Team Leadership Toolkit

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Overview
bullet Leadership in 3 Directions
bullet Leading a Project Team
bullet Wisdom of Geese

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Lindsay Sherwin

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Tips for Leading a Project Team

If your project involves a team, then investing time in keeping the team connected, committed and energised will make the project progress much more smoothly and make your task a lot easier. The following thirteen practical tips may help in this.

 
The Start up
  
1 Choose the right people Work from the basis of skills, expertise, contacts.
2 Negotiate time for the team

 

 Ideally, team members should spend all their time on the project; unfortunately the reality is that they won't. The Project Manager must continually make sure that the team has time to do its work, balanced with the pull from other jobs or projects.
 
Define the task and work
  
3 Clearly define the team’s objectives and what project will accomplish Do this and agree it at beginning with team, boss, and client. Ensure common understanding
4 Break down complex work into manageable chunks So that the project is easily understood by all team members.
 
Motivate the team
  
5 Generate interest & excitement Get the project team’s efforts off to strong start by getting them together early on in the project to help with the initial definition and scoping.
6 Maintain ‘what’s in it for me’; Keep up team morale by boosting their value ‘to the project,’ especially if the project or the environment is uncertain.

 
7 Face up to disagreements Interpersonal problems and sectional differences are inevitable, even expected. Resolve them by working them through, not by sweeping them under carpet.
8 Sell the Project - publicise success Remind the team and rest of the organisation of successes. Keep the project visible.
 
Maintenance
  
9 Have short, frequent meetings Regular, informative. If they are kept short, then they are not seen as a chore; e.g. daily 15 minute meetings on a fast-moving project
10 Keep promises About e.g. facilities, staff, information
11 Provide physical support e.g. An office where the team can meet. A dedicated office, wallboard or an admin centre can give a tangible signal that the project is being taken seriously
12 Communicate well Use fast and regular communications; especially if the project team is dispersed. Using electronic communications like e-mail, fax, can overcome problems
13 Maintain management links Be sure the team doesn’t become so immersed in the project it forgets wider issues or loses touch with what’s happening in organisation. Likewise, be sure senior management or others don't forget about project.