1. PROJECT TEAMS
Tom Sheives, PhD, PMP
Executive Director, Business Development
True Solutions Inc., Dallas, TX and
Part Time Faculty
The University of Texas at Dallas
tom@truesolutions.com 972-770-0900
Used with Permission

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4. Understand
… What is stuck and unstuck in project
management
… What makes up a unstuck project team -
examples
… Five Barriers that must be overcome to
become an unstuck project team
…One Barrier and give example of how to
overcome

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8. Sigmoid (S) Curve
Team
Performance
Growth
unstuck!
Stuck
Really stuck!!
Time
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9. Cross functional
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10. 1) I love my team and I love working with them
2) I really respect, like, and enjoy working with my
boss
3) I have been to management training and know the
difference between a leader and a manager
4) ……...
(could “strongly agree” or “strongly disagree”)
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11. Come up with a statement that might be symptomatic
of a team that was stuck or unstuck
Write it on 3” x 5” card
Pass them forward
(2 min)
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12. 1) I love my team and I love working with them
2) I really respect, like, and enjoy working with my
sponsor
3) I have been to management training and know the
difference between a leader and a manager
4) I have read and applied a business book in the last
3 months
5) I do not withhold information from my team for
personal gain
6) I am tolerant with people who are different than
me. ……
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13. Build Master Make Achieve Embrace Focus on
Trust Conflict Decisions Commitment Accountability Results
Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
** Make Decisions - Not in Lencioni’s Team Development Model
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14.  I lead my team by “walking the talk”
 I keep my commitments to others
 I spend time with people and show interest in their
lives
 I create an atmosphere where people feel
comfortable to drop by, ask a question, or just talk
 I feel that my manager is honest and tells the truth
whenever possible
 I hold “confidential” information confidential
 I have confidence in the good intentions of my
team members – team members are vulnerable ****
Tear Down the silos!

15.  I lead my team by “walking the talk”
 I keep my commitments to others
 I spend time with people and show interest in their
lives
 I create an atmosphere where people feel
comfortable to drop by, ask a question, or just talk
 I feel that my manager is honest and tells the truth
whenever possible
 I hold “confidential” information confidential
 I have confidence in the good intentions of my
team members – team members are vulnerable ****
Tear Down the silos!

16.  What behaviors are contributing positively to your
team trust bank account currently?
 Are more deposits or withdrawals being made?
 Have you borrowed a lot from this account?
 Have you even checked your balance lately?
 Do you have a plan to get out of debt in this
account?
 High performing teams have a big positive balance
in their trust bank account!

17.  Where did you grow up?
 Where were you in the birth order?
 What was your biggest challenge
growing up?
Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

19.  Diversity and differences in thinking impede
innovation ____
 Energy of a team is almost always lost as a result of
conflict _____
 Your current mode of handling conflict is
independent of how you handled conflict growing
up _____
 Mastering skills in handling conflict is relatively
easy _____
 How do you spell the bush – Ukaliptus ?
 (Eucalyptus)

20.  Silent disagreement
 View of conflict as being bad
 Conflict is not encouraged

21. Silent Disagreement Direct, Assertive
Indirect
Japan, China Latin America US Germany, Israel
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22. Focus
Team Assessment Report, The Table Group (Lencioni)
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23. • Step 1 - Understand Why Conflicts Exist –
Difference In Personalities
• Step 2 – Establish behavior norms

24.  Winslow Personality Assessment
 Meyers Briggs
 Personal Coaching Styles Inventory
 Social Styles

25. Mandy Bob

26. Mandy Bob

27.  Example
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28.  Must sacrifice for the team
 Consider the needs of the team

29.  Project teams stagnate and fail to grow
 Don’t defeat competitors
 Lose achievement team members
 Team members focus about their careers,
departments, and individual goals
 Team members get easily distracted

30. Silent Generation Boomers Generation Xers Generation Yers
Barrier
Absence of trust - wary, cautious - not vulnerable - perceived as - casual
- distant disloyal - may be lazy
Fear of Conflict -choose not to try to - hypercritical - informal, practical - immediate response
understand others - rigid and gratification
-stubborn
Lack of -“get’er done” - lets discuss - Independent work, - “just let me at it”,
Commitment -sacrifice - workaholics, driven meet up later “give me a chance”
- balance - want to contribute
- need structure
Avoidance of - hierarchical - formal process - feedback needed “I can do it, don’t
Accountability - formal protocol - feedback probably need to tell you that I
- judgmental not wanted am doing it”
Inattention to -need respect - need status, title, - more tunnel - overly confident
Results - acknowledge self absorbed visioned “I do my part
expertise you do yours”

31.  Build vulnerability based trust
 Conduct a personality assessment on team
members
 Conduct a team assessment now and in six
months
 Conduct a full day workshop with your team
 Spend at least two hours/month working on
your team with a team coach for critical
projects and larger projects

32. • Books Drawings –
by Tom Sheives, TSI
and
Harnessing the Power of Project Management
by Wes Balakian, CEO TSI
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33. unstuck!