I currently have a member of my team who is pretty self-centered in his thinking and getting him to be a team player and help others has been difficult. I attempted to increase his responsibilities, hoping that it would help create a greater sense of responsibility and teamwork on his part but it did not last long. I have coached for improvement and have only found short-lived success. I feel the failure is mine for being ineffective at finding his motivating force. Any thoughts?

I have yet to handle a project on my own. Though I understand most of the aspects for managing a project, I still have my reservations. Are there any books out there that might make me feel a bit more comfortable with the entire process, or is it more of a trial by fire?

The best supervisor I ever had demonstrated a very high level of self awareness. She was extremely sensitive to the impact of her mood, words, and tone on every member of her very large team. In addition, she was able to step away from a major stressor for a brief period of time in order to make sure that her response did not create additional stress for the team. I am curious about others' experience with managers who are highly self aware and emotionally intelligent. Are these traits growing in value in today's competitive workplace?

Meetings are an effective of communicating important/sensitive decisions. They are useful in decision making and resolving issues, but if not appropriately planned can be a waste of useful time and resources. In my experience many meetings that are called by Senior managers are irrelevant. WebEx and videoconferencing by using a power point and reading word by word is a waste of time of everybody. Meeting for the sake of meeting does not serve any purpose. Meetings called to justify certain person's role and position are also ineffective. This topic did not touch on an important point, which is how many meetings are considered optimal/day, week or in a month. Another point to consider the vital role of individuals who are being called in the meeting. It is important to note that the business actually is being shut down when all effective players are involved in a2-3 hour meeting.

In the beginning I've seen new comers waltz in team meetings with the perception that this new team works the same as the previous team. Then there is conflict and a sense of intimidation and insecurity. I've seen this is all of my jobs. I like to assess my surroundings and watch and listen to my new team and only then can I see how they work and who is the ring leader. I don't play devils advocate, but I do make my presence known and stand strong behind my opinion. However, I'm also a good listener. This is perhaps why it's not so difficult for me to intergrate into new surroundings. I do beleive that confrontation is good and that it's not always negative. Has anyone else ever been put in an intimidating situtation at work with a new team and how was it resolved? Thank you, Cynthia De La Puente

I feel that this course helps me a lot with working in my department where we have a 88% of new members and this helps in identifying individuals strenghts when dealing with management style. My goals is utilizing the most effective managing style to fit the needs of my team.

What are some team building activities that others use? I supervise over 17 individuals, mostly adjunct faculty, and really try to engage the individuals as a team. I really value their comments, information and feedback. I do have a few individuals that haven’t engaged with the team. What do others do when there are those individuals that don’t take the time to get immersed with the team environment? I have listed two different activities I do for my team to engage them and give them opportunities to grow. When I schedule meetings, I make them valuable to improve on their responsibilities in the classroom. I respect and value their time and feel obligated to reward them with an incentive. I have scheduled team building meetings where I have disclosed the incentive prior to the meeting and where I have not disclosed the information. The participation was higher the one instance I did not disclose what the incentive was. I have attempted to have other team building activities where I have got conference passes for the team to attend for professional growth and networking. In the instances when I have scheduled activities off campus, I received 50% participation. I did have individuals outside of my team want to partake in the activities and really saw the value in the opportunity.

I have a team member who never is in agreement with team leader or other members. Would you take him off the team? I have talked to him many times and it doesn't help. Suggestions? Audra

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.

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?

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.

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."

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.

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

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?

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

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

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?

Good communication within a team creates a functional work environment.

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?