Looking to unite your team around a challenging, yet important goal? Do not forget the power of the story. When you share a compelling project vision with your team, they are more likely to respond with enthusiasm and creativity. Don’t just tell them what to do, paint them a picture of what will be different because of their hard work.
In today’s world, many of us consider taking time to do nothing as the ultimate luxury. Who can afford to talk a walk in the middle of the workday? Who has time to sit and just breathe? You do!
Finally, your project scope document has been signed. Everything has been agreed upon and now there will be no changes. Right? Wrong! Change will come and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“Why do the Project Charter and the Project Scope Statement contain some of the same information?” “We just provided that information, isn’t this just repetitive? Are we wasting time?” Excellent questions. When you are creating some of your project management deliverables, you might feel like you are repeating yourself. You are. But you also are […]
When a team member needs to rant, give him or her a safe space. With a few ‘ranting’ ground rules you can help them release some negativity. In fact you can turn a negative rant into a positive plan for action.
“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.
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?