Project Team Leadership: Building Commitment Through Superior Communication

The demands of a project leadership role are unique. You must learn how to serve both the needs of your team members with the needs of the project—not an easy task. Project leadership requires a blend of soft skills, such as communication and motivation, along with the bottom-line capabilities of project management.

This workshop will teach you how to master the project leadership skills that can help you build team commitment and create a more predictable project environment.

Who Should Attend:

Mid- to high-level project and program managers and directors.

How You Will Benefit:

• Build high-performance teams that can lead projects to successful implementation
• Keep the team on track through team consensus and conflict resolution
• Minimize communication misunderstandings
• Prevent team “break-ups” by using constructive feedback
• Achieve better results through clear, open and honest communication
• Optimize time, money and resources by putting the right people on the right projects

What You Will Cover:

• The ins and outs of communication skills
• Team dynamics: what’s unique about project teams
• Conflict management…successful team behaviors
• How to delegate and run effective meetings
• Communicating during project implementation and closure: conveying appreciation…what to do when crisis hits…performance reporting
• Negotiating agreements: a PM’s sources of power
• Achieving commitment and creating project successes

Outline

Learning Objectives:

• Build a High-Performing Team and Create Commitment to Assist Your Team in Meeting Its Deadlines
• Communicate More Clearly Within the Project Environment, Including Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback
• Delegate More Successfully as a Project Manager
• Facilitate Effective Meetings, Including Presenting an Options Paper to Get the Team or Stakeholders to Make a Decision
• Manage Various Types of Communications Throughout the Project Life Cycle
• Resolve Conflicts to Keep Team Committed and on Track
• Negotiate More Effectively, Understanding How to Better Utilize Various Influencing Styles

Leading in Today’s Project Environment:

• Understand the Need for Project Management and How Its Application Has Changed over the Years
• Analyze Project Failures at a Greater Depth of Understanding
• Define What Project Success, High Commitment, and Superior Communication Mean and How They Relate in Your World
• Identify the Key Leadership Skills Needed By a Project Manager and Assess Your Own Style

The Ins and Outs of Communication Skills:

• Utilize Different Communication Techniques to Communicate with Your Project Stakeholders and Team Members in a Clear, Concise Way
• Give and Receive Constructive Feedback, Especially During Times of Anger, Disappointment, and Frustration
• Understand and Experience the Fact That the Same Words Can Mean Different Things to Different People
• Understand the Different Methods of Communicating Within a Project Team and Minimize the Barriers to Communication

Understanding Team Dynamics:

• Identify the Characteristics of High-Performing, Spirited Teams
• Assess the Phase That You Are In and Your Project Team Is In, Using the Team Spirit Process of Development
• Understand Conflict, the Role It Plays in Teams, Your Conflict Style, and Methods to Deal with It
• Mediate Disputes Between Your Project Team Members to Assess Your Team and Determine Possible Actions to Improve Team Behaviors

Communication During the Project Definition and Planning Phases:

• Identify Your Key Stakeholders and Interview Them to Gather Their Wants and Needs
• Communicate with the Project Team and Stakeholders During Phase 1 (Project Definition) and Phase 2 (Planning) of the Project
• Understand the Three Levels of Communication Surrounding a Project
• “Let Go of the Work” and Delegate More Successfully

Communication During Project Implementation and Closure:

• Communicate and Report Status During Project Implementation to Both Team Members and Stakeholders in a Way That Minimizes the Chance of Miscommunications
• Hold Effective Team Meetings and Obtain Feedback from Team Members
• Understand “Consensus” and How and When to Use It with Project Teams
• Re-plan the Project When It Is in Crises and Present Options to Stakeholders in a Way That Optimizes the Chance That They Will Make a Decision

Negotiating Agreements:

• Identify and Utilize Key Skills, Strategies, and Tactics Needed to Successfully Manage the Negotiation Process
• Understand a Project Manager’s Sources of Power and Analyze Your Ability to Influence Others
• Organize a Negotiation Using the Five Stages of the Negotiation Process

Wrap-Up: Effective Project Leadership:

• Understand the Team Dynamics That Effective Project Managers Are Trying to Create in Order to Create a Highly Committed Team and More Project Successes
• Choose and Implement Some Tips in Creating Positive Team Dynamics
• Return to Work and Implement Some Ideas from This Course