Project Managers are often in difficult positions. We must manage large teams with people spanning multiple departments, all having full time day jobs and differing priorities. A project manager rarely has dedicated resources and must create realistic schedules taking into account everyone’s priorities and availability. Managing a team dedicated to the project may simplify scheduling, but it doesn’t do much for motivation. How do you motivate a team that does not report to you, may not understand the goal of the project, and may have different priorities?
What Do They Need?
To help motivate your team you must first understand what they need. Abraham Maslow did a lot of work in the area of motivation and fulfilling employee needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a a five stage pyramid that represents the various needs that every person ultimately wants to fulfill. Once fulfilling the base needs Maslow believes everyone looks to fulfill the next stage, moving up the pyramid until all needs are satisfied.
The hierarchy is made up of five tiers.
- Biological and Physiological needs. The basics for survival such as food, air, etc.
- Safety needs. Shelter, security, stability, and comfort.
- Belongingness and Love. Friendship, relationships, love, and family needs.
- Esteem needs. Self-esteem, independence, responsibility, etc.
- Self Actualization. Achieving goals and fulfilling potential.
Generally, when looking to motivate employees we are concerned with levels 3, 4, and 5. Even though the project members may not report directly to you, there are many things you can do to help satisfy a resources needs.
Belongingness and Love
I would suggest that you don’t try to satisfy this need by literally loving your project team. However, it is important to build relationships. You don’t need to become best buddies with your team (in many cases it’s recommended that you do not), but it’s important to build a rapport and trust. Of course you have no control over your team’s personal relationships. You can’t help someone rekindle that spark with their spouse. You can’t help someone repair a relationship with their father. It is important to recognize a healthy work life balance. Make sure you schedule milestones realistically and only have crunch times when unavoidable. You may work 70 hours a week but it is unrealistic to expect the entire team to do that for any length of time. No matter how professional, burnout and personal issues can affect work performance. It’s important to keep in mind that you are guaranteed to kill motivation if crunch times or missed milestones are the result of poor scheduling and project management.
Esteem Needs
As a project manager you have a unique opportunity to give resources new opportunities. You have the ability to assign tasks and responsibilities that help your team grow, learn new skills, and the chance to take on additional responsibilities.
You can also help keep a team motivated by considering their input. You want your team to have a sense of ownership and accountability to the outcome. If you are purely a task master, delegating assignments and dictating tasks, your team will become disengaged. Build regular feedback opportunities into your project plan and hold to them.
I also like to have debrief sessions after each milestone. These sessions allow for open and honest communication and should include all key members of your project team. For the debrief to be effective it’s important to leave titles and reporting relationships at the door. A low level employee should be able to openly provide feedback to a senior executive. Make sure everyone understands the purpose of the debrief prior to conducting the session. I find the debrief invaluable to identifying necessary adjustments and improvements for the project.
Self Actualization
Motivating a team member by fulfilling potential and achieving goals is difficult, but there are some things you can do to reward your team. I like to identify everyone’s preferences and desires early on in the project. I make it clear that I can’t commit to only assigning responsibilities that they may be interested in, but I will make the effort. It’s obvious that people are more motivated to work on things they are interested in. This also gives you the opportunity to identify over-achievers, or those that are looking for growth opportunities.
Regular celebrations of success also help motivate. These celebrations can be large, such as taking the team to lunch or out for drinks. Or, they can be as small as a handrwitten note. If someone is proving to be truly exceptional, let them know that you’re going to relay their capabilities to the leadership team. It’s important to build on success and there’s no way to do that without making them known.
Managing the people is the hardest part of managing any project. Make sure you spend as much time, if not more, managing the people as you do managing the tasks and updating the project plan. Consider what your team needs, and keep in mind each person is different and are in differint stages of the hierarchy. Build relationships with your team, look for their feedback, and achieve a successful outcome.