Bonnie Tinder is the founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, an independent B2B peer review site that amplifies the voice of the customer. She focuses on software customers, consulting partners, and software vendors and helps identify the best partners for their needs. In this episode, Bonnie and Bob discuss the role of “releaders,” the challenges posed by team turnover, and strategies for building trust and navigating change in the ever-evolving digital and AI revolution.
Episode 38 | IT Project Mastery
The Big Themes:
- Handling turnover: Partners should recognize turnover as an inherent facet of dynamic IT projects. It’s important to obtain commitment, preferably in written statements within the project’s scope to ensure the assigned team’s stability. Such statements can offer a safeguard against abrupt team changes and provide a foundation for trust between partners and clients.
- Role of a “releader”: The term “releader” is introduced. It refers to individuals inheriting a project or leadership role. They navigate pre-existing frameworks and dynamics. Successful releaders need qualities such as patience, people management skills, and the ability to problem-solve inherited issues. Author Jon Casteen introduced the concept in his book ReLeader: How to Fix What You Don’t Break.
- Strategic vision: Project leaders should cast a clear vision for change and address reasons behind project scope or timeline modifications. Open communication gains team buy-in. Simultaneously, leaders are urged to avoid overly aggressive changes. They must strike a delicate balance between promptly addressing critical issues and preventing unnecessary disruptions during the ongoing project.
The Big Quote: “Typically, you have to fix the plane while the plane is in flight. And so, you want to minimize the feeling of disruption, internally, while still being clear that the vision and goals are going to be realized within time.”
More from Bonnie Tinder:
Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn or send a message via her Acceleration Economy Analyst page.
