Conflict

One of the reasons I got into Project Management in the first place is that I’ve always been interested in people – their personalities, where they are from, what makes them tick.
Growing up overseas in Japan, I attended an international school for foreigners, and there were kids from all over the world – kids whose [...]

B. W. Tuckman discovered that teams go through development stages beginning with the forming stage and ending with the adjourning stage. Just after a new team is formed it usually migrates into the “storming” stage where conflict develops over how it is going to reach its team goal, how its members are going to work together efficiently, and [...]

Teams.  It seems like such an obvious part of project life.
Or, is it?
Recently, I’ve been noticing some things about project teams that trouble me.
Here are some descriptions of a team:

A group of two or more people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose and approach for which the team holds its members [...]

Hi, It’s my time to blog again – and this is my birthday week – so I am going to take advantage of it and have some fun.
Just to let you know:  I am currently teaching at Keller School of Management.  Teaching several MBA courses which include Leadership & Organizational Development, Business Planning, and International [...]

One critical choice project managers face is between control and results.  Managers say they want results but actions speak even louder to say they want control.  Do onerous controls inhibit achieving the very results they were intended to produce?  Is control an illusion?   Is it possible for managers to pursue both control and results: up [...]

Originally posted on ConnectLeadership.com
A key employee on my team says that he’s unhappy and wants to leave. Should I apologize? Should I try to placate him? What should I do?

Technorati Tags: communication, Conflict

One of the biggest mistakes I made as a novice project manager was burning bridges that I would later need to walk across. Heck, I was a friggin’ arsonist! If someone on my team didn’t do their action item, I’d chew their ass and then came back and do it again before it [...]

Thanks for the comments on the original post.  For a wonderful discussion on what to give at the end of the project, scroll down and see the Strappy Sundresses and Thongs as Project Thank You Gifts post below.  If you want to know about how to ask for the secret and totally forbidden appreciation you [...]

The following question came from a thoughtful viewer of the “Stepping into Emotional Pressure” video:
Q. Alright, so you got clear on how YOU wanted to work, and communicated that to Don. How is that different from giving him an ultimatum?
A. At the broadest level I agree that yes I presented an ultimatum, albeit one having special [...]

Now that I was clear on where I stood with regards to not just leadership in general, but the dynamic with “Don” in particular, I was ready to move forward.
Here’s where it gets tricky. I may be very clear on where I stand and what I want, but I have no control over what the [...]

Emotional pressure often comes right out of the blue. And when it does, it can be very hard to deal with.       
On the day that I was meeting with “Don,” a new team member to talk about his initial project, I was blindsided by the pressure that he came at me with. And I’ve noticed that [...]

Do you recognize that your current project is late, but you haven’t taken steps necessary to rescue it, except for saying “we’ll work harder to bring it back on schedule?” If you admit that you should do more to handle your project lateness, then the next question is what steps you should take? Actually, the [...]

I had dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory.  I sat at the bar ’cause it was so crowded and next to me sat a very lovely lady who was obviously in distress.  We chatted.  Her Project Manager had yelled at her so rudely (in her opinion) that she was seriously considering quitting a job she [...]

Mordred – the ultimate betrayer – like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Mordred turned people against each other.  We were talking about Mordred, betrayal, and Camelot at a meeting tonight of the Silicon Valley Innovative Institute’s Society.  During the discussion, I realized that the two people I’ve caused to be fired in all [...]

Why are we so afraid of disagreement?  Do we always have to “go along to get along” even if we think our team is making a bad decision?  How can we constructively disagree without being labeled “a bad-a..”?   I believe, as did Andy Grove, in constructive criticism.

Technorati Tags: Conflict, conflict-resolution, group-communication, project-management, speaking-out

The most challenging aspect of being a project manager is dealing with (mostly) humans. They’re emotional, unpredictable and down right irrational at times! (Not me, of course . . . the OTHERS!) Out of what appears to be intense frustration with the whack-a-mole fashion in which humans approach creative thinking and problem-solving, [...]

This week we’ve covered two powerful tools to determine when trust is appropriate.
  
1. Invest time in getting to know people.  You’ll get valuable information that will inform your future interactions. Plus, you’ll be more familiar to each other, and more capable of collaborating effectively.  
 
2. Ask “Is trust appropriate here?” 
This way you can choose a smart [...]

Many years ago I was the manager for a large website when one day, the phone rang.
On the line was “John” the manager for a new product group within the company. Several weeks prior, a critical member of my team, “Roger”, had asked for formal permission to interview for a position on John’s team.
It was [...]

So this guy goes to an all day workshop on trust. And in the supportive environment of the workshop, he sees that it’s safe to trust. Through the activities of the day, he learns to open up to others, to be vulnerable. After a full and satisfying day, he leaves the workshop feeling great. A [...]

This past summer I went to a baseball game. It wasn’t completely without benefit. I enjoyed indulging in the traditional stadium food and libations, the $1 hot dogs formed from some unrecognizable substance and the “it shall offend no one” stadium beer (nor shall it please anyone, but let’s not be sticklers). [...]