Project Team Leader

Quick reference

• 00:03 Hello, I'm Ray Sheen.
• 00:05 Let's look at the role of the project team leader.
• 00:08 Leadership is a critical skill within projects in today's work environment.
• 00:11 Let's consider some of the attributes needed by project leaders.
• 00:16 We'll start with a quick discussion about the difference between being a team
• 00:20 leader, or a team manager.
• 00:21 But first, let me emphasize that these are not mutually exclusive.
• 00:25 A team manager can lead a team, and
• 00:28 a team leader may need to manage some team activities.
• 00:31 The difference is the focus of the activities.
• 00:34 Generally, managers are about control, and leaders about change.
• 00:38 Managers are trying to ensure that the team stays on track to achieve team
• 00:43 performance goals.
• 00:44 And leaders are changing the performance or behavior of the team or
• 00:48 the organization.
• 00:49 Again, both of these may be needed for a team to succeed.
• 00:54 Management strives for stability and predictability,
• 00:58 whereas leadership strives to achieve a new level of performance.
• 01:02 In many cases, teams need both management and leadership.
• 01:06 These may come from the same individual or from different team members.
• 01:10 Let's look at some of these actions that managers perform and
• 01:13 some that leaders perform.
• 01:15 Leaders create the vision of the desired change.
• 01:18 They help to develop a change strategy, build relationships with team members
• 01:22 to ensure that they understand, and then get buy in for the strategy.
• 01:26 Keep the team motivated while implementing the strategy, and finally,
• 01:30 solve problems that will inevitably arise.
• 01:32 When the goal of the team is to create or implement a change,
• 01:36 leadership role is paramount.
• 01:38 Managers plan, budget, and
• 01:39 organize the activities of the team to ensure the team objectives can be met.
• 01:44 And then they monitor and control team activity to ensure the results
• 01:48 are going to be in accordance to the plan.
• 01:51 Inevitably, something will go wrong, and just like leaders,
• 01:55 managers need to be able to solve problems.
• 01:57 When the goal of the team is to provide stability and process excellent,
• 02:02 the management role is paramount.
• 02:04 So putting those together, people who are both strong leaders and
• 02:07 managers empower the team and also demonstrate project management discipline.
• 02:11 Strong leaders who are weak managers will focus on getting the team aligned and
• 02:16 motivated, but not telling them what to do.
• 02:19 Strong managers who are weak leaders will focus on the plan and
• 02:23 controlling to the plan, but not on motivation and team vision.
• 02:27 And finally, people who are weak at both management and leadership have a tendency
• 02:32 to either delegate and abdicate, or become dictatorial and regulate everything,
• 02:38 requiring the team members to be constantly asking for permission.
• 02:42 So why do we need leaders?
• 02:45 The business environment of today has created demand for leaders, often more so
• 02:49 than for management.
• 02:51 The pressures in business today, of innovation, product proliferation,
• 02:55 competition, and personnel turnover means that the recipe for
• 02:59 success is constantly changing.
• 03:01 Leaders are needed when change is required.
• 03:04 In addition, the business environment is increasingly complex,
• 03:08 organizational complexity, cultural complexity, and technical complexity.
• 03:13 With the constant change in team and business,
• 03:15 leaders are needed to navigate this complexity.
• 03:18 Add to that an element of urgency.
• 03:20 Teams must react to the change in real time.
• 03:23 Strong leaders are needed to help teams keep up with all that is going on
• 03:27 around them.
• 03:28 So what is the role of the team leader?
• 03:30 Well, in a nutshell, it's whatever the team needs it to be.
• 03:34 At various times in the life cycle of a team, a team leader may need to take on
• 03:39 the role of facilitator, coach, communicator, integrator, archivist,
• 03:44 motivator, disciplinarian, and sometimes just act as a team member.
• 03:49 The role varies based upon the experience, maturity, and needs of the team members,
• 03:54 and what is happening in the business around them.
• 03:57 Weak team leaders often do only a few of these.
• 04:00 They may do them well.
• 04:01 And if that's all that is needed on that team,
• 04:03 it may appear that they are good team leaders.
• 04:06 But put them on a different project and they fail badly.
• 04:09 That is because strong leaders understand they need to adapt to what is happening on
• 04:13 the project.
• 04:14 The team leader serves the team, not the other way around.
• 04:17 The leader needs to provide whatever is necessary to keep the team engaged and
• 04:23 moving forward towards the project goal.
• 04:25 A long-standing question is whether leaders are made or born.
• 04:29 A few years ago, the Harvard Business Review published a list of traits of
• 04:33 successful leaders in business.
• 04:35 These traits apply to project leaders, in addition to business leadership.
• 04:39 As you will see, some are traits that you may be born with, but
• 04:43 others are clearly traits that you can establish and grow.
• 04:46 So the answer to whether leaders are made or born is yes.
• 04:51 The first trait is industry and organizational knowledge.
• 04:54 You need to understand the environment that you're working with.
• 04:58 Take the time to learn your organization, its history and culture, and
• 05:02 read up on the issues affecting your industry.
• 05:04 Relationships in the firm and the industry.
• 05:07 Develop a network of people who you trust and who trust you.
• 05:12 Reputation and track record.
• 05:14 Team members need to have confidence in their leaders before they will
• 05:18 follow them.
• 05:18 Build a track record deep and wide to gain credibility in the organization.
• 05:24 Abilities and skills.
• 05:26 This trait includes both interpersonal abilities and skills,
• 05:30 such as communication and facilitation, along with business skills,
• 05:34 such as analytics and decision making.
• 05:36 Personal values, this one was interesting.
• 05:39 Some values are obvious, such as integrity and respect.
• 05:43 But in some cases, it didn't matter as much what the person's values were,
• 05:48 as it did that the team members knew what those values are and
• 05:51 that the individual acted consistently with them.
• 05:55 This includes values such as work life balance and timeliness.
• 05:59 Finally, motivation, leaders want to see the changes occur.
• 06:04 They devote energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to the goal.
• 06:07 Leadership is an essential element of success in project teams.
• 06:11 Now, throughout the next few sessions,
• 06:13 I want to help you develop some of your leadership skills and abilities.

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