Lessons Learned
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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30104
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Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Lessons Learned
Southern New Hampshire University
COM-30104-XE191 Management of Comm Projects 21DA05
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Applies various approaches and theories of leadership and management in relation
to communication functions
To apply the appropriate theory to a leadership role or a manager one needs to wonder and
answer what the difference between a leader and a manager is. Nevertheless, one thing is for
sure, leadership and management are not the same, however, they go hand in hand. One way to
manage people working under me is by clarifying the expectations for everyone involved in the
team because this is the easiest, of course, if we want all the team members to report to me
directly or indirectly. Also, a sit down with the direct manager of everyone not reporting directly
to me to also find out what their expectations of the individuals are and clarify my limits with the
direct manager. Another way to approach those not reporting directly is by talking to the team
before making assignments. As an example, some may have joined the team to learn other areas
and assigning them to their area of expertise may frustrate them, therefore, the conversation is
critical to having great team leadership. Suzanne Lucas. (2019). One of the challenges dealing
with people not reporting directly to me is building a base support for them that lead to decrease
performance levels. The challenges weren’t without solution as I proactively began to negotiate
with my direct manager for support and influence over the participants because he can leverage
his relationship and network behind the scenes to remove obstacles to gather support for the
project and increase the productivity. A good way I was able to manage the situation of
decreased productivity was by getting to know them in a personal level and finding out what
their objectives, needs, and work styles were at the time of decrease. Having the open
communication directly with the employees allowed me not to have issues again of decreased in
motivation which allowed me to work proactively and foresee any concerning areas. Leslie
Stevens-Huffman. (2015).
Justifies one’s management and leadership approaches to managing others
The way I take a leadership role in managing and/or approaching other is using emotional
intelligence where I foresee the needs and wants of those under my supervision. Some of the
steps I took to lead the internal stakeholders to a successful outcome were varied, but simple.
One of the first things I did was to determine all the key stakeholders because nothing will hurt a
project like last minute instructions delivered by la-coming stakeholders. We all know that
things change as any project evolves through the process and the original vision may not be the
same as when it started, however, we strive to maintain our goal of delivering clean water to
children. My actions as a manager were to establish clear roles and was able to assign the
appropriate task to the individuals who were more capable to complete it and ensuring each team
member that each team member is limited to their role in the process, kept things moving more
smoothly. Tendo Team. (2017). By taking these small actions allowed me to work well and lead
the stakeholders to a successful outcome of the project. The project required a few elements that
needed attention to detail for example in the execution phase of the project at the week five
where we needed to reserve the trade show space, determining staffing for the tradeshow, make
travel arrangements, confirm status of company trade sow booth. Currently the elements were
chaotic due to the lack of effective communication and the requirements the need for the trade
show. One thing that I can do in the future to avoid miscommunication is to identify the basic
elements because people want to jump into the look and feel of the finished project, however, we
Lessons Learned
need to establish a project timeframe to set clear boundaries and goals and following the purpose
and objectives gives us the overall goal for creating this project. Therefore, by identifying the
basic elements I can successfully be more effective and efficient to leas internal stakeholders to a
successful outcome. SNHU. (n.d.). Project Schedule.
Critiques one’s communication skills as a leader and manager in order to effectively
achieve project goals
As a manager and a leader and a manager I design my message to fit the audience. This
focuses the use of words and builds discipline and economy. When delivering a message, I
always assume a lack of clarity whether providing verbal instructions, giving performance
review, or carrying a meeting, I always ensure my communication removes any confusion or
ambiguity. The way I communicated change effectively with the team members and with
stakeholders was via meeting, newsletter, or at a project summary report weekly meeting. By
notifying team members and stakeholders first I prioritize my communication to avoid surprises
when the official news came of any potential change to the project and by having the open
communication allowed me to freely continue with the project without disruptions. Also, since
the objectives were set and assessed whether we met the goal I asked if the communication was
effective and request a summary as to why the goal was not met. Having open communication
allows the stakeholders and the team members to be more engaged and understand that what they
do matters to the success of the project and will lead everyone to be on the same page moving in
the same direction. Business Management. (2019). Ineffective communication is one of the
main causes of misunderstanding in the workplace and often creates hostility and spite amongst
co-workers. The damaging effects on co-workers’ relationships, ineffective communication can
limit an organization’s ability to optimize its productivity and performance. While we had some
drawbacks during the project, communication was not an area of concern because in a leadership
position one must built up an excellent communication strategy to effectively lead its team
members. Therefore, by making a conscious effort in improving internal communication, team
members and stakeholders can be more engaged with their assignments and the overall goal in
mind. Hence, we get more engaged personnel, it becomes easy for the team to achieve its full
potential. Editors’ public spectrum. (n.d.). As the project evolved and the main manager
oversees the overall results of the project, we need leaders to take charge and manage the small
groups on their own. The need to deliver information and who’s entitled to it is everyone,
however, there are some instances where it must be a need-to-know basis. During the project
closure phase there were items that only those in leadership positions needed to know such as the
expenditures of the project and confirming all invoice paid and expenses submitted. The
determination of this is because we feel that the rest of the team should focus on their assigned
task and not how the project is being funded as tis could create animosity within the team,
therefore only those responsible to handle expenses are in the need-to-know basis. Furthermore,
different stakeholders are offering different benefits to the project from monetary involvement to
marketing experience, therefore those who contribute capital support are kept in the loop of how
the money is being spent.
Recommends leadership and management strategies for resolving risks and issues
All companies, firms, organizations, teams, have a way to deal with risks and issues
differently and one way is not better than the other. One management process that I follow is a
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Lessons Learned
persuasive management style as this helps me to achieve my goals for the project. Without a go
to risk and issue strategies techniques for the workplace, two different team members may have a
hard time communicating while under the stress of the job. That’s why it is essential for
managers and leaders alike to understand each risk and issue and a finding a way of handling
each risk and issues as well as how to implement a resolution for them. The first step to manage
risks is to prioritize the possible risks and issues. One way to do so is by using a universal scale
based on the risks and issues that might arise from very likely, some chance of occurrence, small
chance, and very little chance. In any scenario the risk that falls into the top category should take
priority over the others and a plan to prevent, or at a minimum mitigate, these risks should be put
into place. Nevertheless, if a risk is in the low rung, but it presents the potential to cause
financial damage to the project, then it should be set as a priority. Furthermore, by implementing
a quality assurance program and testing and analyzing the product that we offer, we will have an
opportunity to make necessary adjustment before the expo. Finally, by appointing a risk
management team where they will map out all the risks and issues to the project based on the
timeline and set up strategies to implement immediately if any risk or issue becomes a reality and
lead to the prevention, or mitigation, of those risks or issues. Cathy Habas. (2019). Every
situation that deals with risk or issues need to be handled differently as there is no one way fix all
method due to the personalities and attitudes of everyone. One issues that rose when the time to
ship the tradeshow materials where the materials were shipped via normal ground. The reason
behind the confusion was lack of clear instructions where it was stated to send off the materials
with the least expensive shipping available, however, the time of arrival was not considered,
therefore the materials were not going to be at the expo on time. One way to resolve this was to
ask the individual if he had any questions or comments after the instructions were given because
that would been a perfect time for the person to inquire about time, price, and so on. Overall,
giving clear instruction sand giving the people time to ask questions after an instruction is given
is a perfect way to evade situations of this kind.
Evaluates the effectiveness of leadership and management approaches to
communication projects
The effectiveness of a persuasive management approach/style helps the leader to use their
persuasive skills to convince the stakeholder and the team members that unilateral decisions that
the manger elements are for the good of the project and the organization overall. Instead of
ordering employees to perform task or tell stakeholders what they need to contribute a manager
employing this style would invite questions and would explain the decision-making process and
rationale behind the decisions being made. The strong believe is that the style does create a
waterfall effect that others can adapt the same style for their subordinates as it delivers better
results in the long run. A persuasive management style can outcast the style of the authoritative
manager where he/she struggles to have their subordinates engaged. The authoritative style
includes an increase in the dissatisfaction of employees that leads directly to high turnover,
resentment, a lack of professional development and team engagement. A persuasive style that
leaders employ can establish a higher level of trust between the manager and the team members
as well as the stakeholders, and they will accept the top-down decisions more easily.
Furthermore, the team respond in a more positively to reason and logic than they do the threat of
punishments from an authoritative manager. Valamis (n.d.). Both styles can work
simultaneously to address different issues where the authoritative can help the leader deliver a
strong message and set the expectations firmly to have an effective outcome. However, the
Lessons Learned
persuasive style has an overwhelming advantage of positive benefits, persuasive emphasizes
persuasive while authoritative emphasizes on pressure and the other on transformation while
authoritative focus on tasks and hard power, while persuasive soft tactics. Therefore, persuasive
will work best over the other because it delivers more positive results with the outmost positive
environment possible for a well-managed communication project. Suzanne Lucas. (2019). 6 tips to manage a project when team members don’t report to you. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/lead-project-without-managing-people-4132417
Leslie Stevens-Huffman. (2015). Leading people who don’t report to you. https://insights.dice.com/2015/09/29/leading-people-who-dont-report-to-you/
Tendo Team. (2017). 7 steps to successful collaboration between you and your stakeholders. https://tendocom.com/blog/7-steps-successful-collaboration-stakeholders/
SNHU. (n.d.). Project Schedule. https://learn.snhu.edu/content/enforced/754563-COM-30104-
XE191-OL-DAC-CFA.21DA05/course_documents/Project%20Schedule.pdf?
_&d2lSessionVal=jdmbYF0VvoWt3x3r9XSxMmsyd&ou=754563
Business Management. (2019). 11 tips for effective employee communication. https://primepay.com/blog/11-tips-effective-employee-communication
Editors’ public spectrum. (n.d.). Effective of ineffective communication in the workplace. https://publicspectrum.co/amp/effects-of-ineffective-communication-in-the-workplace/
Lessons Learned
Cathy Habas. (2019). 5 Conflict Management Strategies. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-
conflict-management-strategies-16131.html
Valamis (n.d.). Management Styles. https://www.valamis.com/hub/management-styles
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