Discover some of the best ways a project manager can earn the respect of their team in order to get the best out of every team member. As a project manager, you are usually tasked with motivating your team to success. You are the person that needs to get the best out of your team so that the product or service that is developed is a success. This is often a lot easier said than done. However, once you earn the respect of your team, you will find it becomes simpler to influence and motivate them.
Listen
There is only one place to begin, and this is with the pivotal skill of listening. Listening is a vital skill that can be applied to virtually any facet of everyday life, and most people would agree that it is probably the most underrated skill of any manager. When you listen to someone, you should not listen to reply; you should listen to understand. New ideas will improve your strategy and help you to overcome obstacles in the ever-changing field of project management.
Learn
Just because you are a project manager does not mean that you know it all. Project management is a field that is always changing. This means that project management training is designed for all levels of experience, not just novices and project management apprentices. There are plenty of advanced courses that can help you to take your skills to the next professional level and earn greater respect from your team.
Over communicate
You have the responsibility of handling the pulse of your projects as the manager. To ensure there are not any communication breakdowns, which can cause project delays, you should make sure you have weekly meetings and/or correspondence with your team. It is better to say too much rather than not enough.
Be transparent
The fourth and final tip for earning the respect of your team is to be honest and transparent. No one wants to feel like they are being kept out of the loop. Your team is the lifeline of your project, and they need to be made to feel this way. Be clear about everything – the project’s end goal, how it is going to be measured, deadlines, expectations, escalation procedures, and so on. After all, you know what they say – knowledge is power! If you keep your team out of the loop, they will feel disheartened and disinterested.
So there you have it: some of the best ways to earn the respect of your project management team – and all of them are pretty easy to get to grips with. If you follow the tips that have been provided, you are bound to notice a difference in regards to the overall feel amongst your team, as well as your team members’ attitude towards you and the tasks that you give them. This will, in turn, make you a better project manager, and will improve your project outcomes.
