Power Play

  ProjectsAtWork  

Without official authority, how do you motivate?

It's a quandary for most project leaders: You have responsibility for making sure your team gets things done, but you don't have management authority. And that quandary can become a quagmire when faced with a difficult or uncommitted team member. When you don't have say-so, what do you say?

"Most people I talk to are not clear about how to behave powerfully in shared responsibility situations," says Christopher Avery, Ph.D, author of Teamwork Is an Individual Skill and leader of www.beingpowerful.com. Avery offers these tips for handling difficult team members who aren't direct reports:

Be proactive. Confrontation can be difficult, so start addressing performance or behavior problems early-before the situations become more daunting.

Be focused. While possibly cathartic, complaining about someone to others won't help and could hurt. Instead, think about what actions might correct the problem.

Be direct. Talk face-to-face, in private, with difficult team members. Invite them to see the problems as you do, then ask for what you would like to see change.

Be confident. Your performance, assessment and eventual reward are dependent on the actions of others. You have the right to address these problems.

Avery says …

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