Monthly Archives: May 2015

Motivating Project Teams

In today’s world with some outsourcing component or the other, keeping the project teams motivated is a bit of challenge.  More so with the global nature of teams, virtual workers, time zones etc.  it becomes more complicated to keep teams motivated at all times.

There are tons of books, authors, speakers and lessons shared. But I would say, two key things are to make your team feel like you value them as individuals and ensure they understand how they are contributing to the success of the project and therefore the company. Regarding the latter I find people are more motivated when they understand the whys.

Help them see that their personal goals and ambitions are aligned with the business goals, including successful completion of the project.

A simple answer may be to ask the team! If you’ve got a healthy enough relationship with your team, ask them what motivates them, rather than making assumptions. You may not be able to promise that you can meet all their goals but at the very least, you’ll find out what motivates them and know where any gaps are.  Understand each team member and what is important to them
Communication, empowerment and involvement. If you don’t communicate effectively, then there is no team. Empower individuals, assign tasks/roles that stretch them and then fully involve them – do not cast them adrift. Encourage them to develop and engage with them in an open and professional manner.
The Team Leaders must try to understand the ideas and attitude of his staff members. If you are implementing mechanical work you must have activities to follow to prevent downtime. The Team leader must make sure that work plan is set for the time frame of activities.

My 2cents contribution: First I´d say that a good way to motivate is to make the team members to embrace the project as their own project, make the team to think they are doing something greater than deliver 1 item on the project but helping to achieve a greater goal

2nd there is nothing more powerful than a loud and proud THANK YOU or GREAT JOB. 🙂 Some organizations do not allow you to spend money ($) with recognition but PM can organize a meeting and publicly thank the resource for his/her great work and contribution it motivates the person to, at least, repeat the behavior.

Be on the same level with your team. And make your team members feel they are a part of the team and their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated.

After many years of leading PM Teams, even through acquisitions and mergers, the one thing I have found most important is “listen.” Listen to not only their direct business needs/issues but more importantly listen to (and HEAR) what other elements are driving their performances. This would undeniably include their lives outside of the workplace. “Lead with your heart…”\

Depends on individuals, culture, environmental factors. Tactical strategies for example it might be money for a North American contract of approved overtime, an Argentina full timer might be recognition with the team and their management (team lunch celebration), for India off shore might be their management escalation to assist in promotions. Project management global teams are more complex than traditional functional management as their reporting becomes matrix and rewards should be targeted to optimize ROI.

Have your stand up/morning meeting in different places, other than work to discuss what everyone is working on or what they need help with. I love to take them out for breakfast or coffee. It helps with the flow of conversation. Ask a new question every standup such as what do you think is working well at this coffee shop or breakfast place? Sometimes unconventional surrounds help a team member think of a different solution.
Acknowledgement of everyone is in the same boat and to get to shore we will all use each others strengths and weaknesses to make it.

If you want to motivate your team be motivated yourself. If the project and its objectives don’t motivate you it’s not likely you will motivate your team. If you’re motivated much of the rest will fall into place….you will be motivated to do many of the suggestions that have been offered in the other comments. You will most importantly want to be successful and for that to happen your team must be successful.

Frequently check with the team and see what their personal interests & goals are; try to align the project goals and objectives with theirs; you’ll see the change

Inject the feeling that you are one among them rather than you are their boss; most of the times, I’ve seen, motivates my team the most

Of course, keep appreciating them, just the 2 words ‘good job’ are enough; quite a few times

The best way to motivate a team is to explain the importance of the project and then involve them in as many decisions as possible. You should let them assist in calculating the durations for activities where they are the subject matter expert. They now have a time based goal that they help create and feel responsible for achieving for the good of the team.

First remember teams are built they are not formed by putting a number of people together and calling them a team.
Second get to know each member of the team and let them know who you are. I have a one page introduction (augmented by verbal expansion); that I use when I take the lead of a team or when I hire a new individual. The introduction tells them clearly what I expect from them and what they can expect from me. This sets the basis of our relationships and how we communicate. I give clear assignments with clear expectations and due dates. Everyone is treated equitably not the same. We build trust with a foundation based on ethics.

Over time I have found that over 90% of the team members rise to the expectations. Those that do not, find something else to do.

Celebrate the team’s accomplishments and do everything possible to set them up for success.
The theory of motivation is about as broad and deep as anyone would want to go. As much as Maslow’s hierarchy has had all kinds of reviews, I think it’s a good place to start. More recently I have begun to include the pursuit of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. For me personally, I try to use these 4 skills:

Speak confidently and accurately about the future in a way that creates meaning and purpose, because what people hear they talk about, what they talk about they come to believe and this shapes their future.

Think critically about the current situation. Never underestimate the magnitude of the change required to move from “as is” to the “to be”. Accurate perceptions are vital for effective communication and good decision making.

Act with integrity and enthusiasm. I can’t think of a better way of influencing people to volunteer their willing cooperation and active participation in a project.

Relate to others in a way that serves (without ego or selfish ambition). Relating this way sets an example for others to follow. Our measure of success is directly related to how effectively people work together.

Finally, there is no single answer to the question you’ve asked. The fact is, team dynamics and team members vary according to project, organization, and local cultural norms. So, I can’t give the one single thing that will be most effective, but I will add to the many excellent suggestions here, is to treat understanding and motivating the team as a critical success factor, meaning that it will require time, effort and thoughtful consideration to get right. Far too often, personal or team issues appear less of a priority than the technical management issues. But they are every bit as important, particularly early on in large projects. To that end, as Project Manager, it is important to set the frames of reference and structure up front, and as people become comfortable with the project and the team, give them opportunities to contribute, to lead and be heard. So 1) provide clear expectations, 2) get to know the team members, 3) demonstrate your leadership in protecting the team from distractions, 4) be proactive in checking on things, 5) allow the team to take ownership and lead on their own. That’s a good start…

Staying relevant in outsourced environment

Every outsourcing engagement goes thru the pulls and pressures of work.  The concept of do more with less has pushed both sides of the outsourcing engagements to the brink at times.  The combination of pressures arsing from people, process and technology impacts people (human beings) the most.

Sometimes finding the way forward takes some self-reflection. If you’re feeling stuck, frustrated or tired of dealing with the same problems again and again, there might be solutions right in front of you that you just can’t see.

Lack of mentoring and support structures on both sides at times leaves resources perplexed.

Here are the four questions can help clear away your mental blocks so that you can move forward.

1. What’s your mindset?
Start by looking at your attitude about your situation. What are you telling yourself? For example, it could be:

  • “I don’t have the energy to deal with this.”
  • “Why try harder? It won’t really make a difference.”
  • “Things will never get better.”
  • “Why do I care”
  • My loyalty is limited to myself”

Your mindset may be the very thing that’s holding you back, because it affects your choices and how you engage with others. If you find that your self-talk is negative, what messages do you want to replace the current ones with so that you can make more progress?

2. What are you tolerating that you need to let go of?
We all have things, large and small, that we tolerate in our lives. When you hold onto them for too long, they can significantly affect your progress. Take a look at the list below to see if any of these apply to you:

  • Being disorganized, resulting in unproductive time
  • Failing to plan ahead, allowing lower priority work to take over
  • Doing work that others should be doing because of a failure to hold others accountable or delegate

What one small change can you make to free up some energy, and create capacity to find a solution?

3. What choices are you making that are keeping you where you are?
Things typically don’t just happen to us. Outcomes are usually the result of a series or choices that we and others have made along the way. When we make some choices over and over again, they form patterns that may not serve us well.

So, if you’re frustrated by what’s going on around you, ask yourself how you are enabling that situation to continue. The following questions may provoke some ideas:

  • Do you keep trying the same approach, but expect a different result?
  • Are you putting off a difficult conversation?
  • Have your engaged others in solving the problem with you (e.g., escalated the issue that needs to be addressed)?

As you consider the questions above, what do you notice about your own behavior?

4. Are you burnt out?
Finally, your physical health could be a surprising factor that’s keeping you from making progress. Are you getting enough sleep? What does your diet look like? Feeling physically drained can lead you to make more emotional rather than rational decisions. Even getting 15 minutes more of sleep, making sure you don’t skip a meal, or taking five-minute breaks throughout the day can make a big difference

Handling underperformers on your engagement

Managing performance across boundaries in a outsourced environment is always a challenge.  More so not having direct control over your outsourced partner’s resources whose performance is the key to your success.

On the larger teams it is often not unusual to be frustrated with a team member who isn’t performing as you need — and who’s showing no signs of changing?

As frustrated as leaders are in this situation, sometimes they aren’t giving employees the honest advice and specific feedback they need to change. They might be worried about damaging the relationship, or they think that an employee should “just know” what to do.

You can take an approach, though, that helps the employee (and keeps your relationship healthy) while getting you better results. Here’s the process that could help you in dealing with a “stuck” employee.

Look at Your Mindset

Think about how you’ve been engaging with this employee. What role are you playing in the current situation? How are you enabling it to continue as it is? For example, I’ve noticed that when a leader starts showing frustration or micromanaging, it can put his team member in a place of fear and self-doubt. That can make it much more difficult for the employee to make change happen. What would help you get centered so you can address the situation in a more constructive way?

Set Clear Expectations

Sometimes leaders assume an employee should know, without being told, how to handle an assignment. Then they’re disappointed when the employee doesn’t read their mind and meet all of those unvoiced expectations. You’ll do more to boost the employee’s performance when you delegate with clear expectations. Spell out the deliverables, define their decision-making authority, and specify how often the employee should check in and any other key parameters of the project.

One of my clients has a boss who’s discouraged by her performance but doesn’t communicate expectations. He gives her assignments to test her capabilities – but doesn’t tell her this upfront, or let her know what skills he’s looking to assess or build. That approach hasn’t served either one of them well. He would improve his effectiveness if he communicated at the outset, “I’m giving you this assignment to see how you’ll do and where I need to coach you, to help you be successful.”

Give Specific Feedback

Think about whether you’re offering the employee tangible, specific feedback. Are you communicating regularly about what’s working and what’s not? If you want her to make a shift in a certain area — say, being more strategic instead of tactical — are you letting her know this and explaining why this would help her succeed?

There is a  two-part formula for giving feedback. This approach gives the employee useful information she can take action on and keeps the emphasis on performance and results instead of personal criticism.

  1. As objectively as possible, tell the employee what you observed her doing. Share facts without interpreting them.
  1. Describe the impact of those actions. Your goal is to help the employee understand what she did and how it affected others. For example, did the actions she took (or didn’t take) lead to a missed deadline? Misalignment of goals? Wasted time?