How to Build Trusting Teams?

10 Essential Soft Skills for Successfull Project Managers; Community; 3 Thoughts on Project Management

Read on Substack: AgileAdmiral/ Read time: 4 minutes

Welcome to The Agie Admiral weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing Project Management career

Today at a Glance:

💡 Quote of the Week

🌠 10 Essential Soft Skills for Successfull Project Managers

🌃 Project Community

🔍 How to Build Trusting Teams?

🎨 Three Thoughts on Project Management

Quote of the Week

“It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”

Henry David Thoreau

This is important - so many times I have found myself doing ‘busy work’ and working on things just to work on things. Unfortunately, what I found is that the activities I associated with keeping busy most of the time were not critical and value-adding.

I can’t stress enough that you need to position yourself to work on important, not urgent activities! Check out the Eisenhower Matrix below which highlights this:

Soft Skills for Successfull Project Managers

The role of a project manager is multifaceted, requiring expertise in leadership, time management, communication, and problem-solving. This essential blend of skills makes a project manager a vital asset to any project or organization.

Whether managing a small team or coordinating a large-scale initiative, a project manager's ability to plan, execute, and deliver projects successfully relies on their diverse range of project management competencies.

Here are my TOP 10 skills:

Weekly PMP Study Groups

→ Date: Tuesday, July 16

Topic: Exam Content Review Part 3/3: Business Environment

Host: Torge

Link to session: https://www.linkedin.com/events/pmpexamstudygroup-examcontentre7211459432629620736/

→ Date: Thursday, July 18

Topic: Weekly Study Group - PMP Secret Sauce

Host: Gabor

Link to session: https://www.linkedin.com/events/pmp-weeklystudygroup-topic-tbd7213140971138494465/

How to Build Trusting Teams?

Empower Team Members

• Autonomy: Give team members autonomy to make decisions within their areas of expertise. Trust them to handle their responsibilities.
• Professional Development: Encourage and support professional development opportunities. Show that you’re invested in their growth.
• Decision Making: Involve team members in decision-making processes. Value their input and expertise.

Open and Transparent Communication

• Regular Updates: Hold regular team meetings to discuss project progress, challenges, and updates. Ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Clear Communication Channels: Establish and maintain clear and open lines of communication. Use tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email to keep everyone connected.
• Honest Feedback: Encourage and model honest and constructive feedback. This helps to build a culture where team members feel safe to speak up and share their thoughts.

Encourage Collaboration

• Team Building Activities: Organize regular team-building activities to foster relationships and improve teamwork.
• Collaboration Tools: Use collaboration tools like Asana, Trello, or Jira to facilitate teamwork and ensure everyone can contribute and stay informed.
• Shared Goals: Set clear, shared goals that everyone is working towards. This aligns the team and fosters a sense of unity.

Recognize and Appreciate Contributions

• Celebrate Successes: Celebrate both small and big wins. Acknowledge the hard work and contributions of team members.
• Individual Recognition: Give individual recognition where it’s due. Personalized acknowledgment goes a long way in building trust and motivation.
• Constructive Praise: Provide constructive praise that highlights specific actions and their positive impact on the project.

Lead by Example

• Integrity: Demonstrate integrity in all your actions. Keep your promises and be reliable.
• Respect: Show respect to every team member, regardless of their role. Treat everyone with fairness and consideration.
• Transparency: Be open about decision-making processes and explain the reasons behind them.

Three Thoughts on Project Management: 

1. Our brains are hardwired to find faults, so naturally leaders and managers tend to focus on opportunities for improvement. To inspire great performance from our teams, we should lead with meaningful feedback based on unique strengths.
2. Michelle Arnett explains how (and why) project managers can get more involved in the creative strategy behind their projects. Learn tips to flex your creative muscle.
3. Have you ever had one of those weeks when everyone on your team offloads their stress on you? Dina Denham Smith shares 5 strategies on what to do to maintain the emotional well-being of your team and to keep yourself from burning out.

Want to learn more from me? Check this out:

🚧 FREE CAPM/PMP Exam Prep Flashcards - Update January 2024

🦸♂️ AGILE Mindset to PASS PMI Exam’s by 1st Try

📚 How to Study for CAPM & PMP Exams - (Free on YouTube)