Cracked Barrels & Empty Vessel

So often we hear the phrase, "...this group has changed and is just not the same since I've left, and neither am I encouraged to rejoin..." This has led me to write about those persons who we classify as "cracked barrels" and "empty vessels". Anyways, it can make a person upset when you have persons who within themselves believe that they have outgrown their usefulness of the organisation, and, maybe they have. During the time period of working in a group, there is what one may describe as an ebb and flow in the dynamics. During this cyclic action the group members must pull together in order to ensure a strong team. However if there is a faction which now believes that they have had enough, then the right thing is to let the team know and gracefully bow out. The crack arises when this faction - that has had enough, decides to withhold the services and not give 100 percent. This move is now unfair to the rest of the cast since the strenght of the team has been weakened.

Should this faction now not be encouraged to re-support the team the crack becomes enough that the vessel goes empty. This noisy vessel has to be expelled from the group and replaced or there will be now the trend of others in the group following suit. The person who now has left the group will more than likely say that the group is not what it used to be. Of course it isn't since the faction is no longer there, and what should have happened is that the person who would have departed from the team should ideally have assisted in the succession planning, rather than criticize. This move would ensure consistency in the group as well as ease the strain on the team leader.

Therefore, members of the team must take note of the persons who start failing to give 100 percent and somhow work to get them back up to full throttle before they become empty vessels. As we all know, empty vessels make the most noise.