Leading a team? Stack the deck in your favor to optimize collaboration and results!
I needed advice, and I knew just where to get it - the strongest project manager (PM) I had ever worked with.
We first met when he inherited responsibility for a troubled team (of which I was a member). Within days he had everyone focused on the big-picture objective and “pulling in the same direction”. It soon gelled into one of the highest performing teams I’ve ever had the privilege to be part of – his influence seemed almost magical.
A few years later, both of us were on different projects, and I was leading the resolution of a particularly tricky technical issue for a key customer. My team was chock-full of high performing individual contributors, but it was like herding cats! Everyone had their own idea of what was most important and what to do next. So, I stopped by the PM’s office; I was ready to receive the wisdom. How had he gotten all those people to collaborate so effectively, so quickly, all those years ago?
He said, “Y’know, I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and that’s the only time that ever happened. Normally you just have to slog through it.” I was CRUSHED!
While there are a lot of great leadership techniques and tips out there, it turns out there is no magic bullet that works every time for every situation. You have to apply the best practices with consistency and integrity. You have to build environments of trust and common purpose. You have to measure and check. Doing so will not guarantee success, but it will stack the deck in your favor, maximizing your chances of succeeding.
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