As a project manager, it is your job to keep your team focused, happy, energised and motivated, which is no mean feat for a number of different reasons depending on the organisation and the project. You might have just met the team for the first time, the project might be boring, the organisation might be going through some changes making everything a  bit 'up in the air', you might have to be working with a team that you wouldn't necessarily choose. All of these things make team management hard, but never impossible.

One of the main problems with keeping your team focused will be doing so without harming their morale. You naturally want to complete the project efficiently, which means keeping team morale high, particularly when the project is getting difficult. However, by pushing this focus and direction, you may also potentially affect the team's morale at the same time. It's a difficult balance to keep, but an important one.

A Strong Team Is A Strong Project

When the project does get difficult, the relationship you have established with your team matter and become really important. However, as everyone gets more and more stressed and works for longer, the relationship may become strained, disagreements may happen, or even arguments depending on the situation.

To stop any of this conflict happening, it is important to help your team focus on working around any issues, rather than placing blame anywhere. Nurture a caring culture from the outset so your team fully understand the social tone you expect.

If a team member has made a mistake it is likely they want to correct it, not get into conflict about it. So if this is the case, take care not to place any blame on them, but instead facilitate change and help them resolve it. Where possible, involve the whole team in working to fix the mistake, praising the group as a whole for their contributions so that every team member is able to see beyond the mistake and instead recognise the value of each team member.

Your Team Look To Your For Positivity

Remember, no matter how angry you might feel you must never show this to the team. Your job as a project manager is to get morale up. If your team see you express doubt towards the project or to any team member, it will take their morale right down. Practising placing a positive spin on things is a really good skill to have.

Provide Motivation At All Times

it is important to remember the project motivation. You should have by now helped your team see a 'bigger picture' in regards to how the project relates to the organisation. You might also want to recognise how the project benefits each team member individually so that they have additional individual motivation to keep in mind. You can also provide group rewards like an achievements board and small rewards for reaching milestones like taking the team out for coffee and cake during a brainstorming session.

Always Be Aware Of The Balance

Certain project management training courses address these issues, but often other factors can make the situation much harder to deal with. If you feel you need to upskill, consider taking a project management course to help you deal with team morale and focus better. You could also consider requesting a mentor in your organisation. The most important thing is the fact you are aware of this balance and how important it is. Awareness is the first step to change.