What assertive approaches do you use on a project; what works well? How do you deal with assertive team members who like to stir things up? Saving Changes...
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Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Naomi, great post and question. Initially, in my early career days, I tried to treat everyone the same and I tried to have the same style of interaction with everyone. Then, after attending first line manager school, I was introduced to the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model where I quickly realized that my home-grown style was only appropriate and hence effective 1/4 of the time. And that in order to be an effective leader, I had to apply the most appropriate leadership style and set of techniques with respect to follower readiness as determined by follower ability (y/n) and follower willingness (y/n). For any project manager not already familiar with the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model, I would highly recommend it, especially for those PMs seeking to be more assertive. Great post, I hope we hear and learn from others. Saving Changes...
Suresh BansalAccont Manager| XoriantGhaziabad, Up, India
One way will be to ask questions. If you are not satisfied with the answer, then probe further with more questions. Saving Changes...
In all my projects so far, my team and clients' teams have always been male-dominated, i mean, many male members compared to females. Women in mid and senior mgmt positions are very few. So being assertive is very important.
One of the tactics I use is I don't talk softly. I don't mean you gotto be loud, I mean you don't use the same volume or tone that you use with your sis or bro. They are colleagues and team members and that's where the relation ends. If I am soft-talking or act softly or yield to other's opinions, that is seen as weakness. My bosses don't want that either.
It is also very important to remember that you don't have to please anybody. Being a woman, we are open to everybody's assessment - the assessment varies from physical to professional attributes.
So being assertive to me is all about being self-confident, not yielding to anybody (esp. client) without considering the pros and cons of the suggestion. Being as strong as possible is very important to successful project management. But going overboard, being arrogant, not considering others' views are a definite recipe for failure.
A PM who seems assertive to top mgmt will seem arrogant to the team members. So the female PM has to know the fine line and walk on it. Saving Changes...
Bernard GorePortfolio, Programme & Project Professional| NZ PoliceWellington, New Zealand
Assertive team members who like to stir things up? Yes please! far better than those who sit quietly, don't contribute, follow the crowd, or worse still disagree but keep quiet until too late.
Find ways to channel their energy - put them in charge of resolving the areas they raise, finding a way forward. Saving Changes...
Bill DowPMO Director| University of WARenton, Wa, United States
This is a great post Naomi, I really like the question because so often project managers do deal with team members that stir things up and they can actually be quite disruptive to the team.
I think it is important that project managers do have a level of assertiveness to how they execute their projects. I think that they need to be comfortable in leading teams, making hard decisions, and driving the direction of the project.
A strong team member who maybe is a bit more assertive than the project manager is going to smell a weak project manager from a mile away which could lead to execution problems.
Great question, great post....
Thanks for sharing
Bill Dow, PMP Saving Changes...
Yes I agree with Bernard. It is a good practice to make them the accountable/owner for the issue they raise. Very often, such members, when they raise questions, will also have answers on how to resolve them. But, ultimately the PM is responsible for the success of the project so must oversee them. Saving Changes...
Mark; Isn't being assertive as a PM all about leadership? Great comment about Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model.
As a PM you should study theories and styles of leadership.
Maria: Great comments; as a women in a male dominated profession also it's essential to maintain a balance, acknowledge that others are responsible for their own behavior, learn to say No and express ourselves in a healthy and positive manner.
Bill: Thanks, sounds like you've had some lively team meetings. You're spot on that a PM has be prepared to use communication, conflict, negotiation, emotional intelligence and leadership skills to make the chaos on a project seem simple. Personally, I like squeaky wheels; your super stars sometimes have to stir things up. Don't underestimate a calm yet assertive PM; he/she may just need to spend time listening, using emotional intellience and using an assertive technique at the right time to win over a few squeaky wheels to help them shine on your projects. Studies have shown that leaders are perceived as less effective due to the under use or over use of this important behavioral skillset.
Learn to use this skillset in the right way is a win-win!! Saving Changes...
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