Leading People, Projects and Teams Flashcards
What is the difference between leadership and management?
- Leadership = setting a vision & direction; ability to influence others; understanding people and how they react to certain directive styles.
o Motivate and inspire Leadership
o People FOLLOW them
o Think Sports Captain - Management = controlling the team environment towards achieving goal (planning, organising and co-ordinating)
o People WORK FOR them
o Think Sports Coach
What are the different styles of leadership?
- Autocratic – make decisions without consulting their team members. Appropriate when you need to make decisions quickly, when there’s no need for team input, and when team agreement isn’t necessary for a successful outcome. However, this style can be demoralizing.
- Democratic - make the final decisions, but include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job satisfaction and high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use when you need to make a quick decision.
- Laissez-faire - all the rights and power to make decisions is fully given to the worker.
- Transactional – focus on reward and punishment.
Name a leadership theory
Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Model
* Promotes flexible leaders that are able to match their style to experience and ability of those they are leading.
* A good leader is a flexible one – theory supports this
* Successful leadership is both task-relevant and relationship-relevant
* Identifies 4 different leadership approaches:
o Telling – directive & authoritative. Leader makes decisions and tells people what to do.
o Selling – leader is still decision maker, but communicates and works to persuade employees rather than simply directing them.
o Participating – leader works with the team members to make decisions together. Supports & encourages them and is more democratic.
o Delegating – the leader assigns decision making responsibility to team members but oversees their work.
What makes a successful team?
- Adequate team size (6-8)
- Clearly defined and measurable goal
- Autonomy (self-govern)
- Authority – clear leadership structure must be defined and followed.
- Resource – needed to fulfil the teams goal
- Clearly defined roles
- Teams need to be versatile.
What motivational theories are you aware of?
5.5 What motivational theories are you aware of?
Maslow Hierarchy of needs
5 tier model of motivational theory, similar to Herzeberg in that key needs need to be met for the worker to feel motivated. Needs lower down the pyramid must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.
* Self-actualization - achieving ones full potential, including creating activities.
* Esteem - prestige and feeling of accomplishment
* Belongingness & love needs – intimate relationships and friends
* Safety needs – security & safety (pay)
* Physiological needs – food, water, warmth, rest.
Other Motivation Theories
* Goal Setting - SMART objectives = Specific Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely
* Incentive Theory – rewards
How would you motivate a team?
- Ensure team understand end goal, vision, what success of the team will bring
- Give responsibility
- Team buy in – involving team in the strategy, making them part of the vision
- Providing them with the resource required
- Challenging the team, encouraging the team
- Ensuring the team are communicating
- Regular communication to the team
- Encouragement and support
- Reward – additional fee / team social / recommendations for other projects
What makes a high performing team?
- Leadership
- Common goal and vision
- Motivated
- Trust and openness (transparency)
- Complimentary personalities
What are the benefits of a high performing team?
- Better working environment
- Client satisfaction
- Cost and time savings
- Less errors
- Manage risk and value
What are the characteristics and behaviours of a leader?
- Approachable
- Lead by example
- Good communicator / orator
- Honesty
How do you use leadership in your role?
- To motivate your teams to achieve milestones and objectives for your client that they would otherwise not achieve without you.
- Explain objectives
- Setting vision
- Meet demands of the client
What benefits does leadership bring to a project?
- Sets objectives / vision & explains
- Governance / organisation
- Appoints and leads the right team – organisation & members
- Motivates team members
- Clear lines of communication within the team
- Meets demands of the client
How can a leader monitor work on a project?
- DTM actions
- Consideration of deliverables against project brief and KPI’s – including cost, time, quality
- End of stage reports
- Client feedback in regular catch up’s
How does leadership contribute to a high performing team?
- Focus on the goal and vision
- Encourages the team to work together to achieve the same goal
- Inspires and motivates
What is the importance of clear communication?
- Minimise disputes
- Less chance of miscommunication & working accurately to client brief
- Avoid conflict
- Using formal / informal communication depending on what & why you are communicating
Importance of organisation?
- Organisational design:
o Team structure – required resources
o Roles identified
o Responsibilities identified
o Organogram / RACI / Project directory - Setting a clear vision:
o Strategic brief
o Project brief & programme
o Team meeting to reinforce brief
o Set clear milestones
o Clearly identified in scope of works in the appointment
