Lead a Project Team

0:00If we're talking about somebody who

0:01needs to lead a project team, then surely

0:04we're talking about a project manager, right.

0:07Well, maybe, but not necessarily.

0:09And even if we are, then it's quite likely

0:11that that person, that project manager

0:13has limited or no managerial power over the project team

0:17members.

0:18And that puts quite a unique perspective

0:20on what it takes therefore to lead a project team.

0:23So I'd like to start by just quickly running

0:25through some different organization

0:27structures, which will help us determine just how

0:30much managerial power the project manager has when

0:32leading the team.

0:33So firstly, what is described as a functional organization

0:37is structured around its primary functions, such as IT

0:41or engineering or whatever.

0:43And each project team member, the people

0:45in the yellow boxes here, will report

0:47to their functional manager.

0:49And with this structure, we might not even

0:51have a formally recognized role of project manager at all.

0:54But if we do, they will frankly have little or no control

0:57over these resources.

0:58But at the other end of the scale,

1:00if we have a projectized organization,

1:03then we are structured completely

1:05around projects and not functions.

1:07And so, therefore, the project manager

1:09has got full managerial responsibility

1:11for those project team members.

1:14Now these are the two extremes, but the reality

1:16is many organizations are going to fall somewhere in the middle

1:19with a matrix organization.

1:21And there are different types of structures

1:23within this classification of matrix.

1:25But just as an example, let's say

1:27that we do have a project manager as a full time role.

1:30But authority over team members might vary from being zero

1:34through to being shared with the functional manager.

1:37Hmm.

1:38So that does present some unique challenges

1:40for the poor soul trying to lead the project

1:42team through influence alone, but it can be done.

1:46And in this short series of videos,

1:47we'll start off by making sure that we're

1:49clear on the difference between leadership and management.

1:53And we'll also see what qualities

1:54are needed to lead a team.

1:56And we'll learn about different leadership styles

1:58and how a good leader can flex the style used

2:01to make sure the team gets what they need, depending

2:03on the stage of development that they're at,

2:05or what stage of the project they're at, or even

2:07depending on what project management methodology

2:10is being used.

2:11We'll also take a look at some factors involved

2:13in supporting team performance and in developing,

2:16and motivating, and rewarding the team, and whatnot.

2:18So yes, this is going to be a very interesting journey.

2:21And I will see you in the very next video.

0:00You might think I'm being a bit pedantic here,

0:02pitching the idea of leadership up against management.

0:05I mean, aren't they the same thing?

0:07Well, no.

0:07Because even though the words might be used interchangeably

0:10sometimes, the idea of management

0:12is more about using authoritative power

0:15to get things done, whereas leadership

0:17is more about using collaboration, and coaching,

0:19and discussion, and whatnot to guide team progress.

0:22Of course, there is a place for both.

0:24And it's very likely that, in reality, they'll overlap a bit.

0:27But let's do a comparison, starting

0:29with that example I just gave, whereby management

0:32will be directing and controlling

0:34using their managerial or authoritative power.

0:37And this is often seen as negative.

0:39Often, when we look at comparisons like this,

0:41we see that the manager drives people rather than coaches

0:44them, and uses fear to get more out of people,

0:47and blames them when things go wrong,

0:49yet takes the credit when things go well,

0:51and says, "I" instead of "we."

0:53But this is bad management.

0:55It's actually I think an abuse of managerial power.

0:58Good management should include elements of good leadership.

1:01And this is why I am saying that in real life

1:03there's going to be an overlap between the two.

1:05So good leadership is all about coaching,

1:08and developing the team, and guiding, and influencing

1:11the direction the team takes.

1:12A leader doesn't rely on managerial power--

1:15and, indeed, might not even have any-- but instead

1:18inspires trust and develops people.

1:20And as we'll see as we progress through this comparison,

1:23leadership is much more people-y.

1:25I think I've made up that word.

1:27So it's much more people-y than the traditional view

1:28of management, which tends to be focused more

1:31on following rules, and dealing with operational issues,

1:34and solving problems.

1:35For example, if a scheduler isn't following regulations

1:37regarding the allocation of shifts to team members,

1:40then the manager will go and sort it out,

1:42whereas leadership focuses more on relationships, with emphasis

1:46on motivating, and inspiring, and involving the whole team.

1:50So a great leader will create space and opportunity

1:53for problems to be solved, rather than feeling that they

1:56have to solve them themselves.

1:57Because ideas that come out of collaboration with the team

2:00will almost always be better.

2:02They're often going to be more innovative, that's for sure.

2:04And they'll certainly be more readily adopted by the team.

2:07Because a team are part of the decision-making process

2:09in the first place.

2:10For example, the management approach

2:12to the shift allocation process would

2:14be to make sure that regulations are being followed.

2:17But a good leader might involve the team

2:19in order to understand who prefers the late shifts

2:21and who prefers the early shifts.

2:23So we're taking into account the fact

2:24that these are actual people we're talking about here.

2:27We're not just applying the rulebook

2:28to a list of resources.

2:30And then the last area of comparison in this video

2:33is to do with tactical rather than strategic thinking.

2:36So a manager might be checking that the team are doing things

2:39right.

2:40They'll be asking questions such as, how are you going to do it?

2:43And, when will it be done by?

2:44They might be more focused on the short-term goals

2:47because maybe their success as a manager

2:49depends on the team hitting the next deadline,

2:51or the next quality control check, or whatever,

2:54whereas a great leader is more strategic.

2:56They have more long-range vision,

2:58and wants to simply not do things right,

3:00but to step back and ask, are we doing the right thing

3:03in the first place?

3:04They're asking questions that begin with, "what" and "why"

3:07in order to innovate and challenge, rather than just

3:10doggedly chase that deadline without looking at the bigger

3:13picture.

3:14But let's just see a summary of all of that.

3:16And if you were to Google "management versus leadership,"

3:19you will stumble across quite a few graphics and posters

3:22that paint management negatively and leadership positively.

3:26But that's a comparison between bad management

3:28and good leadership.

3:29Because the reality is, it's not really

3:31a competition between the two.

3:33And so a project manager, for example,

3:35will need to use both management and leadership skills in order

3:39to be effective.

3:40So, yeah, good leaders will have great interpersonal skills,

3:43such as being able to communicate, and negotiate,

3:46and facilitate, and coach, and inspire,

3:49and more because leadership is much more

3:51people-y than the traditional view of management.

3:54And that's a really good thing.

3:55Because, after all, project teams are made up of people.

3:59The project work is done by people.

4:01And a great leader is very interested in making sure

4:03that those people will flourish.

0:00When you're leading a project team,

0:02you will be exhibiting some sort of power.

0:05And it's useful to be aware of the different types of power

0:08to help you understand your relationships with other people

0:10in the organization.

0:12Now there are numerous factors at play on a project

0:15and to combine that with your own personal style

0:18and the structure of the organization.

0:20And that makes for an awful lot of different types of power

0:23and depending on what text you're reading

0:25or what Google search results that you stumble across,

0:27the list of different types is going to vary.

0:30But my goal in this video is to heighten your awareness of some

0:33of the different types, and we'll

0:35start with the obvious one, positional.

0:37Well, I say the obvious one, but it might not be obvious to you

0:41until I show you the other names that this type of power has.

0:45So, yeah, this power is granted to you by the formal position

0:48that you hold in the organization.

0:50So he is the boss and everybody knows it.

0:52He has positional power.

0:54And it does work, but using it as a leader as a rather

0:57sledgehammer approach is a bit like your mother

1:00telling you to do something, and you saying why,

1:03and her response being because I said so.

1:06So that's the obvious power type,

1:07but my favorite power type is relational.

1:10And oh my, this is really useful for a leader.

1:12This is all about the relationships

1:14that you have in the organization, that camaraderie

1:17that you've built up with the team and other people who

1:20might be useful for the team.

1:21There's a lot to be said for those kinds of connections

1:24and alliances when you need to call in a favor.

1:26And people who successfully use relational power

1:29are excellent networkers.

1:31They're social, and often would have

1:33been working in the organization for a while, so as

1:35to have built up that shared history as it

1:38were with co-workers.

1:39Expert power, as you might guess,

1:41is where you are an expert on the subject.

1:44You really do know better than anyone else,

1:46and therefore, you have credibility.

1:47And people will listen to what you say.

1:49And building expertise is absolutely a worthy way

1:53of increasing your influence.

1:55Whereas informational power is when you know something that

1:58somebody else doesn't.

1:59And that might be because you're in charge of the gathering

2:01or the distribution of data.

2:03But of course, this is a very transitory type of power,

2:06because as soon as you share that information,

2:08your power is gone.

2:10Reward oriented power, as you might imagine,

2:13is where you have the ability to give rewards or recognition.

2:16And that could be any type of reward

2:18which would be motivating to the team member.

2:20And I don't mind admitting that I have a reward oriented power

2:24over my dog.

2:25I can open the treats cupboard and she count.

2:27Referent power is a form of power

2:29that's based on your capacity to influence and inspire the team.

2:33You have earned the respect and the admiration of team members

2:36because you've got an impressive track record in the field,

2:39for example.

2:40Or referent power could be when you associate yourself

2:44with powerful people.

2:45So if you were to mention that do you play badminton

2:47with the managing director or something,

2:49then your power will probably be increased

2:51because of that alliance.

2:53Personal or charismatic power is when you're simply

2:56so personable, so charismatic, so charming,

3:00that people just can't say no to you.

3:02And I'm sure you know somebody like this.

3:04They just seem to cast a spell over everybody that they meet.

3:08Pressure-based power is when you pressurize people

3:11into doing something by mentioning

3:12a bad outcome of not complying.

3:15So people feel pressurized into doing what you say,

3:17because if they don't do it, they're

3:19going to be responsible for the team missing a deadline.

3:21Arg.

3:22Even harsher than this is punitive or coercive power,

3:25sometimes known as punishment power.

3:27And this is where you have the ability

3:29to invoke negative consequences for team members who

3:32don't comply.

3:33Now clearly this is not a sustainable form of power,

3:36and it's going to burn bridges for the future.

3:38You really aren't going to build up any relational power

3:40if you use punitive power, for example.

3:43Guilt-based power is when you make

3:45people feel it's their duty to behave in a certain way.

3:48And so you're kind of guilt tripping them

3:50into a particular behavior because you've imposed

3:52a sense of obligation on them.

3:54Situational power is when you have

3:56power due to being in a particular place

3:59at a particular time.

4:00Maybe there's some sort of crisis site,

4:02and you're the only one who speaks the local language.

4:04So yeah, you have power because of the situation

4:07that you find yourself in.

4:09Ingratiating power is where you are a master of using flattery

4:14to win support for your way of thinking

4:16or to find common ground.

4:18And persuasive power is when you managed

4:20to be so convincing with your argument that people can't help

4:23but agree with you.

4:24And finally, avoiding power.

4:27Now I'm not sure if I like this one.

4:29It's kind of potentially a bit passive aggressive

4:31in my opinion.

4:32But this is referring to the power

4:33that you gain when you simply refuse to participate.

4:36It can really throw people.

4:38So understanding the forms of power

4:40can help you as a team leader to maximize your ability

4:43to influence the team by being proactive and intentional

4:47when using power.

4:48And I don't mean that to sound devious,

4:50because power is fragile.

4:52It comes and goes I just mean that the extra self-awareness

4:55that you gained when you understand where you're drawing

4:57your power and influence from will

4:59help to become a better leader.

0:00We already know that a leader doesn't rely on managerial or positional power.

0:05They inspire and guide and motivate the team using some of the more subtle

0:10forms of power that we talked about such as relational power and personal power

0:14and whatnot.

0:14And we also know that leadership is much more peopleier than pure management.

0:19So I think you already know that our list of qualities a good leader requires

0:23is going to focus heavily on the soft skills side of things.

0:26But let's start with some personality traits that we expect in a good leader.

0:31And firstly, we need somebody who is positive and optimistic by nature.

0:35Nobody is inspired or motivated by somebody who shuffles into the office with a

0:39scowl on their face.

0:41And we also need somebody who is authentic and courteous and respectful and

0:45culturally sensitive.

0:46Sounds like a tall order.

0:48But again, who wants to be led by somebody who isn't authentic and isn't courte

0:51ous or isn't respectful nor culturally sensitive?

0:55I really don't think it's too much to ask a leader to have these traits.

0:59And our leader's personality needs also to have a good balance of creativity

1:03and intellect.

1:05You know, the ability to innovate and think out of the box and at the same time

1:08can apply logic and tackle complex ideas.

1:11And as if this isn't enough, we also need our leader to have a very long list

1:15of soft skills.

1:17And I know what you're thinking.

1:18My goodness, do you expect me to be a superhero in order to lead a team?

1:22Well, yeah, kind of.

1:24But luckily these skills can be learned.

1:26And just by being aware of what's needed in the first place is a great place to

1:30start.

1:31So the skills we look for in a team leader start off with, I think,

1:34communication skills.

1:36Because it's all very well having a vision, which is quite possibly why that

1:39person is the leader in the first place,

1:42but can they communicate that vision to the team?

1:44And can they communicate effectively day to day?

1:47You know, to manage expectations, to give them receive feedback, ask good

1:50questions and listen actively to the answers.

1:53And apparently the best project managers spend up to 90% of their time

1:57communicating.

1:59So yeah, communication skills are really important.

2:02And building on that, we'll expect our leader to use those communication skills

2:06to manage relationships,

2:08to build trust.

2:09And that's where the relational power will come from too.

2:12And talking of managing relationships, our team leader should also have skills

2:16in conflict management.

2:18And in fact, I put together a short series of videos for you on this only this

2:21week, so take a look at that.

2:23And our team leader should also work on improving their emotional intelligence.

2:27This is all about being self-aware, you know, being aware of your own and

2:31others' emotions to help you handle interpersonal relationships better.

2:34And again, if you've watched my effective teams' videos, then that will have

2:38increased your emotional intelligence by a few points.

2:41Although looking at this screen now, I am wondering why I chose a picture of my

2:44character with a computer

2:46to depict emotional intelligence.

2:48I'm kind of thinking that she should have been with a person rather than hiding

2:51behind a laptop screen.

2:53And finally, our team leader should have good decision-making skills.

2:57They mustn't be afraid to make those difficult decisions.

3:00And as if that wasn't enough, our leader should be a lifelong learner too.

3:05And at the end of this very long and ambitious list, frankly, I'm not surprised

3:08that my character here is looking exhausted.

3:10But what I'm trying to say is that although not all of us are cut out to be

3:14great leaders,

3:15these are skills that can be learned and nurtured and added to your toolkit.

3:19For example, go and watch my other videos in this series on conflict management

3:23and whatnot.

3:24And of course, you're already a CBT nugget subscriber, and that means you're

3:29already set up to be a lifelong learner.

0:00There are many different ways of leading a project team,

0:03and the style that you end up using

0:04will depend on all sorts of factors

0:06such as the structure of your organization,

0:09the type of project you're working on,

0:10and of course, your own personal preference.

0:13But a smart leader will adapt their leadership style

0:16depending on what the team needs,

0:18and that's going to vary depending

0:19on what stage of maturity the team

0:21is at or at what stage of the project you're at.

0:24So if we were to plot a chart like this with degree

0:27of collaboration or participation up the side

0:31and the progression of time along the bottom,

0:33we can see that in the very early stages of a project

0:36or when the team has only just formed,

0:38you might really be quite directive in your leadership

0:41style and not at all collaborative.

0:43But as time progresses, your leadership

0:45will become much more collaborative and less

0:47autocratic and you'll start to include

0:49more coaching, more facilitating, and more

0:51supporting or servant leading for example.

0:54And in fact, servant leader is one of the leadership styles

0:56that we'll see on our list.

0:58So in terms of a list of leadership styles,

1:01if you look online it appears that everybody's

1:03got their own list, but I'm using the one from the Project

1:05Management Institute.

1:07And my goal is for you to start to become aware of the fact

1:10that there are different styles, and you as a leader

1:13are going to have a preference because

1:14of your experience and your own personality traits.

1:17But wouldn't it be useful if you could kind of take a step back

1:20and consciously use a particular style depending

1:23on the situation you find yourself in.

1:25So let's just wiz through these one at a time,

1:27and we'll start with the laissez-faire leadership style,

1:31which you might see described as delegative leadership.

1:34But with this leadership style, the leader is hands off

1:38and allows group members to make the decisions.

1:40Now I think you've got to be a bit careful with this one,

1:42because depending on what research

1:44you look at the teams that are led in this way often have

1:47lower productivity than other teams.

1:50But next on my list is transactional,

1:52and this is where the leader is very task driven and reactive.

1:55She's using rewards-oriented power and coercive

1:59power to encourage compliance through rewards and punishment,

2:02and it's a pretty straightforward transaction.

2:04You do it right, and I'll reward you.

2:06And if you don't, I'll punish you.

2:08But my favorite style is next, and that's

2:11because of my background with Agile Project Management,

2:13and that's the servant leader.

2:15And the main goal of this leader is

2:17to serve, to do whatever the team needs

2:20doing to clear the path to allow them to do their work.

2:23And if you are familiar with Agile and Scrum,

2:25then this is how the scrum master is often described.

2:28He develops and nurtures the team.

2:30He facilitates change and supports them.

2:33He protects them from other parts of the business

2:35as required, and he removes impediments

2:38so that they can get their work done.

2:40Next, I have the transformational leader,

2:43and you already know from my tone of voice

2:44that this is going to be a good one.

2:46And there is a whole theory behind this style where

2:49a leader works with teams to identify what

2:52change or transformation is needed

2:55and creates a vision to guide that change and then will

2:58execute the change with everybody

3:00very much on board right behind him.

3:02So that's the ideal, but in summary this

3:04is the type of leader who encourages and inspires

3:07and motivates team members to innovate and create

3:10that change that's going to contribute

3:12to the future success of the company.

3:14A charismatic leadership style is simply

3:17where the leader can use the shear

3:18force of their personality to inspire and lead team members.

3:23So they have strong convictions, and this leader

3:25is to be dynamic and popular and high energy

3:28and enthusiastic and people just can't help

3:30but be inspired by them.

3:32And then lastly, we have the interaction leadership style,

3:35and there is an awful lot of reading

3:37that you could do around interaction leadership theory.

3:40But for us today, we can think of this leader as one

3:42who coaches and motivates and who incorporates elements

3:46of the transformational, transactional,

3:49and charismatic style all into one.

3:52So yes, that could be a pretty effective combination.

3:54So there we go.

3:55Those are six different leadership styles for you

3:57to ponder, and I'm wondering do you

3:59recognize yourself or your leader in any one of them.

4:03Food for thought I'm sure.

0:00As team leader, one of the best things

0:02that you can do for your team is to empower them, because they

0:06truly are your greatest asset.

0:08So the first thing you need to do

0:09is to define and clearly communicate the vision

0:12or the goal to the team.

0:14And this might seem obvious, but this is actually

0:16really important, because high performing

0:17teams share a common goal.

0:19And obviously, they can't share it if they don't really

0:22know what it is.

0:23And you might be thinking, well, yeah.

0:25Whatever.

0:26I don't really need to do that.

0:28Everybody in my team, they know why they're there.

0:30But do they?

0:31Do they really?

0:33Because your team is made up of unique individuals

0:35with their own take on things-- their own view.

0:38So it is really important to clearly state that goal

0:40so that everybody is, so to speak, on the same page.

0:44But an effective team not only shares a common goal,

0:47but the members of the team are committed to that goal.

0:50And also, really important, they are committed to each other.

0:54Hmm.

0:55Let's just ponder that for a moment.

0:57So if we want to empower this group to do great things,

1:00then we need to remember that the team effectiveness is

1:03greater than the sum of its parts.

1:05So we need them to be committed to each other

1:07so that they take responsibility as a team for working

1:10towards that goal.

1:12We need everybody to feel truly accountable

1:14with that "we're all in this together" type of attitude.

1:17You know, we're all in the same boat.

1:19If you sink, then I sink with you.

1:21Now, we do talk more about effective teams

1:23in a separate series of videos, so you

1:26might want to check those out.

1:27But in order to improve this sense of accountability

1:30to each other, consider agreeing some standards of behavior

1:34with the team.

1:35And if everybody has agreed to this,

1:36then we should expect that team members

1:38hold each other to account to adhere

1:40to those agreed standards.

1:42Look at this example here.

1:44Let's say that this is what we have agreed as a team.

1:47And so if somebody does start fiddling with their phone

1:49during the weekly meeting, then we'd like the team to say,

1:52hey, we said no phones.

1:54So maybe the team has agreed these behaviors

1:56by writing them up on a piece of flip chart paper or something,

1:59and maybe even everybody has signed it,

2:01and we stick it up somewhere.

2:02Or at least keep it, not forgetting to find it again

2:05when a new team member joins.

2:07Another thing you can do as team leader to empower the team

2:11is to make sure that you organize work

2:13around team strengths.

2:15And again, we discuss this in more detail in the Effective

2:17Teams series.

2:18But there are a number of different team roles

2:21which describe the tendency to behave

2:23and contribute and interrelate in a particular way.

2:26And there are three action-oriented roles,

2:28three people-oriented roles, and three thought-oriented roles.

2:33And recognizing your team members' preferred behavior

2:36by studying this model is one way of effectively organizing

2:39around team strengths.

2:40So for example, let's say this character here--

2:43we'll call him Colin.

2:44He is a completer-finisher.

2:46So he worries about deadlines and targets.

2:49He has excellent attention to detail.

2:51So let's use that strength and make

2:53sure that this team member is involved

2:54in the proofreading or the quality control

2:56checks or whatever.

2:58And by the same token, not only should we

3:00organize work around team strengths,

3:02we should build the team with this in mind, too.

3:04Because it's no use having a team

3:06full of those action-oriented people, because we're

3:08going to be charging ahead doing stuff

3:10without any analysis or reflection

3:12or innovative problem solving.

3:14We'll be missing out on all of the essential input

3:16from the other types of team members.

3:19And I mention this because we've very often seen team leaders

3:22recruiting in their own image.

3:24I am an implementer, for example.

3:26I am very tactical.

3:27I like to crack on and do things,

3:29so I'm going to feel a real affinity with other people who

3:32have the same attitude.

3:33But again, that's not going to make for a balanced team.

3:36So we've got a nicely balanced, diverse team.

3:38We're organizing work around team strengths.

3:41Now we need to make sure that everybody is clear

3:43what their role is.

3:44And you should also consider where

3:46the decision-making authority lies.

3:48It's not going to be empowering for the team

3:50if they have to come to you for every decision.

3:53So again, it's all about accountability.

3:55Give responsibility for the successful completion of a task

3:58to the team, because it's amazing

4:00what we can achieve when we work together.

0:00One of your jobs as team leader will

0:01be to support team performance.

0:04And when I say that, I'm talking about assessing

0:06team performance, and then organizing

0:08training for the team and developing

0:10the team as required.

0:11And whenever I talk about developing and training

0:13people-- which, obviously as a trainer, is quite often--

0:16I always think of that funny cartoon

0:18that regularly does the rounds on social media whereby

0:21the CFO is anxious about spending money training team

0:25members and says, but what happens

0:26if we invest in developing our people, and then they leave?

0:29And then, of course, the CEO replies, ah,

0:31but what happens if we don't and they stay?

0:34So yeah, we need to invest in our people.

0:37But in order to determine in what areas we need to invest,

0:40it might be a good idea to do some performance assessments

0:42first, because we need to continually assess and refresh

0:46team skills to meet project needs.

0:49Our whole goal with assessment, remember,

0:50is to identify where we can improve individual and team

0:54performance.

0:55And how are we going to do that?

0:56Well, we've probably got some sort of key performance

0:59indicators, maybe displayed in a lovely dashboard like this,

1:03which we can use to monitor key metrics

1:05and to see if targets are being met.

1:07And it's also very likely that we'll be performing some sort

1:10of assessment or appraisal or performance review--

1:12whatever you want to call it--

1:13of individual team members.

1:15So this will usually be a private conversation

1:18where team members are given constructive feedback

1:20with regards to the areas that they're already achieving well

1:22in, and which areas they could improve in.

1:25Now, there are lots of different approaches

1:27you can take when it comes to staff appraisals,

1:29and I'll leave you to research that if you choose.

1:32But one method which will pretty much appear on every list

1:35is what we call 360 degree feedback, where it's not just

1:39the team leader or the manager providing the feedback,

1:42but everybody around the individual

1:44also providing input to the assessment.

1:46So maybe you've given out a questionnaire or something

1:48inviting other team members to answer questions regarding

1:51the performance of the individual,

1:52and that should give a much more rounded view.

1:55But I think it's worth pausing here

1:56for a moment to ponder the idea of an individual performance

2:00appraisal, because look, for an effective team

2:03where team members are committed to each other and the team

2:06goal, we are expecting people to help out coworkers

2:09without being asked.

2:11We're expecting them to share willingly

2:12for the good of the team.

2:14And I think that individual performance reviews

2:16are at odds with this behavior.

2:18So imagine if my performance here at CBT Nuggets

2:21was measured solely on how many videos I produce.

2:24If that were the case, why on Earth

2:26would I spend time helping out a colleague when

2:28I could have spent that time producing another video?

2:31Do you see what I mean here?

2:32So I'm a big fan of performance being constant and continuous.

2:37And if you do your research, you'll

2:38see that highly engaged employees are those that

2:41do receive constant feedback.

2:43And also, employee turnover can be

2:45reduced with regular feedback.

2:47So yeah, I would think carefully about the impact on the team's

2:50performance if you do have these infrequent individual

2:52performance reviews.

2:54But anyway, I digress.

2:56We've been assessing performance of the team and the team

2:59members, and we therefore have probably uncovered

3:01a need for some training.

3:03And training can take lots of different forms.

3:06It could be classroom training, either on or off site,

3:09or it could be online training like you're watching now.

3:12And this could be very cost-effective,

3:14and it's certainly going to be easier

3:15to fit in around the job.

3:17But don't forget the resources you've already

3:19got in your team.

3:20Would it be useful, for example, for a team member

3:22to shadow another in order to increase their skill set,

3:25or for an experienced team member

3:27to proactively coach somebody else who is less experienced?

3:31But whatever you do, always keep in mind

3:33the need to transfer knowledge between individuals

3:36in order to maintain that overall team knowledge.

3:39I once worked on a team where we had

3:40a wiki which got updated with all sorts of things in order

3:43to share knowledge.

3:44So that's one idea.

3:45And if you do send somebody on a course,

3:47then make sure you provide a mechanism for that team member

3:50to report back on what they have learned

3:52so that new knowledge isn't locked up

3:53with that one individual.

3:55OK, so we've filled any skills gaps with some training.

3:58But in order to continue to develop the team,

4:00it's worth remembering that high-performing teams have

4:03fun together.

4:04It might seem frivolous, but it does inspire trust,

4:07and that helps to make it safe to ask each other for help,

4:10which is going to lead to better team communications and better

4:13group productivity and better interpersonal relationships

4:16between team members.

4:17And teams who have good relationships between members

4:20are longer-lived, which of course reduces turnover.

4:22So how are we going to achieve this?

4:25Well, obviously this is a whole other topic

4:27that we could sidetrack onto, but just in summary,

4:29social events could help, because getting

4:31to know each other outside of the workplace,

4:34we can really start to understand each other better.

4:36And of course, formal team-building events

4:38can be useful.

4:39But even simple games and icebreakers

4:41that you can find online can help to develop relationships

4:45in the team.

4:45It's going to help to make team members feel more engaged,

4:48and that all adds up to support and improve team effectiveness.

4:53So to wrap up, then, let's just revisit

4:55that joke we started the video with,

4:57where our CFO was worried about spending money on people

5:00because they might leave.

5:02But now we know the importance of developing our team members,

5:05perhaps a better response from our CEO

5:07would be something like this.

5:09Well, highly-engaged employees are less likely to leave,

5:13but if they do, they leave as supporters and advocates

5:16of the company.

5:17And I love this.

5:18And certainly, in my experience, it is so, so true.

5:22But I do concede it's not nearly as funny as the original joke,

5:25so it's a good job I don't make my living out

5:27of making people laugh.

5:29Hey, ho.

0:00We're going to get all theoretical in this video with some theories around

0:03motivation

0:04because it's only once we understand what motivates people that we can reward

0:08them.

0:09So these are the theories that we're going to look at very briefly, and you

0:12know the deal,

0:13you can look up more detail if you're interested, but we will start with the

0:17one I think you're

0:17most likely to have heard of, the one at the top of my list here, Maslow's

0:21hierarchy of needs.

0:22And this comes from the brain of Abraham Maslow, who suggested that people are

0:27motivated to fulfil

0:28basic needs before they are able to move on to other more sophisticated needs.

0:33So right at the bottom of the pyramid here we have basic physiological needs

0:37such as food and

0:38water and clothing and sleep and whatnot. And then once these needs have been

0:42met, people can move

0:42on to the next level, which is the need for security and safety, and that's

0:46going to include economic

0:47security and protection from physical dangers. And once we've got these needs

0:51sorted, then we can

0:53start to worry about social acceptance and a sense of belonging and friendship

0:57and being part of a

0:58team. After that we start to seek out recognition and that feeling that we're

1:02contributing and what

1:04we're doing is worthwhile. And then finally at the top of the pyramid, this is

1:08where we're wanting

1:08to achieve our full potential. And you can see why it's described as a

1:12hierarchy, because if we

1:13don't have the basic needs met, then frankly we're not really interested in

1:17fulfilling our true

1:18potential. The next theory on our list is the expectancy theory from Victor V

1:23room, which is a

1:24rather marvellous name, don't you think? And he suggests that people will make

1:28choices based on

1:29the expected outcomes, the theory being that people will be motivated if they

1:34believe there is a

1:35relationship between the effort that they put in and the rewards that they

1:38receive. With MacGregor's

1:40theory X and theory Y, the suggestion is that there are two ways to classify

1:45team members. So

1:47team leaders who use theory X believe that people are unmotivated, they don't

1:51want to work, and they're

1:53only interested in fulfilling their own goals and therefore need to be microman

1:56aged in order for

1:57work to get done. Whereas theory Y assumes that people are motivated, they do

2:02want to work and they

2:03can be trusted to do what's required in order for the organization to succeed,

2:07and note here that

2:08it is the manager, not the individual who ascribes to theory X or theory Y, the

2:13point of this model

2:14being to highlight the two extremes of motivation that a worker might have. And

2:18of course in reality

2:19it's not going to be quite so black and white as this. Now there have been

2:22various theory Z or

2:24theory Z's suggested which build on MacGregor's theory X and theory Y, and

2:28possibly the most

2:29well-known version of which was introduced by Auchie, and his theory Z is

2:33focused on increasing

2:35employee loyalty to the organization and other Japanese management practices

2:39such as you know

2:40job security and employee wellbeing and more besides. Next on my list is McCle

2:45llan's need theory,

2:47which you sometimes see listed as the three need theory, and that's because

2:52this theory suggests

2:53that an individual's motivation is rooted in three primary needs, achievement,

2:58power and affiliation.

2:59So people with a high need for achievement tend to like to set challenging

3:04goals and

3:05accomplish them obviously, whereas people with a need for power like to make a

3:09difference,

3:09they like to influence others, while people with a need for affiliation like to

3:13maintain good

3:14relationships and want to belong to a team. So again different drivers and

3:18different motivations

3:19here. The last theory I want to mention is Hertzberg's motivation hygiene

3:25theory. Now this list two

3:27types of factors in the workplace which the theory argues can be adjusted to

3:31improve motivation.

3:32The first type of factor, the motivation factors, increased job satisfaction,

3:37and you can see them

3:38here, achievement, recognition, the nature of the work itself, responsibility

3:42and the opportunity

3:43for advancement and personal growth. And I think these motivating factors are

3:48pretty straightforward.

3:49But the twist in the tail is that they don't work unless we have what we call

3:54the hygiene factors

3:55in place. And these are things like salary and working conditions and job

3:59security and good

4:00working relationships and also a clear and fair company policy with appropriate

4:05supervision and

4:06status in that the employee understands their role and has meaningful work to

4:10do. So these things

4:12don't motivate on their own but they have to be fulfilled in order for the

4:17motivating factors

4:18to work. But of course if we don't have these areas fulfilled then that will

4:22lead to dissatisfaction.

4:24So those are some interesting theories to be aware of, it really is a

4:28fascinating topic and of

4:29course your homework is to research further if required. But I just wanted to

4:33finish this video

4:34with a quick word about rewards. And this quote from the Project Management

4:39Institute really resonates

4:40with me. Rewards will be effective only if they satisfy a need that is valued

4:46by the individual.

4:48And the reason why it resonated with me is because of an experience I had in my

4:52very first job.

4:53So I worked for a small company and I remember one year the managing director

4:57said that since

4:58we'd all done so well that as a gesture of his appreciation he would give us

5:02all an extra day of

5:03time off on Christmas Eve. He called it family day. And everybody was delighted

5:07about this you know

5:08what a lovely gesture they could enjoy the day getting ready for Christmas with

5:11their children

5:12but and yes there is a but. Looking at this quote here this wasn't a reward

5:18that was valued by me.

5:19I didn't have children. Christmas was actually a rather boring time of year for

5:23me. I would rather

5:24have had a day off of my choice when the weather was better. So always consider

5:29personal preferences

5:30and cultural differences with rewards don't assume that something that you

5:34would value is

5:34going to be valued by everybody. And finally avoid what we call win lose

5:39rewards where only one

5:40person can win it. Have a system that potentially allows all team members to

5:44achieve the reward

5:45because after all we're seeking to improve team performance here and having a

5:49motivated team is

5:50going to be critical to the success of your project.

0:00I feel that we've covered an awful lot of ground

0:02in this series on LEAD a project team, yet at the same time,

0:06hardly scratched the surface of the topic.

0:08So let's just quickly recap what we covered.

0:10And we started off by reminding ourselves

0:12that, depending on the structure of the organization,

0:15the project manager might not actually

0:17have any managerial authority over project team members

0:20at all.

0:21And that puts an interesting perspective

0:23on what it takes, therefore, to lead a project team.

0:26And so, with that in mind, we compared management

0:28and leadership and concluded that, although we need both,

0:32with management being a rather operational role using

0:35managerial or authoritative power,

0:38leadership is more about coaching

0:40and influencing and inspiring and building relationships

0:43with a good view of the bigger picture.

0:45And this set us up well for looking at some different types

0:48of power.

0:49And this helped us to understand that, although the project team

0:52leader might not have that managerial authority,

0:55that positional power, there are other types of power he can use

0:58to lead the team, such as relational or personal

1:02or expert, for example.

1:03And then we looked at the rather long list of personality traits

1:07and qualities that we expect in a leader.

1:09And, yeah, I think we pretty much concluded here

1:11that a good leader should have superhero status.

1:14We looked at some examples of different leadership styles.

1:18And we explored the idea that a good leader will

1:20be able to flex their leadership approach as the team matures

1:23and the project progresses.

1:25And so, over time, the leader is likely to become

1:27more collaborative and less autocratic in their approach.

1:31We then looked at the importance of empowering the team

1:34by making sure that all team members are committed

1:36to the team goal and to each other

1:38and that roles are clearly defined

1:40and everybody feels accountable.

1:42And then we saw the importance of developing the team in order

1:45to support team performance.

1:46And that takes the form of conducting

1:48appropriate performance assessments

1:50and organizing training to ensure individual team member

1:53growth, but also taking the trouble to improve engagement

1:56of team members because engaged employees

1:58are less likely to leave.

2:00And then, lastly, we touched on some theories

2:03to help us to understand the surprisingly

2:05fascinating and complex area of employee motivation.

2:09Wow.

2:10Now I am aware, as I said, that we've really only scratched

2:13the surface of these topics.

2:14But my goal is to start to open your eyes with regards to what

2:17it takes to lead a team.

2:19And this video series does go hand in hand

2:21with my Effective Teams series.

2:23So make sure you look at those videos, too.

2:26I hope this has been informative for you.

2:27And I'd like to thank you for viewing.