Leading Successful Project Teams

Many project managers would agree: if only there were no people on a project, everything would go a lot smoother.

The process side is a piece of cake for them: they're clear on the necessary steps and on the goal of the project. But as soon as they have to integrate the people side, something goes wrong. Feedback is misunderstood; the team meetings never come to a decision. Anything that goes wrong is somebody else's fault. And of course the customer expects the project to be finished yesterday.

We’ve designed Leading Successful Project Teams for people who know how to manage a project but need help with the people side. Its goal is to help them develop the skills to successfully manage all the relationships of a project - from team members to customers and end users. The participants come in to the workshop as capable project managers; they leave ready to perform at a higher level - as project leaders.

In the workshop, participants go through a series of project meetings and simulations that get them out of their comfort zone and into their "learning" zone. There they learn techniques for getting commitment, for giving and receiving feedback, for handling difficult personalities, making group decisions and managing conflict within the team. They even learn how to negotiate requirements with customers and vendors!

After this knowledge-rich and experience-rich workshop, participants not only know what skills are required to be a true project leader – they are also ready to put those skills to work on the job.