The Vision Thing

  Communications Management   Leadership   ProjectsAtWork  

To lead a project team through the unknown, you must create a common vision, a "blueprint of success" that is crafted, communicated and updated to reflect current reality.

There will be times when you find yourself gazing upon the darting eyes and agitated twitch of team members second-guessing their responsibility for a project commitment, fearing doom and a failed result. The fear of failure is upon them, even while racing toward milestones and completion dates. In the midst of highly effective effort, even the most competent team member can come undone.

Sure, sometimes there are valid concerns and issues to be addressed. Sometimes the meeting is an alert to a real problem: a resource shortfall, impacted component availability or delivery schedules, the loss of a key team member, or the delay of a critical predecessor activity. Escalating the concern and seeking executive intervention makes a world of sense when the concern warrants high-level intervention.

At other times, rather, the agitation is a fear of the unknown. Especially in a large project, the forest may not be seen for all the tall trees. Team members, despite firsthand exposure to the project and the related progress, are subject to fear of failure and concern for risks.

The fear is real. Yet first, as leaders, we need to appreciate that the fear reflects a heartfelt…

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