Project team leadership

When considering how you can improve project team performance in your role as project manager, it is helpful to understand the distinctions between leadership and management.

Your work has two functions. There are management functions that must be fulfilled to manage the project. In addition, there is a focus on leading and motivating your team, where your leadership qualities will determine your approach.

Your project team may have collective skills, knowledge and experience to complete the project work, but unless you lead them in a way that transforms them from a group of individuals to a high-performance team, they may not successfully complete the project.

It is your job as team leader to encourage and develop them as a unit. This involves understanding leadership qualities as opposed to management functions, including the conditions needed to create a cohesive team that successfully completes project deliverables.

You can enhance team effectiveness by adopting a collaborative approach to team guidance rather than dictating or directing the work. This means that project team members should be involved in decision-making and problem solving, sharing responsibility with the team leader. This provides team members with a sense of ownership and, in turn, responsibility.

Watch

Watch the YouTube What makes leadership different from management (3:25) to learn about the differences between leadership and management.

Watch

Watch the YouTube Critical soft skills for project managers – project management training (3:45) to learn about the critical soft skills for project management.

The table below summarises the leadership role and management functions encompassed in the project management role.

Roles	Leadership Role	Management Functions
Creating an agenda	Establishing direction Envisioning the future, developing strategies for change to achieve goals	Planning, budgeting Defining action plans and timetables, allocating resources
Developing people	Aligning team members Communicating vision and strategy, influencing creation of teams which accept validity of goals	Organising and staffing Defining structure, allocating staff Developing policies, procedures; monitoring
Execution	Motivating and inspiring Empower team to overcome obstacles, satisfy human needs	Controlling and problem solving Monitoring and comparing results against plan, taking corrective action
Outcomes	Producing positive (and sometimes dramatic) change	Producing order, consistency, and predictability

Watch

Watch the YouTube Project management team building ideas (2:55) to help build an effective team.

A shared mindset

One of the most significant factors in your team’s performance is the need to create a shared vision and goals. In their article, The Secrets of Great Teamwork, authors Martine Haas and Mark Mortensen discuss the importance of creating conditions that enable a team to thrive. Such conditions include:

• a compelling direction
• a strong structure
• a supportive context.

Despite these ground-breaking revelations, many teams are not applying these concepts in their project design and management. The result is often increased conflicts and the development of an ‘us versus them’ mentality. By cultivating a shared vision from the outset of a project, you create a strong foundation from which you can avoid these issues.

Watch

Watch the YouTube How to effectively lead by example – project management training (3:29) to learn what to do and not do as a leader.

Team Charter

Developing a Team Charter at the outset of the project is an effective way to engage your team and begin building a shared mindset with clear and compelling direction. Your Team Charter also serves to reinforce and inform the team about the project team structure, and team supports available to them. It is developed collaboratively with the team. The Team Charter can help to:

• Establish a reciprocal relationship based on mutual trust
• Create the conditions for success:
  • Establishes focus, direction, strategy, and reasons for being a team. All members understand how they contribute to team performance and meet stakeholder needs
• Build a strong foundation:
  • Establishes a clear plan, how it will be executed, defines the regular review of progress and when to adjust
• Build a supportive context:
  • Develop trust, work together, appreciate diversity/different skills each team member brings; checking that the team has the right skills and resources to deliver
• Develop a shared mindset:
  • Shared expectations of team behaviour aligned with organisational culture and values

Characteristics of a Well-Functioning Team

In the following table, you will find a summary of commonly recognisable characteristics found in well-functioning teams. You can use this information when deciding how you approach leadership roles and the development of your team. For example, when designing/organising team-building activities, you can focus on different motivations, such as building trust or developing respect for diversity and individual differences.

Challenge	A challenging goal that requires collective effort and the multiple skills of a small group of people
Communication	Open communication and information sharing; ample opportunity for group discussion, problem solving and decision making
Leadership	A leader who encourages, empowers, and enables the team to perform and who models group values and norms of behaviour
Respect and trust	Team members treat each other with respect and trust
Skills	The right mix of skills and behaviours essential for achieving the team goal
Team processes	team processes and dynamics which help the team work together including grievance procedures, conflict resolution and performance feedback
Purpose	A clear purpose - understood and valued by all members
Team learning	An opportunity to reflect on progress and learn from outcomes of team activity
Autonomy	The authority to establish processes and to make decisions about how the team works and allocates its resources
Resources	Resources for successfully completing the team task
Commitment	Team commitment o the importance of the task and its successful and timely completion
Accountability	Acceptance of team accountability for performance in completing the task as a team as well as individual accountability
Rules of behaviour	A challenging goal that requires collective effort and the multiple skills of a small group of people
Team time	Time to develop and maintain a team climate

Barriers to Team Performance

You should also be aware of common pitfalls that can undermine the credibility and effectiveness of a team and address issues as they arise. Below you will find a list of common barriers to performance.

• Pressure to conform to a ‘team view’ or ‘groupthink’?
• Operating without well-informed, decisive leadership.
• Lack of clarity about the team goal and objectives and the role of individuals in the team.
• Inadequate or wrong mix of skills in the team.
• Lack of opportunity for team members to develop their skills and abilities.
• Complacency about what is required for dynamic, efficient, and first-rate performance.

Feedback

One of the main influences on your team’s behaviour, development and performance will be how you give and receive feedback about the team and the work. You should be seeking opportunities to continually provide feedback on work in progress and team task achievements. This can happen on an informal basis and does not have to wait for the formal performance management process. You should also encourage the team to give you feedback.

Giving and Receiving feedback

How you give and receive feedback is integral to developing honesty and trust within your team. You may receive or provide feedback from and to other team members on the following:

• progress/implementation of work
• behaviour of team members
• ideas generated
• issues of concern within the team.

Some general rules for effective feedback are summarised below.

When Receiving feedback

• Keep an open mind and suspend judgment.
• Actively listen. Listen and repeat or paraphrase what you have heard, thereby confirming you understand what the person is saying.
• Remember that the person giving you feedback may be feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed.
• Providing feedback, particularly negative feedback, can be difficult.
• Focus upon the behaviours described and the facts.

When Giving feedback

Focus on specific behaviours

Feedback should be specific. Avoid statements like, ‘You have a bad attitude,’ or, ‘I am impressed with the job you did.’ You need to tell the person specifically why you are being critical or complimentary. For example: ‘Bill, I am concerned with your attitude. You were half an hour late to yesterday’s meeting.’

Keep it impersonal

Whenever you are tasked with giving feedback - especially in cases of negative feedback – you should aim to be descriptive and impersonal. Avoid being judgmental or evaluative, as this may create conflict. For example, rather than saying things like, ‘I haven’t received a progress report from you; you must be either lazy or incompetent,’ say, ‘I haven’t received your weekly report. Can you tell me why it is late?’

Focus on goals

Should you need to share negative feedback, ensure that you focus on providing direction for the recipient to achieve their goals. It is important to consider who your feedback will help. Delivering feedback that helps you feel better, either through the expression of frustration or discontent, should be avoided as it can undermine your credibility or negatively impact the intended meaning/ influence of your feedback.

Statements like, “The team is not pulling together, the work is still coming in, and we aren’t getting anything done. Something’s got to give” do not help anyone.

Time it well

If you are concerned with changing behaviour, delays in providing feedback on the undesirable actions lessen the likelihood that the feedback will be effective in bringing about the desired change. Also, you should never negatively criticise someone in a public way, such as at a meeting with other team members, as this may lead them to withdraw, respond in anger and publicly criticise you in return. In such instances, the delivery of well-timed feedback may mean that you delay providing feedback until an appropriate time becomes available.

Ensure understanding

Your feedback should be concise and encompass all the relevant details or information the recipient needs to understand fully. Communicate clearly and confirm they comprehend the information you have shared. To confirm they understand your feedback the way you intended, ask them to rephrase and repeat it back to you. Do not be afraid to reconfirm any pertinent details that may have been missed.

Negative feedback

When giving negative feedback, make sure the behaviour/situation is controllable by the recipient. You can also first ask the feedback recipient what they think would be a fix. If they do not have a response, you can then provide specific feedback on what needs to be done to improve the situation. This reduces some of the discomfort that the criticism may create and offers guidance to team members who understand the problem but are not sure how to proceed.

Tailor feedback to fit the person

Consider past performance and your estimate of a person’s potential when you are designing the frequency, amount, and content of performance feedback. Below you will find examples of tailored feedback.

• For high performers with potential for growth, feedback should not be so frequent that it stifles their initiative and is controlling.
• For adequate performers, little feedback is needed because they have displayed reliable and steady behaviour in the past, know their duties and realise what needs to be done.
• For people who are not performing, specific feedback should be given frequently, with the connection between acting on feedback and negative implications made explicit.

Coaching and feedback for development

Coaching can be an effective development option. Informal opportunities for coaching occur daily during project work. Here is a model for coaching team members:

Open the discussion	Outline what you want to discuss Describe how you will proceed Describe the expected results and benefits for both parties
Clarify the situation	Describe the performance or behaviour under discussion Give specific details of any performance/behavioural issues Seek clarification of issues
Agree on the issue	Explain the required performance standard Come to an agreement about the performance gap
Participate in identifying causes and possible solutions	Take into consideration the team member's skills: The ability to perform a physical or mental task Knowledge: the information a person needs in specific areas Motives: what drives a person to do something? Traits: mental and physical characteristics, and consistent responses to situation and information Attitude: A person's self-concept, values, self-image,etc.
Solve the issue by agreeing on a solution	Explore options to obtain a mutually agreeable solution Ask for ideas for solutions To ensure that the person is committed to solving the problem, get their ideas first and then add to these if necessary. To do this, ask a direct, open-ended question Explain any steps you plan to take and why Some situations amay be serious and require formal disciplinary action. In these cases, you must explain the actions you plan to take, as well as any further action that could result if the performance issue is not resolved Agree on action plan: what, how and when things will happen Show confidence
Close the discussion	Ensure that there is clear understanding of expectations Set follow up actions Set follow-up date Agree on a time to meet and check results
Show confidence and support	Reward good behaviour to encourage people and let them know they have your confidence Big or small, always acknowledge success

Active listening

Active listening is always important but especially when giving and receiving feedback, when you are coaching someone for development or when you are resolving conflict.

Watch the YouTube Active listening to help build an effective team.

The three important conditions of success that were mentioned earlier are relevant again here. 

Your Team Charter has confirmed:

• a compelling direction
• a structure for how work will happen
• support for the team.

When you plan and execute your work in a systematic way, your day-to-day matters operate smoothly. This allows you to dedicate energy in a timely way to address project issues that arise. Lending attention where it is needed allows you to be a strong advocate for your team. 

Previously established documentation and planning allow you to easily demonstrate to others where there are project issues, such as: 

• lack of resources
• out of scope issues
• difficulties with getting signs off, which can impact timelines.

Knowing the issues that are causing friction in your project and what needs to be done to remedy the situation enables you to strongly advocate on behalf of your team. This becomes crucial when, for example, unreasonable demands are made or the team is not given the resources needed to perform their work. 

Watch

Watch the YouTube How to monitor daily progress as a project manager – project management training (4:46) to learn more about monitoring progress.

Watch

Watch the YouTube How to manage project issues – project management training (4:43) to learn more about resolving project issues that impact your team’s performance.

Interpersonal communication, counselling and conflict resolution

In your project documents and Team Charter, you can specify important procedures and arrangements for project communication. Many organisations also have organisational values that guide expectations about acceptable standards of communication and behaviour.

The project communication plan will outline the project communication strategy. Essentially, this is the ‘5 Ws’ of communication.

• Why are you communicating?
• What do you want to communicate?
• When will you communicate?
• Where or how will you communicate?
• Who will you communicate with?

Team communication

If you develop a Team Charter and a team Ways of Working document, you will have useful tools for documenting procedures for team communication, counselling, and conflict resolution. You can also direct people to HR resources and procedures if needed. This is particularly important with regard to counselling and conflict resolution.

Project Management Software and communication software like Dropbox and SharePoint also make it easy to document and share information with team members. Also, increasingly, messaging apps like Slack help people stay up to date and informed.

You may also establish some protocols and information around:

• how the team communicates with stakeholders
• inclusive behaviour communication
• acknowledging and valuing cultural diversity.

Watch

Watch the YouTube How to use Slack – your quick start guide by Slack (1:15) to learn more about the messaging app for business.

As a project manager, you need to be alert to any interpersonal conflict issues in the team and address these before it escalates beyond repair. Establishing team ground rules and solid project management practices, like communication, planning and role definition, help to minimise the potential for conflict.

If you have established a respectful and trusting climate in your team, this will help to minimise discord. Conflict must be managed. If conflict is not resolved, it can be very toxic to everyone in the team environment.

Project teams work under demanding schedules, often with limited resources, so it is not surprising that there might be tensions. Sources of conflict can include scarce resources, scheduling priorities and personal work styles.

Successful conflict management improves productivity and cultivates strong, positive working relationships. Differences of opinion are common in teams and, when carefully managed, can lead to improved decision-making and the growth of creativity.

Conflict should be addressed early and discreetly with a collaborative problem-solving approach. In the event that conflict continues, disrupting work activity, pursue formal procedures. This may include disciplinary measures. Factors that may determine how you approach conflict resolution may include some of the following:

• assessing the importance and impact of the conflict
• the amount of time you have to resolve the conflict
• the opinions of team members involved in the conflict
• each team member’s motivation to resolve conflict, both long and short-term

Conflicts in projects usually fall into the following categories:

conflict that stems from different goals and expectations
roles that have not been clearly defined, or confusion about who is making decisions
conflicts between individual team members for a variety of reasons

If the conflict begins with a technical problem, have an expert solve the problem. This is even more effective if the expert is respected by the team members who are experiencing the conflict.

If the conflict is to do with something other than a technical problem, involve someone with some authority over the project, such as a senior project manager or sponsor. It is important to note that this course of action should be reserved for when all else has failed. Before you do anything, you should think carefully about what the problem is and look at it from different angles.

Five Approaches

There are five potential approaches to resolving conflict. The best approach to use will be determined by the specific circumstances.

• Withdraw / avoid - Setting aside the actual or potential conflict state and dealingwith it at a later time. This method is best when you need more time to be prepared to resolve the conflict.
• Smooth / accomodate - Drawing attention to the areas in which each of the conflicting team members can agree instead of the areas in which they disagree. In this method, preserving group harmony and relationships is the priority.
• Compromise / reconcile - In an effort to resolve the conflict, you search for solutions that will satisfy the members experiencing discord. The goal is to resolve the conflict temporarily/partially, bringing each member some degree of satisfaction.
• Force / direct - This method entails forcing others to concede to your point of view, not considering how your team members feel. there are only win or lose solutions. Typically, this method has to be enforced using your authority, and is recommended to resolve an urgent situation.
• Collaborate / problem solve - Brainstorm solutions with input from team members, making sure to include a variety of perspectives and insights from your team. This technique involves a cooperative attitude and creating opportunities for open dialogue, leading to an agreement among the team and commitment to resolution.

Questions when deciding how to proceed

To decide how you will proceed, ask yourself these questions:

Who or what is the problem? What caused the problem?

To fix the problem, we must remove its cause. Do not jump to conclusions. Study the problem, separate it from its symptoms and gather facts, ideas and opinions that may help in your analysis. If you cannot solve the problem by removing its cause, you will have to work out how to minimise the problem and live with it.

What do you want your solution to achieve?

What must the decision or solution to the problem achieve? How do you know if your solution is working? What must the solution do for you, and what would you like it to do for you?

After you have collected an appropriate amount of information about the conflict, search for common ground to highlight the attributes which are in agreement. This is an optimal start to resolving the conflict, providing something to work towards. Next, ask the team members with conflicting views to come up with potential solutions to the problems they are experiencing.

Which solution would work best?

How practical is each option? How likely is each to work? What does each one cost? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Which option fits best with the accepted procedures and overall goals? Would it cause alarm? Does it seem feasible? Once you have identified resolutions, work with your team to define the guidelines you will use to implement.

Implement your solution or decision. You may need to plan the tasks required first and then the order in which you will tackle them. Brief anyone who will be involved in the work or affected by it.

Review

How is the decision or solution working? If it is working, what can you do to keep it working? Perhaps there are some improvements you can add to make it work even better.

Intra-project resource conflict

You can apply a similar strategy when there is a conflict between team project groups.

Conflict management strategy - example

Follow these steps to resolve inter-project and intra-project conflict.

Step 1: Acknowledge the conflict

Step 2: Establish ground rules

Step 3: Establish common ground and shared goals

Step 4: Separate the problem from the people

Step 5: Share information related to the conflict

Step 6: Explore solutions to the issue

Step 7: Evaluate solutions and try to come up with a win-win

Step 8: Select an agreed solution

Step 9: Share the solution with stakeholders and the project team

If conflict cannot be resolved, then it will need to be escalated to an appropriate manager.

Document the agenda and outcomes of any meeting held to resolve conflict, including:

• date
• location
• attendees
• issues
• meeting outcomes

Watch

Watch the following two YouTubes for more information about how to manage conflict.

How to resolve conflict – project management (7:20)

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How to deal with difficult people – Project Manager (4:28)