1. "Navigating Challenges in Team Dynamics and Project Management"
2. "Balancing Leadership and Collaboration in the Team"
3. "Lessons in Accountability and Team Building"
4. "From Overburdened to Balanced: Managing Teamwork Effectively"
5. "Addressing Challenges and Driving Success in a Dynamic Environment"
6. "The Journey of Leadership: Supporting a Team Through Transitions"
7. "Overcoming Roadblocks in Project Management and Team Collaboration"
8. "Adapting to Change: A Leader's Perspective on Managing Projects"
9. "Team Dynamics, Deadlines, and Leadership: A Personal Reflection"
10. "Learning When to Speak Up and Step Back as a Leader"
This situation began when new team members were allocated to the team. I have been working on the tool for over two years now and have a good understanding of the client-side project cycle, even though it is slightly dynamic and keeps evolving.
When the new team members joined, one of them happened to be my ex-reporting manager. I was tasked with distributing projects among the team members. As a considerate team player, I took on multiple projects myself since the new members were unfamiliar with the process, even though they had experience in their respective fields like network administration, Scrum, SAP finance, etc. I allocated fewer projects to them to allow them to adapt.
Apart from this, I was already serving as a key pillar for a major cross-platform project in the company as a Scrum Master. However, I was overextending myself by driving project sub-items, establishing baselines at the company level, and taking on additional roles within the project team. Initially, I faced challenges with the team, but over time, things settled down. The team began to respect me for my efforts in supporting them, often going beyond my responsibilities to help them and maintaining good relations with other teams.
Regarding the internal team, my current reporting manager suggested that I handle fewer projects to oversee them more effectively. I gradually started distributing more projects to the team while focusing on providing thorough knowledge transfers (KTs) and support. However, out of the three team members, only one actively attended the KTs and made an effort, while the other two often failed to participate due to various reasons.
Despite my efforts, including sharing detailed guidelines to ensure they didn’t face the same challenges I did while learning the process, two team members consistently displayed less interest and delayed communication. While one team member eventually started tracking projects, their contributions lacked acknowledgment or appreciation, while the other continued to show minimal involvement.
This lack of engagement led to projects experiencing turbulence and missed deadlines. The issue was compounded because team members weren’t even aware of the deadlines they missed. My manager informed me about the team's poor performance, indirectly holding me responsible for it. I tried explaining the situation to him, emphasizing the delays and lack of interest from certain team members. In response, he shared screenshots of conversations showing one team member attending meetings consistently. However, I could have shared the group meeting chats, but I chose not to. Instead, I suggested providing more information about the tool and the process.
Over the past two weeks, I’ve been actively communicating in group and private chats, which has somewhat improved engagement. However, the underlying issues persist. While I refrained from directly confronting the team members, I did escalate my concerns to my manager.
Recently, two delivery managers were appointed to the team, which gives me hope for improvement. However, based on initial discussions, I sense they may have a restrictive mindset. Despite this, I remain optimistic about the team’s growth and the projects’ success.
In summary, I have tried my best to address the problems, unite the team, and ensure project success. It’s essential to know when to stop overextending yourself and speak up for your well-being. I hope this serves as a learning for others to strike a balance and make their professional journey smoother.
