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Web Technology Group

Teams that lead

IA Institute Leadership Workshop

Mags Hanley

11th April 2008

Introduction

• Mags Hanley

• Head of Consultancy WTG in London

• Manager and leader of teams for 10 years

Example - PIPs

Aim of this session

• Discussion about developing teams as opposed to individuals

• What are leading teams?

• What contributes to making a leading team?

• Where are we providing leadership?

Aims of this session

• Understand how you develop and manage leading teams

• Create the right conditions for leading teams

• Understand the pitfalls

An exercise

Definition of a leading team

1. Teams that develop leading products, services or concepts

2. Teams that lead organisationally – work well together, have a cohesiveness and are highly functioning

Conditions

Skunk works - Under the radar

Vs.

High-priority projects

Strongly defined pieces of work

Vs.

Ill-defined pieces of work

Conditions

Autonomy vs. Highly structured

OR

Why do Agile methodologies get such great press?

Length of time

• Project vs. Operational

• Project teams– Quick project– Ongoing long term project

Motivation

• Status– Inside the organisation– Outside the organisation

• Intellectual exercise

• Pride of the products, ownership

Reward and recognition

• Money

• Status

• More interesting projects vs. operational work

• Intellectual freedom

Two models

Team of equals

Leader-based team

Team of equals

• Needs a nominal leader – final responsibility to the client or stakeholder

• Usually made up a multi-disciplinary team, each well-thought of in their area

• Works well with clear definition of roles

• The team like and respect each other, therefore work well

Leader-based team

• One strong leader able to communicate vision and drive the project

• Charismatic leaders

• Can go wrong so easily if there are problems with the leader

Team mix and dynamics

How do you work out the right one?

Can you plan for these successful teams?

Team properties

• Each person feels they are contributing

• Each person is respected for their part in the team

• There is leadership – of the team; of the idea

• BUT each person is recognised for their contribution

• They do something outstanding

Team personalities

• The Agitator - Questions the status quo, outspoken • The Wild Card - Skill and dedication, if you can find the

key to motivating him• The Leader - Execution, ability to get team on board and

invested in new ideas • The Workhorse - Focus, work ethic, dogged

determination • The Glue - Communication — the glue that brings the

team together, especially in difficult times• The Expert - Vast knowledge of a subject area, its major

players, and its most useful sources of information

http://www.bnet.com/2403-13059_23-185372.html

Case study

• Go to your worksheet

Discussion

• What team structure would you develop for this team?

• How would you run it?

• What are the possible pitfalls for this project?

• How would you mitigate those pitfalls?

Exercise

• Think of a new project at work that has potential to be leading

• Using the checklist consider:– Why does it have potential?– Who would you put on it?– What’s the shape of the team?– How can you put the environment in place to

make it leading?

Discussion

Are there two people willing to talk about their project?

Places where you want some help and discussion from the group

Questions and discussion

Any more burning questions?

Contact details

Mags Hanley

mairead@yahoo.com