Project Success in 2023: What Leaders Need to Know

If you could look into a crystal ball and predict everything that would happen in the future with perfect detail, you would be the world’s most successful and sought after project manager.??

Unfortunately, none of us have that ability. As leaders, while we can’t forecast everything?or be prepared for every contingency, we can do our best to prepare for the most likely outcomes.?

Now, how can we plan and adapt in 2023??

The pandemic has completely redefined work in America as the increase in remote work has become widely accepted over the past couple of years.?

According to the 2021 State of Remote Work Report from Owl Labs, 2021 was the year the world stayed remote, and 90% of the 2,050 full-time remote workers surveyed said they were as productive or more productive working remotely, compared to when they toiled in the office. But there are numerous consequences of not meeting face-to-face as remote work continues to be a permanent fixture in today’s business environment:?

Negative Financial Impacts:

1. Increased employee turnover. Though many argue that more and more employees are looking for opportunities that offer the flexibility of remote work, it’s important to keep in mind that being fully remote has its disadvantages as well, when not managed properly. This of course in turn, can lead to increased employee turnover and can end up severely impacting a business’ bottom line.?
2. Projects are more likely to become off track due to decreased accountability, therefore, impacting the organization’s overall efficiency.

Increased Sense of Isolation:

Working fully remote can be extremely lonesome and isolating for some team members.?

According to Airspeed's newly released Remote Work Culture Insights study, 2 out of 3 executives believed workers may soon quit their jobs because of how disconnected they feel. The transition from in-person to remote work has been immensely challenging for team members and some are finding it difficult to develop work relationships. Unfortunately, this results in team members remaining in their silos, which is the opposite of what is needed for cross-functional, collaborative teams.?

Decreased Work-Life Balance:?

While working from home does offer a variety of benefits and opportunities for a better work-life balance, some are feeling quite the opposite. When you work remotely, there isn’t necessarily a clear signal for the start and end of the workday as there is when you enter and exit the physical office.? This results in a tendency to overwork yourself, which can easily lead to burnout.??

A survey by monster.com found that ?69% of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home. Many are struggling to separate their personal life from work. Not creating a fine line between when the work day starts and when the work day ends can be extremely draining. We need structure.

What can leaders need to do in order to proactively address these potential challenges of operating a fully remote or hybrid work environment??

From my personal experience, having that face-to-face time is crucial to establishing relationships and connections.?

For every major project, we bring the entire team together for a planning session, which typically takes about three days. Planning sessions are meant to be a safe haven for open discussion, dialogue, and even arguments. The reason we get the core team in the same room for a multi-day planning session is that it intentionally removes each person who will work on the project from their silo. It also encourages team members to develop real relationships with each other.?

Conversations during the in-person planning sessions drive clarity, reinforce accountability and foster an “us/we” mentality.? The time spent together over breaks, cups of coffee and shared meals converts teammates from impersonal email addresses to living, breathing human beings to which we feel accountable. As we move past this challenge before us, let’s not forget that key connections and conversations that lead to powerful time and cost savings are more easily realized in person. It’s only when you gather people together in a room in a collaborative way that these things bubble to the top.?

The fact is, face-to-face time MATTERS. It is crucial in forming personal connections which can be leveraged when teams are not co-located.?

To ensure project success, follow these methods, which I outline in my latest book, How Teams Triumph, and my podcast, where I feature industry leaders, leading academics and best selling authors who showcase their perspective and expertise.?

Purchase your copy here: https://bit.ly/3wjvu9l and visit my podcast page here: https://bit.ly/3DNEGGX