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More comfortable with Project Management

How does an individual get more accustomed with the steps of management? I feel like when I have worked on projects everything was laid out for me and I missed out on the opportunity of the planning phase. Can you recommend a book or any other tools that can assist me in a reference guide? I would like to someday be able to be a director or project manager however I am so wet behind the years so to speak that I know I am not in a place where I would be successful yet.

Project Management during recessionary times

How do you handle Project Management during recessionary times? Historically, the Project Management required streamline cost-effectiveness methods to achieve the stated objectives of the project. Could reengineering business practices (RBP)in a traditional could be considered PM but how do you handle them during an economic downturns, are organizations less likely to begun new projects or just reengineer a current process?

Groupthinking is a dangerous consensus

I feel that groupthinking is a very distructive process. All opinions should be shared in a professional supportive way that fosters and open-ness to the process and respect for your fellow team members.

Activie Listening is Essential

Active listening is a skill that everyone, including our students, need to learn to use on a regular basis. Often times, especially in meetings, people spend more time "thinking" about what they are going to say next instead of listening to what the speaker is actually saying! When I was in law school, we would practice improvisational comedy to improve our active listening skills - this may be something that will help team-building as well. Improv requires that all participants "listen" closely to what is being said at any given time - to listen in the "now."

Dealing with an ever changing team

I have been tasked with leading a department with constantly changing members. Some members are on loan from other teams and bring with them some challenging styles. What tips can you suggest for welcoming them into the team.

ML111, leading and motivating

I enjoyed the course and plan on implementing what I have learned in the classroom.

Lack of Communication

Lack of communication in a workplace is usually a sign of team strife. When team members don't get along they tend to avoid speaking. This can be changed by addressing any underlying issues that are causing the tension in the department. How can one avoid that?

Knowledge and skills

How can someone without a sense of leadership but with knowledge and skills, become a great leader?

Resolving Team conflict

Keeping peace is not always an easy task, When isn't it necessary to try resolving conflicts between two team members?

Communication Breakdown

How do you overcome a situation when a boss is selective on sharing information with a certain team member when we are all part of the same project/team?

Team work

Good communication within a team creates a functional work environment.

Adaptability

It is considered an asset for an employee to be adaptable to different circumstances and this lesson shows that it is even more important for a manager to be so. One size does not fit all when managing various situations, and a good manager knows when to utilize what method in order to be most effective. Has anyone here ever had a situation where you were unsure of how to handle managing a project? How did you cope with this?

Project Software

Have any of the class members had experience with MS Office Project software? Is there a tutorial or other resource for learning the basics of the software?

The Team Coach

I feel they would have to be different when working with one person, verses an entire team of people. One person may have a great skill set, one that enhances a key element of your teams goals. For instance.. let's say Jim is a great grant writer, and we need that skill to help us accomplish our teams need for government funds for the project. Someone else on the team may have some ability to certain aspects, but they may not meet the criteria needed to comply with the governments requirements. It may be in our best interest to have… >>>

The Spirit of Collaboration

I define collaboration as a group of people working together to reach a common goal or outcome. The group may have varied skills, abilities, education levels and even interests but they have a clear vision of what the outcome is and are committed to achieving it. The collaborative team must have good communication skills, understand the goal, be prepared to commit time and energy, be willing to support and help others and recognize and value the other team member's differences.

Team Leader

Question is “believe” or not. If the word believe implicates “to hold an opinion” then I have my opinion - I do not believe. There are a lot of people one is unable to train at all by different reasons. Then question – “can be trained to be a Team Leader” – already implies that not everybody can be a Team Leader. So, again, I do not believe that anybody can be trained to be a Team Leader at least by mentioned above reason. If there are other reasons? I am quite sure there are say being not needed type… >>>

The Challenge of Teambuilding

There are many challenges that can impeed team progress. One such challenge is that of groupthink. It is imperative that any tam leader indentifiy and take any precautionary actions to avoid this condition in the group. Another challenge is the lack of leadership. A good leader is necessary in order to guide the team in a productive manner, and keep them striving toward achieving a common goal. Open discussion of issues is also imporant. This will not only bring all major issues to the floor, but will also make each team feel like a valuable part of the team when… >>>

Improving Team Performance

I think getting everybody on the same page is important. Congratulate each on the positive things and give constructive criticism and ideas to help improve their performance.

Team Engagement

A strategy I have experienced is making sure each team member has a specific "job" within the meeting and later. Someone acts as secretary, someone else would act as 'moderator', and others would do other things, like lead out in various 'team-building' activities. Another is to have each person responsible for a portion of the information to present to the rest of the grouop.

Team Engagement

What are some strategies that could be used to ensure that every team member is actively engaged and productive?