The Power of Thank you!

There are many different factors that influence a project. Some examples are below

1. Criticality – How important is this project to your organization?
2. Complexity – Is it a routine project or does it include groundbreaking changes?
3. Organizational Maturity – Where is your company in regards to planning?
4. Project Management Methodology used? – Waterfall or Agile? Why one or the other?
5. The Project Team. To come up with a successful Work Team you should follow some Team Building principles .
6. Geography – Where are all the stakeholders located? In how many countries? On how many sites? How many languages do the project stakeholders speak?
7. Number of Stakeholders – How many stakeholders are involved in the project?
8. Management Culture – Is it more a top/down culture or a laid back culture or …? 
9. Company size – Is it a project for a Multinational company or a small startup?

An additional Key factor is the “human factor”. What I mean by this is that the deciding factor is how people interact with each other. 
Would it help a Project Manager or Scrum Master if he or she had all the perfect specialists in one team but they don’t like working with each other? That is like an assembly of stars but it doesn’t make a good team.

It might be possible to remedy this situation but it would most likely require considerable time and effort. There are some simple steps you can follow proactively to minimize such situations.

If you are like most people you will do more for a team when you feel appreciated and important.

Unfortunately in a number of teams this is not the case. If your team is one of these teams you should start changing that. Be the Leader and don’t wait for anyone else to step up!

Note: It doesn’t matter if you are a Project Manager or Scrum Master or Project Team Member etc. If you are seriously interested in a successful team you can and should be the person that leads the change.

There are some fairly simple things you can do on a regular basis that will make a big difference like

• Say “Thank you” to someone who did a good job. Do it in front of others, regularly and sincerely. Remember people can’t read your thoughts. 
• Listen – before you prescribe any fix. If you really listen that will inspire openness and trust. There are many smart people out there and together you will come up with a better solution. I’ve seen it many times. It works.
• Walk your talks – Do what you say you will do, always! Be accountable for your actions, this includes successes and failures. 
• Give everyone a chance to shine – give everyone a chance to contribute in a meaningful way and look actively for chances to show team members strengths. 
• Be fair and honest – e.g as a Project Manager or Scrum Master don’t sacrifice your team in order to shine in front of Management

If you follow these simple suggestions consistently all stakeholders (including you) will feel more fulfilled and appreciated.