Anyone spending any time at all with eight year old boys has surely come to realize that eight year old boys know EVERYTHING!  I spent my first two weeks with them listening to them beg for the ball, call each other’s names repeatedly to induce a pass and explain to teammates that they were “doing it wrong”.  Each of them took the time to kindly explain to me how I should be coaching and how each of the other players could improve.

Sound familiar?  Have you ever worked on a project like this?  I’ve worked on plenty…

So I gathered them together.  I pulled them in close to me and I told them this:  If each of you concentrates on doing YOUR job…If each of you strives to improve your OWN skills…If you remember that we’re all in this for a COMMON goal, THEN we will be successful as a team.

We won our next four games in row.

I have managed projects for the past 20 years or so and I’ve seen this dynamic play out a hundred times.  The fix is simple…communicate.   Encourage open and honest communication, be sure everyone knows their role and what skills they bring to the table and remember first and foremost that you are part of a process.  That whether the client is internal (a boss, department or coworker) or external (the company’s client), the client’s satisfaction is the ultimate goal.  The steps are simple…if you take a step back, check your ego at the door, and think it through.

Encourage Open and Honest Communication:  Easier said than done, right?  Wrong.  Set the tone early in the game.  Let people know what you expect from them.  If I make a mistake or a team member doesn’t understand why I’ve done something, I EXPECT that they will speak up and I tell them that.  I don’t consider the question a challenge to my skill set or an accusation that I’ve made an error.  I think of it as an opportunity to share knowledge with a coworker and maybe even get another good idea in return.  It’s important to remember that no one wants to usurp your authority.  They are simply interested in knowing more about the process and how you’re thinking.

Ensure Everyone Knows All the Roles:  Great managers become successful because they surround themselves with great people.  People with complementary skill sets, people who know what they bring to the project and how their role fits with the rest of the team.  Have a kickoff meeting.  Introduce the players to each other and explain expectations.  Most importantly, spell out the endgame.  Ensure that everyone team understands who the client is and what success looks like to that client.

Further, ensure you know your own role on the team.  You may have questions about how your colleagues are handling their parts, and you should feel free to ask.  Just remember, that person is on the team because they bring a certain skill set and that they, not you, are the expert with regard to their part of the project.

Focus on Client Satisfaction:  Complete client satisfaction is the endgame for any project.  Focus on that.  Will there be conflict within the team?  Will there be disagreements?  Of course, that’s human nature.  The most important thing to remember is that you’re all working toward a common goal.  Check your ego at the door and remind yourself that what’s best for the client is what’s best.  Communication within the team is imperative.

Email, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are tremendously powerful communication tools.  But don’t rely on them too much.  An open communication model is too important to trust to electronic means.  Do yourself a favor next time you have a question or comment for a team member, walk down the hall or pick up the phone.  TALK to that person.  You’ll be glad you did.

I’d love to talk about this further with you.  Please feel free to respond to this post, email or call me.

Ed Gotta

edgotta@productionadvantage.com

804.310.2087

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