Beyond the Roadblocks: Leadership Strategies for Stalled Projects
An original abstract painting by Sudha Broslawsky portraying leadership strategies to overcome roadblocks.
There’s a big chance that you encountered the inevitable moment when a project felt like it came to a standstill at least once in your career if not multiple times. When progress halts, there's an underlying sense of unease in teams. It's natural to feel tempted to press on, hoping momentum will pick up. However, it's important to recognize that when a project isn’t moving forward, it’s often a sign calling for introspection and analysis to revive, realign, and make progress.
Effective leadership isn't only about spotting challenges but it’s about diving deep into the root causes and nuances to solve them. While every project has its own unique backstory, there are recurring themes and patterns that lead to a standstill. By identifying and addressing specific issues, we can bring back stalled endeavors to life.
Here are 6 pivotal areas for every leader to consider when facing project stagnation.
Clarity of vision and goals
At the core of every successful project is a clear vision that guides the team's efforts and a set of well-defined goals that mark the path to success. Assess the team’s understanding of the vision and goals, and strive to provide clarity by re-sharing the vision and goals. Also provide any support needed to the teams, whether it be tools, resources, budget, or a pivot in strategy. Without clarity, even the most dedicated teams can find themselves wandering aimlessly.
Strategy: Regularly revisit and communicate the project's overarching vision. Ensure every team member understands and aligns with the vision. Break down this vision into tangible, achievable goals and milestones.
Airbnb’s mission to "Create a world where anyone can belong anywhere." helped steer the company's direction and offerings, focusing not just on accommodations but on experiences and community. Even when faced with regulatory pushbacks or market competition, this guiding vision helped Airbnb innovate, adapt, and grow.
Cultural considerations
A team's culture can dramatically influence project outcomes. Collaboration, trust, and communication styles are shaped by both team and company cultures, and it’s important to assess these pillars of a positive culture and address any gaps.
Strategy: Hold regular team-building exercises and trust-building activities. Open up lines of communication and encourage transparency. Lead by example as the leader to set the tone for good collaboration and communication for the rest of the team.
Google's Project Aristotle sought to understand the components of a successful team. One of the key findings was the importance of "psychological safety," where team members feel safe taking risks and being vulnerable in front of each other.
Addressing skill gaps
Not all roadblocks are due to team dynamics or leadership. Sometimes, it's as straightforward as a gap in the skills and expertise of the team.
Strategy: Regularly assess the skills of the team and provide opportunities for training and development. Upleveling the team’s skills to keep up with the company's needs and industry trends is as critical as the right hiring efforts. This is often not prioritized by leaders and comes at a high cost of either people leaving or being unable to meet the new needs of the company – thus leading to project stagnation or low delivery quality. Consider adding in new team members to infuse fresh perspectives, and bringing in external experts if required,
During the Apollo program, NASA realized that their engineers needed specific knowledge in lunar geology. Instead of trying to figure it out themselves, they brought in geologists to train the astronauts.
Organizational design: The structure matters
The way teams are structured and organized can have significant implications for success at both project and company levels. It’s unfortunate how many companies don’t invest as much in this foundational aspect that determines the ultimate success or failure of a company.
Strategy: Review the current organizational design. Ask the following questions: Are the right departments and functions in place? Are there redundancies in the organization that might conflict? Are teams set up within the right models for collaboration? Is there a clear understanding of roles? Is there intentionality around how decisions are made and disagreements escalated? Are there norms around accountability implemented?
Spotify employs a unique team structure called "squads", “tribes", chapters", and "guilds" that fosters agility, clear roles, and collaboration. Picking or creating a model that works for the unique needs of a company is critical.
Ensuring the right people in the right roles
Just as critical as having the right organizational structure in place, it’s also imperative to ensure that the right individuals are in the right positions. Any gaps here can lead to inefficient workflows, decreased morale, project stagnation, and even attrition.
Strategy: Regularly review roles, job descriptions, and responsibilities across projects and teams. Ensure projects are staffed with the right roles, experience levels, and skills. Also, ensure that there’s alignment between team members’ strengths and passions, and the goals of the project.
When Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, he initiated a cultural shift emphasizing the growth mindset. This change underscored the importance of having the right people in the right roles, aligning with their talents and the company's broader goals.
The power of self-reflection
Most importantly, one of the questions a leader should ask themselves is: Could I be part of the problem?
Leadership style plays a critical role in team dynamics. A leader's approach can either foster creativity and collaboration or hinder it.
Strategy: Dedicate time for self-reflection and assessment. Seek 360-degree feedback from team members, peers, and leaders to understand and address where there might be opportunities to change your approach and leadership style.
Steve Jobs, the iconic leader of Apple, was known for his intense and often abrasive leadership style. But after being ousted from Apple and returning years later, the story goes that he reflected on his approach and made adjustments. The result was a leader more attuned to listening and collaboration, which led to Apple’s unprecedented success.
When projects stall, look at it as an opportunity and not a failure. Leaders should approach it as an opportunity to dig deep, evaluate, and recalibrate. By assessing and addressing these 6 key areas, leaders can unlock the potential in their teams and pave the way for successful project outcomes.
