VIEWPOINTS

Championship Teams Don’t Waste Time

By Tom Sheives, PhD

Texas, USA

Championship teams, whether on the field of play or in project management, don’t waste time. A championship football team will carefully use time outs and passes to the sidelines to stop the clock at crucial moments. The team members seem to perform these functions like clockwork as a well-rehearsed squad. There is no individual variance, just team alignment behind a common goal. The same is true with project teams who perform at championship levels. The team moves in synchrony toward a common team goal. This level of high performance only occurs when there is a sound basis of team trust.  

Like the foundation of a skyscraper, the foundation of a championship team is built on a solid and wide base of team trust. Without that foundational strength, the team falters under stress. A championship project management team should have an atmosphere where team members are being exposed to individual strengths and weaknesses. Trusting team members will seek help among other team members to ensure championship team performance. Members act for the good of the team’s outcome and know how to leverage the strengths of the team to shore up team weaknesses.

Championship teams find that taking a reliable personality assessment that yields both individual scores and team scores is helpful in laying a common foundation for communication and for building trust. Many team effectiveness exercises are available through workshops and are most effective when the team attends the workshop together.

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About the Author Tom Sheives, PhD Author Tom Sheives, PhD, is associated with True Solutions, Inc., www.truesolutions.com a full service project management company and he is also on the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas in the School of Management. Tom is the author of OPPORTUNITY unstuck!, available through the website, www.OPPORTUNITYunstuck.com. He also heads up a professional network site for project managers, www.OPPORTUNITYunstuck.net. The site is designed as a forum for PMs to share best practices and make professional connections. He is a frequent speaker at PMI chapters around the United States and abroad.  Tom is also an International Correspondent for PMForum in North Texas, USA.