How Project Managers make the best of their team without going too far

It is not always easy to supervise one’s collaborators. If you are a Project Manager, you may know that relationships among team members are not always perfect. You might also know that in order to reach a consensus, one needs a real talent. Several pieces of advice can be given to enhance a team’s confidence as well as to establish a more relaxed atmosphere inside a group in order to make the best of collaborators.

Trying to be a role model for your team members

This principle no longer needs to be emphasized, as every true leader knows that a project manager needs to inspire his collaborators’ confidence and to create admiration. By leading by example, the project manager ensures that his collaborators will always follow him. This principle is quite efficient for project managers willing to strengthen their team spirit. Leadership goes hand in hand with coaching and every project manager will therefore have to give pieces of advice to his team members along with boosting their self-confidence in order to improve their productivity and enhance the progress of a project.

Being able to tackle crisis

An efficient project manager equally needs to manage crisis with an iron fist and without being defeatist. If the leader is able to remain calm, he will more easily find the best solutions and be able to acknowledge that every issue can be addressed. The project manager will also have to spend time dealing with each and every situation without acting hastily, as it can lead to mistakes and bad decisions.

Establishing an efficient communication

In order to establish a good harmony inside a working group and incite the latter to make the best of itself without pressure, one needs to organize an efficient communication, as it represents the basis of everything. To efficiently communicate with team members, the project manager needs to be open to new ideas, to share knowledge, to incite creativity and most of all, to give team members the opportunity to express themselves. The project manager will also have to encourage them and be attentive!

Having clear expectations

Most of the project managers dread not to be understood. In order to avoid that particular issue, they will have to provide clear expectations and efficiently communicate the goals to be achieved in order not to make mistakes. Both transparency and communication are central pillars enabling to make progress as regards the realization of a project. It also seems interesting to encourage risk-taking and decision-making if they are profitable for the company. An interesting idea would be to write down the expectations and to define the goals in order to facilitate the analysis and to establish an efficient follow-up.

Being surrounded by positive people

This might seem to be a classic piece of advice but a project manager who can find positive people can hope for positive results. In order to make up a crack squad, the project manager will have to take the jobseekers’ skills into consideration along with other criteria, such as a team spirit, the capability to adapt oneself and the easiness to work under pressure. His main goal would be to coordinate a team made up of people who share the same insight and who are able to quickly provide efficient work along with accepting constructive criticism.

Working hard for the team

A good project manager also needs to work hard for his personal team, to celebrate positive results with them but also to guide them during the whole project and to congratulate them on their progress. The project manager will always have to supervise his team in order to be respected by the team members. If they trust him, their team spirit will be enhanced and collaborators will be more inclined to work more efficiently.

Take away

Becoming a good project manager cannot be undertaken in several days. On the contrary, there is a need for patience, experience and a positive attitude. Leading a team is not an easy task!

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