Team Leaders – Will They Fly or Flop?

We all would love to hear your experiences.  Have you been involved in a project that was particularly good or maybe not so good?  Explain why - others can learn from your experiences!!!  Please read our latest tip below, discussing how the right Team Leader can really help your project.

Team Leaders - Will They Fly or Flop?

We have written previous articles about the importance of the right team structure in an IT project.  In this article, we want to peel off a layer and look at this topic a little closer, and focus on one of the keys that will absolutely make a difference in the success of your projects: selection of the right Team Leaders.  Have you ever been in a project that just seemed to fly – everyone enjoying the energy from an effective team?  Or - have you ever been in a project that seemed to flop – lack of confidence, days dragging on?  It’s a fact that Team Leaders absolutely play a huge part in the success of a project.  In a typical project where there are Committees, Project Champions, Project Managers, Team Leaders, Analysts, and Liaisons, the Team Leaders are at the center of activity, and the results of their work stand out very clearly. 

Analysts, who are critical to getting the work done, rely on excellent direction from their Team Leader.  The Project Manager, who is masterminding the project, communicates objectives and deliverables to a handful of Team Leaders, and relies on the fact that they will succeed.  Without an effective, strong, driven Team Leader for every team, the Analysts in the trenches would have no direction, and the Project Manager would have no way to obtain the project’s deliverables.  Your project could flop.

Atlanticon has been a part of dozens and dozens of projects – some that are successful, and some that just merely succeed - some that allow the team to emerge with smiles, proud of a job well executed, and some that allow the team to emerge, drained and exhausted from a hard fought battle.  What makes the difference?  In most cases it was the quality of the Team Leaders.

One client of ours put together a team that did a particularly extraordinary job.  The Team Leaders were all outstanding individuals, competitive in a cohesive way, sometimes using humor to keep spirits high.  Proud of their roles, they recognized that they represented a link in a chain.  Each Team Leader was intent on not being the link that broke that chain.  During weekly project meetings, each would report his or her progress proudly, ask for help when needed, keep their portion of the plan updated, and speak clearly about what tasks lay ahead.  They GOT it – they understood that the project could suffer if their team faltered, and they worked as a team to make sure the Project Manager got what she needed and that their team members accomplished their tasks.  Each Team Leader truly managed his or her portion of the project.

We have also been in projects where one or two of the Team Leaders just weren’t comfortable in their positions.  Too much other work on their plates, lack of communication skills, failure to follow a plan, or a negative attitude – all contributed to a weakness that was felt throughout the entire project.  Others had to pick up the slack when this happened, causing their teams to struggle.  The organization’s failure to replace the failing Team Leader put the entire project in jeopardy.

When an organization puts together a team, it must make sure that the Team Leaders are the right people.  They must be enthusiastic, diligent, and above all, proud.  In order for a project to fly and not flop, the organization must be willing to do three things:

1. Assign Team Leaders based on their drive to succeed and their ability to lead, and remove them from other duties that could distract them.
2. Occasionally, enlist the help of a Team Building expert who can energize and help a team maximize their effectiveness.
3. Be willing to replace a Team Leader if he or she isn’t working out – other teams shouldn’t have to be further challenged by having to pick up the slack and suffer a loss of morale.