Get Your Team Back on Track!

An important part of your job as a leader is to keep your team motivated and on track when things go wrong. Here are some strategies you can try when a project fails and you need to boost your team's morale.

Your team's project may not be going well because the organization's goals and vision are unclear. So, bring the team together to reset or redefine those goals. This can breathe new life into the project, allowing you to troubleshoot, identify vulnerabilities, and define a path forward as a team.

Then, to remove obstacles, reprioritize employees' work, reallocate work overall, and reallocate project resources (including budget) as needed. Such interventions help reduce redundancies and eliminate annoying bottlenecks.

Next, recognize that different people are motivated by different things – career opportunities or financial incentives, for example – and adapt your leadership approach accordingly. And schedule a weekly project meeting to create regular feedback loops on what's working (and what's not) so you can quickly make course corrections.

Finally, celebrate small successes. Recognition builds morale and promotes optimism – both of which lead to a sense of momentum within your team.