Do you know your teams goals? Not the typical goal of delivering a project on time and under budget. Their personal goals, what they hope to get out of a project.
Before a project kicks off, I chat with each team member individually to understand their goals. It varies widely from trying out a new technology, learning a new domain, taking more of a client facing role etc. Once I know their goals, it allows me to look for opportunities on the project that align with them.
My experience has been that people tend to make more of a connection with the work. It becomes personal, they push themselves. It’s not just another project, it’s their goals.
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Very good point James. Thanks for sharing this. Indeed, people tend to make connection with the work and make it their own work rather than just a “deliverable”. Truly important.