The more you climb up the career ladder, it is colder and lonelyr.
You might be a skilled leader. You are still in the management role.
People don’t like being managed.
Your job is to get people to do what they need to do.
It is always at their top of mind.
Now, you can add the reality of the workplace.
Companies compete against each other to perfect Herzberg’s hygiene factors.
They envision a productive workspace, a convenient office, and competitive compensation.
They forget about motivation.
Why?
Cookies are a great way to distract people from stress at work.
It is safer to keep employees apart so they don’t go home in groups. Or, at the very least, they don’t have enough honest talk about how difficult the job is.
Can you create a culture that fosters healthy and friendly relationships within your team as a Project Manager?
Sure! It’s simple.
I will be presenting three methods in this article.
One is simple and efficient.
The second is more powerful, but it’s harder to implement.
1. Enjoy meals together, don’t discuss work.
Invite your team members to lunch. It should be done regularly. It should be a pleasant experience.
There are many ways you can do this:
Ask if you are able to join another group. They were already organizing.
Start a luncheon and invite everyone who is interested.
Invite your friends to a dinner you will pay for.
It is a start. It can be made enjoyable if you make it a regular habit.
Two rules are something I try to invisibly imply:
No cell phones. Simply say, “I don’t want anybody distracting us, so I just switch it off.”
Only one topic is allowed at the table. This is fine if there are only four people. If it is lunch for ten people, they will break into groups.
You must be aware of one important thing:
It shouldn’t become a small circle. Open the doors for everyone to join. Rotate and add people to the team.
Okay, so what should you do with such lunches?
Encourage people to talk about their feelings. This is meant to make people feel comfortable sharing their feelings.
You can be the one to tell them something funny or interesting about yourself.
Keep your focus off of work-related topics. Make sure they can relate to what you are saying.
People are more likely to talk about things that they enjoy. Encourage them to do this.
“Speech has enabled the communication of ideas, enabling humans to work together to create the impossible. Talking has been the key to many of mankind’s greatest achievements, while not speaking has led to its greatest failures. This doesn’t have be the case. The future could be the realization of our greatest dreams. The possibilities are endless with the technology available to us. We just need to keep talking.” – Stephen Hawking
These benefits are immense.
You get to know your team more. You learn about their hopes and dreams. Sometimes they will share their fears and insecurity.
Sooner or later, you will be allowed to care for more intimate and private matters.
All of this can be used in different ways.
Improve your motivation. Show compassion and empathy during difficult times. Be a friend.
It is not enough to create bridges between people. Not all of them will be able make friends and match up with each other.
What can you do?
2. Lead by example – Take care of your team
I’m not speaking in general.
I recommend that you set the tone and the baselines for care within your team.
Show that people can have fun and interact with each other. Show that it’s OK to care about others and help them. Show them that you care about healthy relationships within the team. Experiment with venerability.
Here’s the catch:
This topic is very interesting to me.
Many of them suggest solutions for certain tragic events or difficult emotional periods.
I would suggest that you start with communication at a basic level.
Redefine your ideas by talking to people