Leading Through the Holidays: Project Management Tips
For many, end-of-year work parties will look a little different this year. With many employees teleworking more often, and with many practicing social distancing, crowded office parties or project team lunches are unlikely for many.
As a Project Manager, you can still find ways to make the holidays special. Here are some ideas:
- Celebrate the year’s successes by combining a virtual awards event with a team social hour. This provides some structure to guide the hour, while also providing an outlet for people to connect and share stories of the year.
- Send each team member a personal card over the holidays to acknowledge their contributions and to thank them personally for their work.
- Host a virtual activity, where everyone engages in a short activity together. For example, send each person a deconstructed gingerbread house, or a small box with cookie ingredients, in advance and have everyone make and bake something together; or provide an ingredient list if sending gifts is not practical.
- Encourage team creativity by hosting a project team art show, inviting staff and family members to create and share their work – you could even ask people to create the art based on a project-specific theme to make it a teambuilding experience.
- If your team is co-located, identify an open space where people can come together in a safe way. Depending on weather, this could be a bring-your-own lunch picnic in a park, or a walk in a nearby mall or larger museum. Location-specific conditions, and staff comfort levels, may drive a range of options.
2020 has been a year like no other – but finding ways to celebrate with your team can help provide both control and connection during this unique time.
