Role of Leadership and Team Building Activities in Driving Project Success

For any project, the ultimate goal is its success. It’s about delivering the project in the said deadline, at the same time taking care of elements like, budget, scope and quality. But let’s face it, it’s not only about the deadlines and deliverables. It’s also about the people involved.

Leadership and team building activities play a very crucial role in deciding whether the project will be a success or a failure. A strong and positive leader can effectively manage the team, while healthy team dynamics ensure collaboration and trust. Hence to understand better, this article will help in gaining a deeper insight into the role of leadership and team building activities which help in driving the project’s success.

What is the role of a leader in Driving the Project’s Success?

A team leader plays a very crucial role in making the teams stronger and thereby enhancing workplace collaboration and project management. The manager or team leader must lead or make the way out for teams to function together. He or she acts like a person of contact, a mediator who helps the team work effectively. They are like a glue who ensures that the team sticks together, especially in case of any crisis. Moreover, a team leader can also support the execution of certain change management strategies at the workplace.

Having said that, it’s important for the leaders to have specific skills in order to ensure collaborative leadership. Many managers do certain courses and accomplish certifications like PMP certification which can help them to work like a hero in the world of project management. According to a recent PMI report, leaders with great skills and certifications can help in raising the project’s performance by 21%.

Here are some ways a team leader can ensure stronger team building and thereby enhance workplace collaboration and smooth project management:

Have a clear and set vision for team

It’s very important that the team leader makes sure to create an environment for the team wherein everybody has a vision which is clear and focused. This needs to be crafted by the team leader indeed. It’s essential because it will help the individuals to move ahead, stay motivated and deal with problems effectively and calmly.

Build trust amongst the members

Another crucial component, as we have discussed earlier as well, is that the team members must trust each other. The team leader must ensure that the individuals have full faith in each other and are able to depend on each other but also maintain their own individuality.

Encouraging communication

Also a team leader must ensure that there is proper communication within the team. Everything when kept clear and transparent is better to avoid any conflicts.

Resolving conflicts effectively

When many individuals come together there is a difference of opinion that exists which can at times lead to conflicts. A manager or a team leader must know how to deal with such situations as it can cause major discomfort within the team which can affect the productivity of the team. Hence, a team leader must focus on resolving conflicts amongst the team members.

Importance of Team Building in Project Management

Imagine a team working on a very critical project but nothing is falling onto its place. Ideas are getting shuffled, deadlines getting missed and too many meetings feel a lot like struggle. Exhausting, no? Now, this is a situation most of the individuals have experienced at least once in their corporate life which turns so overwhelming and exhausting leading to a situation of burnout.

The solution to such a situation is engaging team building. Having a team who is so understanding and thorough with each other that working collaboratively doesn’t feel a task at all.

Team building is not just about ice breaking or having fun, rather it’s more about having trust in each other, clear communication further leads to proper understanding amongst the members and building that connection. In a remote or hybrid set-up where face-to-face communication gets rare, these qualities actually save a team from collapsing and leads to better and enhanced workplace collaboration.

Some of the reasons as to why team building in project management is a significant element are:

What are the Benefits of Team Building Activities?

Team building activities are not just fun activities or games but it can also help in transforming how a group works and collaborates together. Some of the benefits of team building games are as follows:

Team Building Activities for Projects

Team building activities are vital in helping a team grow and also connect with each other on a personal level.

Some of the effective team building exercises are:

Personal histories

This exercise is a 30 minutes long activity, wherein team members answer certain questions about themselves. These are very basic and easy to answer questions. Don’t worry, nobody’s taking a test!

These questions can be:

Answering these questions helps individuals know about their team members and also connect with them on a personal level. This thereby helps in vibing with them, also fostering openness and trust.

Personal histories help in understanding people and their lives. It assists in seeing people as a whole and where they are coming from. This reflection thereby helps in team building and bonding.

Failure Funerals

This exercise basically helps the team understand and learn about handling failures. Rather than blaming each other and creating negativity around this exercise helps to reflect.

So here, team members gather for around 15-30 minutes, in cases of any failure, client escalations or setbacks and reflect on:

Back writing

This one’s favorite!

Back writing exercise helps in positive social interactions and having fun. In this exercise, each participant has a paper attached on their back. Everyone moves around the room randomly and writes something on each other’s back such as, giving compliments, drawing anything that reflects the person, etc.

At the end, participants remove the paper and read the comments aloud. This exercise supports psychological well-being and promotes security and safety within the team.

Hence, these activities turn out to be an instant solution to enhance engagement amongst the members thereby improving the team dynamics.

Conclusion

Team is an essential part of any organization and what makes a team successful is the people involved. Hence, in order to have successful project management, it’s crucial that the leaders turn in and manage the team effectively and resolve the conflicts. Therefore, this makes it obvious that leadership and team building goes hand-in-hand.

Also, there are many team building activities that can be initiated to enhance the team engagement. Some of the effective ones include: personal histories, failure funerals and back writing. This not only enhances the team effectiveness but also is great to understand each other’s working styles, strengths and aspirations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is team building?

Team building is the process of creating a group together which has a common purpose and motive that will eventually help the business to grow.

2. Why is team building important?

Team building is important as it enhances collaboration, boosts productivity, helps in problem solving, better decision making and promotes healthy competition.

3. What are the essential components of team building games?

Team building games must focus on components, like, relevancy, inclusiveness, engagement, collaboration, interaction, psychological safety and security.

4. How does a team leader enhance team building for better project execution?

A team leader plays a very vital role in enhancing the team, acting as a mediator or someone who is supposed to lead the team. A team leader must create a fresh and positive vision amongst the team members, make sure that the team members are engaging and should play an active role in conflict resolution.