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There may be team members and others within the organization who want to perform that additional experiment or request that more analyses be generated before critical project decisions are taken. Sometimes these requests are generated because of an honest feeling that insufficient data are available to make an appropriate decision, but sometimes these requests are motivated by a desire just to keep a project alive. The project leader must balance the need for more data which could result in better decision making with the need to make project decisions more rapidly. If a project no longer has what it takes to stay in the portfolio, then the project leader has a responsibility to the organization to make this recommendation and not let that judgment be colored by anyone's years of involvement with the project. |
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A project leader often takes on the role of the responsible cheerleader on the team, on one hand, to motivate team members when things do not go as planned, and on the other hand, to ensure that the team does not become too euphoric when things go better than anticipated. Teams go through significant emotional highs and lows throughout the development process. It is important for the leader to realize that things are never as good as they seem nor as bad as they are and that everyone's emotions are kept within a reasonable balance. The project leader must ensure that the team's enthusiasm does not influence their project objectivity, either positively or negatively. The successful leader should honestly utilize different leadership styles, depending on the situation presented, to influence other people's behavior throughout the development process. Different strokes for different folks works. With this in mind, the project leader must be particularly sensitive to individual circumstances, personalities, and needs. |
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The position of project leadership is an extremely taxing one and becomes even more stressful when facing the challenge of managing an international team. The project leader must be flexible and adaptable in a constantly changing and challenging environment, must provide leadership to others, and display significant personal and professional initiative. There are times when this individual must be aggressive and confidently challenge the status quo without being negatively confrontational, and there are other times when a more passive role is required to achieve objectives. |
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Although team members have certain expectations of the project leader, the leader also has certain expectations of team members. A project leader expects that each team member is prepared with sufficient functional expertise and experience to provide an appropriate assessment and |
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