“It’s not the winning that teaches you how to be resilient. It’s the setback. It’s the loss.” Beth Brook Project managers, you do not just lead your teams through the successes. You lead them through the setback and disappointments and out and out losses. This is what makes you a stronger leader and it is what makes your team a stronger team. Treat each disappointment as an opportunity to build your collective strength and to become more resilient.
How one project manager kept his high-performing team intact through skillful decision making.
Right now the truth is the team is behind schedule. They will work this weekend to catch up.
But you are being asked for status NOW. What do you say?
“Nothing travels faster than light, with the possible exception of bad news, which follows its own rules” – Douglas Adams
Perhaps your subject matter expert has resigned or project costs have increased, whatever happens you need to be able to
deliver good news and bad news. The good news is usually easy. Delivering bad news takes practice.
A project manager who does not lead her team in good planning will earn the reputation of being disorganized, and barely making or often missing deadlines on a regular basis. A project manager who leads her team in good planning will earn the reputation of being a strong professional.
If you want to annoy your new boss and co-workers, walk in and assume that you know what is best. Let them know that their way is the old way. Or perhaps get to know their organizational culture and then make suggestions.
Why is that some teams allow the challenges they face to become obstacles, while others band together and grow stronger? Support from their leaders and from one another is a contributing factor.
Mary Carol had not only missed an opportunity to strengthen a bond with a team member, she had weakened that bond. She could tell that Sal was disappointed. After all, he had taken the time to know who she was. Did she think that because she was the boss, she did not have to know her team? Did she think that because they worked across the globe that she did not have to get to know them?
Understand the basic components of quality management and then build on them.
Every project manager faces at least one crisis in his or her career. Follow these tips and come out ahead.
Don't keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. It takes practice to capture lessons learned and to make use of those lessons as we move forward. What could you do better?