presentation from managing design 2017, ux australia, melbourne 12 may 2017
TRANSCRIPT
Challenges
■ They can be very dismissive of the team implementing their ideas or vision, which causes friction in the team
■ As they have expended so much energy in the first phase of the project, they need to handover the project, so they can recuperate.
■ Underneath all the intellectual power can be someone who needs to be validated.
Ways to work
■ Get the Rockstar to develop relationships with the team, so they are not dismissed as not seeing the vision when they can’t keep up.
■ Give them the freedom and intellectual stimulation - they are the innovators in complex projects - ideal could be Project initiation, R&D or Innovation and Disruption
■ Pair them with someone who can take the idea to delivery.
Challenges
■ They don’t have the experience or talent to back up ALL of their ideas; they usually have strength in one particular area needed in the project
■ They build strife into their interactions with everyone. The team comes away feeling pelted with ego
■ The work may not be up to scratch; there can be an overestimation of competence
Ways to work■ Remember that a Prima Donna may be starting with a position of low
self esteem, and is compensating to feel superior■ Provide strong expectations for each piece of work and stretch goals
once they have been met; use their strengths for the good of the project
■ Ignore their behaviours if it doesn’t affect the rest of the team ■ If it does affect the team, the person needs to be talked to and warned
of the consequences of their behaviour■ Remind the individual who the customer is; their role is supporting the
customer (internal or external) ■ Work in a team made up of people with healthy egos and great skills to
balance the Prima Donna
Challenges
■ Lack of compassion for themselves
■ Over sharing and annoying others
■ Taking on too much work and burning out
Ways to work
■ Set boundaries for them at work with the amount of time they work on something
■ Find structured ways for them to give of themselves to others in the group
■ Teach them to be a little selfish with their time and knowledge
■ Leave them to fail (only a little), so they can learn to set their own boundaries
Working with a challenging individual
■ Understand the motivations of the person in front of you■ Rules of Engagement■ Goals and boundaries ■ Team planning and dependencies■ Be an active manager■ Work with your manager/coach/mentor on how the team or
individual is led and managed
Understand their motivations
Empathy, good questioning technique and listening
■ What’s happening to the person right now?
■ How does this affect work?
■ What do they want to do?
■ Why is this happening?
Rules of EngagementA collaborative team activity, but can be developed with an individual
Includes: ■ How we work together■ Work styles■ Escalation ■ Conflict resolution, and ■ Who is the ultimate decision maker
Goals and boundariesWorks with the Rules of Engagement
For each piece of work, set the expectations:■ What the person is responsible for■ What deliverables they need to create and when they are due■ Support needed to do the work■ Any dependencies ■ What don’t they do
In the project team include:■ Are they responsible for others work■ How will they work with other
Team planning and dependencies■ Provides a structure for the team when working with
challenging people
■ When it’s done negatively, it is a ‘group slap’; but positively - it provides the whole group with a set of expectations, so the one person does not feel singled out
■ If the challenging person is an equivalent or higher in the pecking order, this provides them with expectations of their role...in front of everyone
Be an active manager
Manager… a dirty word, we are all told we should all be leaders
BUT...■ Be someone who the team can talk to
■ Be an escalation point
■ Model behaviour
■ Shape how a team works
Work with your manager or mentor
■ Don’t pretend you can do this by yourself.
■ Dealing with difficult team members is hard - exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally. Get support and downtime as needed.
■ Support can come in two guises:● Peer group support - coaching through the problems with your
‘pack’● Manager/mentor - to provide guidance and your point of
escalation
Summing up
■ Rockstars, Prima Donnas and Mother Teresas are all archetypes; these traits and behaviours can turn up in all of us at different times.
■ The aim is to get the best out to people and being active managers is the best way to do this.
■ Go forth and manage!
Resources
Change, Influence and IA at the BBC, March 2004https://www.slideshare.net/magshanley/change-influence-and-ia-at-the-bbc
Beyond the Polar Bear, 2011https://www.slideshare.net/reduxd/beyond-the-polar-bear
Thank you
Contact me:Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @magshanleyLinkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/magshanley