Q: Suppose that you had a very creative member of your team. They’re constantly coming up with excellent ideas that should be brought up at meetings. However, this persons etiquette isn’t the best. Would you let others voice their ideas and keep them out of the meetings and in the background, or would you try to help them with their manners so that they can be taken seriously from a group of higher-ups?
A: Although ideally we’d hope everyone would contribute to meetings and respect each other’s opinions, sometimes some voices become louder than others. Rather than have this person removed from the meeting, I suggest taking them aside prior to your next meeting and express some of the feelings you have about the situation.
It sounds to me like this person is a valuable contributor to the team, but maybe just needs a little charm school or perhaps just some clarity on how to carry themselves in a meeting.
One word of caution – be careful in your approach. Sometimes I’ve experienced situations where if someone is approached about their attitude in an accusatory way, they can take it the wrong way. Give them kudos for their contributions, and then talk about the issues.