talking about people instead of productively working through issues. Either way, it erodes trust and weakens healthy team dialogue. Teams that rely on back-channeling develop habits of avoidance, choosing to talk around problems rather than work through them.
Strong leaders address concerns early and directly, creating alignment and reducing the emotional weight that builds when issues go unspoken. They process challenges in a way that moves the team forward rather than letting frustration fester. They go straight to the source rather than spending time and energy on complaints, blame, or unproductive venting.
Leaders can actively reduce back-channeling and create a more trusting, productive team environment. Here are four practical ways leaders can break the cycle and create healthier team dynamics.
1. Set the Expectation to Address Issues Directly. Establish clear standards about how concerns should be handled. Regularly reinforce that the first step in resolving any concern is to speak with the person who can address it. The more leaders emphasize direct communication, the less room there is for behind-the-scenes complaining.
2. Model the Skills for Your Team. People watch how leaders handle problems and follow their lead. If managers avoid issues or talk about them privately, the team learns to do that too. Instead, demonstrate what healthy conflict looks like. Raise concerns respectfully in meetings. Ask clarifying questions. Address issues directly and calmly. When leaders respond to tension with maturity and professionalism, they empower the team to do the same.
3. Coach, Don’t Complain. When a colleague brings you a frustration, help them navigate it productively. Listen without judgment, then shift the conversation away from venting and toward solutions. Approach the conversation with curiosity. Help them explore the other perspective, get clear on their goal, and determine what a productive next step would look like. Use questions to guide their thinking and support them in handling the issue directly.
4. Create Safe Spaces for Productive Dialogue. Back-channeling often happens because people don’t feel safe speaking up in the moment. Build psychological safety by inviting honest input and responding well when people disagree. Encourage constructive conflict with phrases like, “Let’s hear from someone who has a different perspective,” or “If anyone sees this differently, I’d like to hear it.” Acknowledge and thank people who disagree and speak up. The more the team sees that concerns can be raised safely and productively, the less they’ll feel the need to process them offline.
Unhealthy communication habits don’t usually start with bad intentions. They start with discomfort, uncertainty, and a lack of skill in navigating hard conversations. But over time, those habits undermine trust, credibility, and results. Focusing on building a team that values constructive conflict will strengthen relationships, improve decision-making, and create better outcomes.
Healthy cultures are built one honest conversation at a time. Leaders who address unproductive and unhealthy patterns and choose direct, respectful, and productive dialogue build teams that are stronger, aligned, and effective.
Laurie Maddalena, MBA, CSP, CPCC, is a professional speaker, leadership consultant and founder of CUES Supplier member Envision Excellence LLC in the Washington, D.C., area. She is the bestselling author of the book, The Elevated Leader. Her mission is to rid the world of bad management practices and help organizations create cultures where people love to come to work. Maddalena facilitates management and executive training programs and team-building sessions and speaks at leadership events. Prior to starting her business, she was a human resources and organizational development executive at a credit union in Maryland. Contact her at 240.605.7940 or laurie@lauriemaddalena.com
