Leadership SKills Flashcards
How can a project manager create more productivity on a team?
By considering skills, learning styles, and motivations of the team and aligning project tasks and goals accordingly
List some of the differences between management and leadership.
Management Focus
Leadership Focus
Tasks/things
People
Control
Empowerment
Efficiency
Effectiveness
Doing things right
Doing the right things
Speed
Direction
Practices
Principles
Command
Communication
What is involved in critical thinking?
Gathering unbiased information
Responding logically, and without bringing more emotion to the situation
Resolving issues using analytical skills
Analyzing data to address the issue and choose the right path
Being aware of relationships and related patterns
Identifying when someone is off-base with their reasoning
What is emotional intelligence?
The ability to perceive, evaluate, and control emotions in self and other
Name the four primary duties a leader performs in the servant leadership role.
Makes sure team members stay on track and have no unnecessary interruptions, and that work unrelated to the project does not get added
Works to remove impediments to keep the team moving forward
Continually communicates the project vision so team members have a good understanding of the final goal
Gives the team everything they need to be productive and to stay motivated (rewards, compensation, support, encouragement, etc.)
What is the difference between centralized and distributed management and leadership?
Centralized teams report to one leader, such as the project manager
Distributed management is when the team follows the leadership of several individuals
How should communications flow on a project?
Project communications occur internally and externally to the core project team—vertically (up and down the levels of the organization) and horizontally (between peers
What are the four types of communication?
Formal written
Formal verbal
Informal written
Informal verbal
What are the five Cs of communication?
Correct grammar and spelling
Concise and well-crafted
Clear and purposeful
Coherent and logical
Controlled flow of words and ideas
Describe an interactive model of communication.
Interactive communication includes three main components: the sender, the receiver, and the confirmation that the message is correctly understood
Factors such as the receiver’s perception of the message, everyday distractions, or even lack of interest (also known as noise) can affect the way the receiver decodes a message
What is active listening?
The receiver confirms they are listening, accurately reflects back on the speaker’s remarks, expresses agreement or disagreement, and asks for clarification as necessary
What is the difference between the gulf of execution and the gulf of evaluation?
The gulf of execution is related to how closely a feature or product can actually be implemented compared to what the user wants
The gulf of evaluation is a communication gap between the user and the developer
What are possible communication blockers on a project?
Noisy surroundings
Distance between those trying to communicate
Improper encoding of messages
Language
Culture
What are key considerations regarding communications technology?
Determining the optimal technology with which to communicate information
Complexity of the information that needs to be communicated
Define interactive, push, and pull communication methods.
Interactive: The sender provides the information, and recipients receive and respond to it
Push: The sender provides the information but does not expect feedback on that information
Pull: The sender places the information in a central location, and recipients are responsible for retrieving it
What is the formula for communication channels?
n (n-1)
———
2
n=the number of stakeholders
Define extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic: External factors, such as salary; they are limited and short-lived motivators
Intrinsic: Internal factors; they motivate people long-term
Describe the three categories of internal motivators.
Autonomy: The desire people have to direct their own lives.
Mastery: The desire to improve, excel, learn, and do excellent work.
Purpose: The intrinsic need for a sense of purpose.
Name and explain the four motivation theories.
Theories X, Y, and Z:
X: Managers believe workers are incapable
Y: Employees can direct their own efforts
Z: Linked to self-realization, values, and a higher calling
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: People are motivated by using their skills and contributing to the project
McClelland’s Theory of Needs: People are motivated by one of three needs (achievement, affiliation, power)
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation: Hygiene factors are not sufficient to motivate people; motivating agents will keep people energized and engaged
Define each stage of the Shu-Ha-Ri model.
Shu: Rules are learned and obeyed
Ha: Rules have been mastered through practice
Ri: Rules become second-nature
What is the Dreyfus Model of Adult Skill Acquisition?
Proposes that adults learn new skills through five different stages: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert
What is the difference between I-shaped and T-shaped team members?
I-shaped team members specialize in one area, while T-shaped team members have a broad range of skills
What two factors does the Situational Leadership II® model focus on?
Competence
Commitment
What is the OSCAR model?
A coaching tool that helps leaders define the goals for individual team members.
It stands for outcome, situation, choices/consequences, actions, and review.
According to the Tuckman ladder, what are the stages of team formation and development?
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning
What are the stages in the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model?
Step 1: Orientation, or “Why” (purpose of the project)
Step 2: Trust building, or “Who” (information is shared and learned)
Step 3: Goal clarification, or “What” (team elaborates on project information)
Step 4: Commitment, or “How” (team plans and achieves the project’s goals)
Step 5: Implementation (high-level plans are decomposed and deliverables are produced)
Step 6: High performance (team has reached a level of high performance)
Step 7: Renewal (team renews goal clarification, commitment, or other ways of working together)
What is a common method for increasing trust on agile projects?
Engage the team in the development of estimates
What is the value of negotiation?
Developing the team while working to build consensus on project decisions
Including the team members in the decision-making process shows that the project manager values and considers their input
What is involved in influencing?
Actively listening to differing viewpoints expressed by team members
Acknowledging those different perspectives and using communication and persuasion skills helps the project manager develop mutual trust and, eventually, agreement within the team
How can the training of team members positively impact the project?
Training can help decrease the overall project cost and schedule by increasing efficiency
What is the goal of coaching?
Help team members stay on track, overcome issues, continually improve their skills, and achieve their goals
Why is it valuable to provide recognition and rewards to a team or individual team members?
In addition to recognizing past accomplishments, rewards provide incentive for ongoing achievement and efforts
List the most common sources of conflict on projects, in order of most to least common.
- Schedules
- Project priorities
- Resources
- Technical opinions
- Administrative procedures
- Cost
- Personality
Name five conflict resolution techniques and their definition.
Collaborating: Openly discussing differences and incorporating multiple viewpoints to achieve consensus (a win-win solution)
Compromising: Finding an outcome that brings some degree of satisfaction to all parties involved (a lose-lose solution)
Withdrawal: Postponing a decision or avoiding the problem
Smoothing: Emphasizing agreement rather than differences of opinion
Forcing: Pushing one viewpoint at the expense of another (a win-lose solution)
