Project managers have a lot of power over their teams, and over the years Iâ²ve encountered many different ways of exercising it. There are those who treat teams coldly and analytically, as if they were machines. Iâ²ve seen project managers treat teams like they were expendable, using them up and discarding them once they burn out. But thereâ²s a better way, one that brings a successful project while developing your teamâ²s skills and loyalties: championing.
Championing isnâ²t being soft-hearted or spoiling people. Itâ²s treating your team with dignity and respect they deserve. It gets results, but doesnâ²t break anyoneâ²s spirit. Instead, it lifts them up and inspires them to work harder for you and the organization.
Hereâ²s how being a champion accomplishes this:
Listen to Your Teamâ²s Ideas
Your team isnâ²t a bunch of mindless drones. If youâ²ve hired right, theyâ²re professionals with experience and ideas of their own, and youâ²d do well to ask them for their input. Donâ²t shoot down an idea just because it wasnâ²t yours.
And donâ²t forget to tap into the collective intelligence. If one team member is stuck on a problem, holding a brainstorming session might produce better results.
Be Confident In Their Skills
The best way for you to express confidence in your team is not to micromanage them. Tell them what needs to be done, and let them decide how to do it. If you donâ²t feel 100% confident in them then go ahead and monitor their work, but donâ²t step in unless something is really going wrong.
Another way of showing confidence in your team is delegating. Giving someone the authority to make decisions on your behalf is a great confidence builder. Youâ²re not encouraging a rivalyouâ²re encouraging a backup.
Work Through Their Mistakes
One of the hardest things to do in management is to keep things positive in the face of mistakes. Yes, people lose their temper. Yes, there are going to be repercussions. But donâ²t focus on assigning blame. You donâ²t have the time. Focus on correcting the mistake and getting the project out the door.
Your team is going to take a lot of crap, especially if the project is behind or buggy. As their project manager, you have to shelter them from most of it so that they can focus on getting the job done. You might have to accept a lot of punishment on their behalf, but whatever you do, donâ²t take it out on them.
Credit Where Itâ²s Due
While you shouldnâ²t linger on a team memberâ²s mistakes, you should emphasize a team memberâ²s successes. Acknowledge great deeds, whether itâ²s finding the most number of bugs or leading a team on their own for the very first time. Reward the group when they successfully implement a project, and celebrate with them.
When youâ²re a champion, youâ²re always thinking of your teamâ²s well-being. But youâ²re not spoiling themabsolutely not. Youâ²re being a supportive leader and giving them a positive environment in which they can thrive. Over time, youâ²ll be able to develop a team that can stand up to anyone elseâ²sand maybe even lead teams of their own.
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