Ok, so you are the project manager and your role is to ensure that the project delivers on time, to cost and meets the quality expectations.
You are not alone in terms of delivering the project, you will be managing a team of individuals, who are your enablers in terms of whether the project is a success or not. They are the one’s who will be developing, designing, building, testing and implementing the systems.
So, it is key to remember that you are “nothing” without these individuals, in other words it is highly unlikely that you could deliver the project without their assistance and expertise. Taking this in to consideration, it is critical that this team of individuals are motivated and in particular happy. The creation of a happy workplace is key to a teams productivity and it is your responsibility as a leader.
I have a saying that goes “treat others, how you would like to be treated”, which highlights that you would prefer to work in a happy environment, so why not ensure that you create one for your team. In terms of companies that create a fun and happy environment for their employees, a good example is Google. And you only have to look at how this company has grown, to see that a happy and fun environment, encourages employees creativity. Companies or teams that create such an environment, also have more committed and loyal individuals.
As a manager you should also make sure that you never engage in destructive criticism since this causes feelings of fear, rejection, anger and defensiveness. You should view problems as opportunities and work with the individuals to overcome them. This may be through identifying training courses or providing coaching and mentoring. As a manager you should never shy away, it is your responsibility to ensure that your teams feel that they can be creative and make mistakes within a supportive environment.
Never ever, condemn anyone for any reason, since this can irreparably damage relationships, as well as making the individual feel resentful, afraid and unmotivated due to fear of failure.
Some final tips, which don’t cost anything and which help to create a happy workplace:
- You should make the time to talk to members of your team on a daily basis and not just about work.
- Make sure that everyone has the same communication, as the saying goes “make sure that everyone is on the same page”
- Keep your team abreast of any risks or issues. Since working on the basis of a creative environment, they should be able to help overcome. And remember “a problem shared”
- Don’t forget to thank your team or say well done. It costs nothing and their is no one that I have ever come across, who doesn’t like to be told they have done a great job or made to feel that their contribution to the delivery is highly valued
