If your work group was formed before your organization learned the “No Asshole Rule” you may find yourself having to cope with people who are abusive, arrogant, bullying, controlling, egotistical, incompetent, manipulative, narcissitic, and/or uncooperative. A healthy, well-tended work group or team can reduce the impact of destructive behaviors by these individuals, saving your sanity – and your team!

The youngest members of the workforce grew up in a world that is light years away from that of the current crop of CEOs. They often function in groups, not solo. With Facebook, Twitter, IM, blogs, and role playing games that span the internet, they are ambassadors of globalization, many already having friends from all over the world. Google and Wikipedia are their primary reference sources. They have processed more information by the time they graduate from college than many of the current workforce will see in a lifetime. They want to be fully engaged in their work groups. Existing organizations are challenged to welcome them without scaring away all the oldsters; smart organizations find opportunities to learn from them.

What would you do to make best use of the skills from all age groups in your organization?

It may be a behavior that’s been reinforced by survival of the fittest – when staff members acknowledge only those at their organizational level and above. They may only “see” others that they believe capable of advancing their interests, or of causing them harm. But for the support part of the team – secretaries, clerks, housekeeping – it equates to being invisible. Many of the people who suffer from Invisibility Syndrome are genuinely not aware of their behavior. In some organizations, it is recognized and condoned. Treating others in your organization as if they don’t matter is not conducive to building strong, diverse teams.

What would you do to eliminate Invisibility Syndrome in your organization?

• The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2006; New York, New York, Morgan Road Books.