I get to travel to lots of different office locations and I’ve worked and consulted with many companies over the years. It’s given me a great insight into how different firms work (or don’t work), and I’ve got to spend time with plenty of project management teams.
While I’ve seen lots of examples of good practice with teams working well together and project managers taking the lead and managing effectively, I’ve also seen some shocking examples of poor team management. Mostly, this takes the form of people not knowing what to say and saying something completely inappropriate or that shows them to be ineffective or unhelpful. At least, I hope that is the reason they say what they say! Below are 5 of the least effective things I’ve overheard project managers say over the years – and I would strongly advise you to avoid these phrases and use something else instead!
#1: “I might.”
Saying, “We might use time tracking software on this project,” or, “I might create some dashboards for project reporting,” doesn’t give the team any clarity about what you will actually do. Or what you expect them to do. Will they be completing timesheets or not? When will you tell them what’s expected?
Try to use statements that give clear commitments about what you will or won’t do. If you genuinely don’t know, at least provide some other information, like when you’ll have all the data to be able to make a decision, or what information you need to get before you can create a sample dashboard for them to comment on. This will give the team confidence that you will actually follow through on what you have said, and your “I might…” comment isn’t just wishful thinking.
#2: “I don’t have all the facts but the answer is…”
Projects are normally one-off activities that deliver something unique. There are some types of projects that happen regularly or on a cyclical basis, but generally most of what project managers work on has a degree of novelty. After all, that’s why it is a project and not a business as usual activity!
New things are normally exciting but they also bring with them a lot of questions, both for you and the other project stakeholders. And when someone asks a question, the worst possible response is to make up the answer.
I’ve seen people do this in front of very senior stakeholders and when I called them out on it afterwards the most common response is that they didn’t want to look as if they didn’t have all the facts at their fingertips. So they were trying to manage their reputation by responding with something – anything!
Senior stakeholders can see through this type of bluff and it is far better to say you don’t know and that you will find out the answer. Then, of course, you have to find out the answer and report back!
#3: “Because I say so.”
No one likes to be dictated to, and being a project manager isn’t about bossing people around. You won’t get buy in to your project vision or objectives by being bossy and making demands. Instead, it’s better to share the reasons behind why you are asking for the information.
People will be more inclined to complete timesheets if they know why they are doing so and what the data will be used for.
#4: “This project is doomed.”
Yes, part of your role as a project manager is to be realistic about what the project can achieve, and if it isn’t going well and should be shut down, then you can make that recommendation. But generally, your team look to you for leadership and motivation. If you are walking around saying everything is doomed, then don’t expect them to be doing their best work. In fact, expect them to be spending work time looking for a new job and making copies of their resumé.
Be positive about the project and everyone’s role on it. Give praise where it is due and follow up where it isn’t. You should be able to be realistic about whether the project can achieve all its objectives without scaremongering or affecting the morale of the team.
#5: “I’m too busy to help/answer you.”
Really? Are you actually too busy to spend time with a team member who has a problem? In most cases where I have seen this, the project manager wasn’t too busy, but felt that he or she should say that they are as it makes them look important. Or they didn’t want to help, at that point or any other point in the future.
Your project team relies on you for direction and assistance, and most people won’t ask for help unless they really need it. Ideally you should trust your team to be able to get on with their work, so you know if they are coming to you with a question then it should be something to take seriously.
Of course, sometimes you genuinely will be too busy to stop for a non-urgent question. If that is the case, it is better to say to your team member that you will be available to help them at 3pm, or that you’ll call them later and you are very sorry but right now getting the Project Board report done has to be the priority. Give them some idea of when you will be available to assist.
I’m sure you aren’t guilty of saying any of these things to your project team, but listen out and see if you can spot your colleagues or your team members themselves making these mistakes! You can always gently step in and suggest that they tackle the situation in a different way, as they will probably get better results with a different, more positive approach.
Create great working relationships with your project team and stakeholders with ProjectManager.com. You can share information in real-time, keep everyone up-to-date and avoid these communication errors with the great collaboration features!
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