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?

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 Jim take the point in this area, while finding another area of business writing our other member may be able to cover. I've learned to review each team members skill set, along with all of our milestones within the team charter, to ensure success for our ultimate goal.

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.

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 of personality, psychologically not matching to the profile, etc.

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 their thoughts and opinions are being valued and listened to by each member.

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.

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.

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

As a team leader, what corrective measures would you take to improve team performance? How would you communicate these measures to your team members?

What common challenges would you say significantly impede team progress?

Do you believe that anybody can be trained to be a Team Leader? Why or why not?

What is your personal definition of collaboration? What characteristics do you believe are essential to creating and maintaining a collaborative team environment?

Are the coaching strategies you would use for a team the same, or different, from those you would use with an individual? If different, how? Please explain your choice.

Everyone has an opinion and I think some people are shy to share their thoughts. But by involvng everyone to participate in the discussion soemtimes this helps reel them into a group discussion.

Working towards a common goal helps the group understand the outcome of the project

We have been on a pay increase freeze for a little over 2 years now. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to motivate employees, when money is not an option? Thank you!

I think a leader needs to set the example for his or her employees to follow. That's the best type of leadership.

This section was particularly effective as it shows that independent thought will be discouraged due to the group consenses. Alternatives must always be considered.

Must your vision as a leader always be long term? Can you have a motivating short term vision?

I've found that cliques form small pockets of groupthink where in the stronger individual takes the role of the leader and the weaker in the groups suffer the fallout of groupthink. What are some ways to break up small pockets of groupthink and promote individuality?