After project initiation, we have to PlanDoCheckActIn multiple cyclesBefore we closeSounds very simple. Ready to handle the project. Right?????
3 Ways to Get the Most from Your Team•Designate a naysayer. Groupthink is a dangerous byproduct of teamwork. Ask someone to play the role of devil's advocate to be sure ideas get challenged.•Avoid double digits. Teams should be as small as possible—never have a team of more than nine people.•Keep the team together. Avoid swapping members out. Established teams work better than those whose composition frequently changes.
3 Tips for Making a High-Stakes Decision•Trust, and challenge, your gut. In some cases, your first instinct may be right, but it's probably not based on rational thought. It's important to question your initial reaction and test it once you've gathered more data.•Check your bias. Self-interest can be subconscious. Recognize when you may be partial and ask a trusted peer to double-check your decision for any prejudice.•Involve others. Big decisions shouldn't happen in a vacuum. Consult with others to gather differing opinions. This will help you make a more informed choice and give you a better shot at winning buy-in.
For those in product development3 Ways to Spot Industry-Changing Trends •Spend time with peripheral customers. Every industry has cutting-edge users that know—or are even setting—the trends. Find these customers (hint: they are often the younger, technology-focused ones) and tap them for their insights.•Investigate peripheral companies. Be on the lookout for interesting startups or established companies that could one day edge into your market. Don't be limited by traditional industry demarcations. Investigate companies solving similar problems that you solve for your customers.•Stay connected with all peripheral industries
3 Characteristics of a Real TeamTo maximize its potential: •A meaningful and common purpose. This is more than an outside mandate from the top of the organization. To be successful, the team must develop and own its purpose.•Adaptable skills. Diverse capabilities are important. Effective teams rarely have all the skills they need at the outset. They develop them as they learn what their challenge requires.•Mutual accountability. You can't force trust and commitment. Agreeing on the team's goals is the first moment at which team members forge their accountability to one another.
3 Ways to Increase Your Team's PerformanceSuccessfully managing a team is a complex undertaking. Increase the odds of reaching your goals by doing the following three things: •Establish urgency. Team members need to believe they're working on something that matters. And it needs to matter today, not at a nebulous point in the future. Be sure the team sees the potential fruits of its labor.•Set high standards. The higher the expectations the more likely the team will live up to its performance potential. Set ambitious goals and hold the team to them.•Start off on the right foot. Pay particular attention to first meetings and initial impressions. How a team starts its work together often sets the tone for future interactions.
3 Ways to turn Stress into an AssetStress is unavoidable, but it doesn't have to be damaging. When managed correctly, strain can positively impact productivity and performance. Here are three things you can do to make stress work for you: •Recognize worry for what it is. Stress is a feeling, not a sign of dysfunction. When you start to worry, realize it's an indication that you care about something, not a cause for panic.•Focus on what you can control. Too many people feel bad about things they simply can't change. Remember what you can affect and what you can't.•Create a supportive network. Knowing you have somebody to turn to can help a lot. Build relationships so that you have people to rely on in times of stress.
3 Ways to Handle the UnexpectedTrying to predict the future is futile. Instead, be ready to respond. When the unexpected arrives at your door, do these three things: •Stop. If you feel pressured to make a decision, stop what you're doing. Give yourself a chance to think before acting.•Assess your options. Don't waste time wishing things were different. Think about the best outcome in the given situation, the information you have at hand, and the available resources. Then lay out your options.•Move forward. Based on your new assessment, make a decision and commit. Even if the decision isn't ideal, accept that it's the best under the circumstances.
3 Steps to Influence CultureYou can't just create the culture you want in your organization. Culture is not a goal, but the outcome of a collective set of behaviors. Instead of mandating behavior, influence it to shape your company's culture with these three steps: •Convey your vision. Define your aspirations. What are the most critical behaviors that characterize the culture you want to create?•Demonstrate how new behaviors can help the business. Nothing reinforces behaviors more than success. Work with your team to apply your ideal behaviors to a specific project that needs improving.•Integrate the behaviors into HR processes. People tend to do what's measured and rewarded. Use the desired behaviors as criteria for hiring and promoting.
3 Ways to Recover from a BlunderEventually, every leader will need to apologize for a mistake. Here are three steps to take when it's your turn: •Admit the mistake. Fessing up expedites the recovery process. While it's tempting to shirk responsibility or slink away, it only makes matters worse.•Try to laugh at yourself. If it's appropriate, go ahead. Joking around gives others permission to do the same. After all, nobody wants leaders who take themselves too seriously.•Reframe the discussion. People will want to talk about the mistake forever. Give the blunder its due, but refocus the conversation on what matters most: moving forward.
3 Rules for Networking at WorkWe often think of networking as connecting with people outside our organizations. But networking with internal colleagues is just as crucial. Here are three rules of thumb for growing your network inside the office: •Build outward, not inward. Don't waste time deepening connections with people you already know. Get in touch with people in other teams or business units.•Go for diversity, not size. Rather than aiming for a massive network, build an efficient one. This requires knowing people who are different from you, and from one another.•Go beyond familiar faces. Identify the "hubs" in your company—people who've worked on a variety of teams and projects—and ask them to connect you to others.
3 Questions to Get the Feedback you NeedNo leader improves without feedback. But getting people to be honest about your performance isn't always easy. Give your team a way to supply you with the candid information you need to change by asking them these three questions: •What should I stop doing? Ask which behaviors stand in your way of success.•What should I keep doing? Inquire about what you do right, and should continue to do.•What should I start doing? Once you've stopped unproductive behaviors, you'll have more time and energy for new behaviors.
3 Questions to Ask Before Adopting that Best PracticeBest practices are alluring. If other companies have already determined the best way to do something, why not just do what they did? But before you run off to collect best practices from the leader in your industry, ask these three questions: •What are the downsides? Implementing a practice that worked elsewhere isn't necessarily a slam dunk. Think through the potential disadvantages and figure out how to mitigate them.•Is success truly attributable to the benchmark practice? There are many reasons a company succeeds. It is unlikely that emulating one practice of an industry leader will give your company the same success.•Are the conditions similar at your organization? For best practices to be transferrable, businesses need to have key similarities: strategy, business model, and workforce.
Align cost, time, scope, risk, HR and quality goals towards the project’s goalsBring out the rabbit called success and that isThe magic of ManagementThank you
Align cost, time, scope, risk, HR and quality goals towards the project’s goalsBring out the rabbit called success and that isThe magic of ManagementThank you
