86 COLUMNS | Big Tree Strategies
Resource Global Network 87
COMPELLING DIRECTION IS KEY
TO ANY PROJECT TEAM
By Esther Ewing and Bill Sedgwick, Big Tree Strategies
Resource Global Network
COLUMNS | Big Tree Strategies
Smart leaders know that a clear,
compelling picture of what
success looks like is crucial for
engaging and motivating their
team. And really smart project
leaders have a fully developed
story with multiple ‘chapters’
that they can use with different
audiences.
Now let’s consider the analogy of a book.
journey. At the same time, the leader must
A project leader should focus on the whole
not lose sight of the compelling direction, and
story, not just the vision statement. Books
neither should the team.
have chapters, which are a road map for
where the book is going. A good book
There may be many stakeholders, so it’s not
doesn’t stray from its central theme or story
easy keeping everyone on track. But again,
as it proceeds from one chapter to the
this is where the leader is crucial.
BIG TREE STRATEGIES
Esther Ewing and Bill Sedgwick are
co-founders and partners of Big Tree
Strategies Inc. Big Tree Strategies works
with teams that are doing critical work and
helps them become more effective and
engaged.
next. It’s the same with big projects. A good
leader stays on theme and focuses on that
Here is another example. A Canadian mine in
compelling direction through the life of the
Northern Ontario decided that a percentage
project.
of its workforce should be indigenous people
In 1997, NASA landed the legendary Mars
who lived in the area. After all, the mine
Pathfinder on Mars. The mission involved a
Think of the story of a project as beginning
was on aboriginal land, but these people
base station and probe which, over the years,
with a working title; now we have a project
weren’t educated. So the mine set out to
delivered a huge amount of information
that has a story to tell. The chapters are
educate them and why not? They were key
about the red planet. What was the story
the building blocks of the story and each is
stakeholders and getting them on board was
behind the Mars Pathfinder? That’s easy –
important, but they all must operate as one
vital to the project’s success.
to show NASA’s commitment to exploring
entity. However, while someone reading a
planets through a relatively low-cost project.
book is left to their own devices, a smart
This is where alignment is important.
The slogan or mantra was ‘faster, better,
project leader continues to use the story to
Members of the community, including those
cheaper’.
engage, focus and refocus, if necessary, the
indigenous people, along with contractors
team and all the stakeholders.
and sponsors – the venture capitalists
The Mars Pathfinder became a wildly
who owned the mine – had to be properly
successful project for NASA, who hasn’t had
With NASA we can think of this as staying
aligned too. Alignment isn’t easy with such a
many in recent years, because the team
on mission with the code or mantra of the
disparate group.
leaders had a story to tell and stuck to it. It’s
mission/story. With the Mars Pathfinder it
all about having a compelling direction, which
was ‘faster, better, cheaper’ and with the
Project leaders have many sources they can
means a project with a story to tell.
potash project it was ‘flawless execution’.
draw on for the project story. For example,
ESTHER EWING
Esther Ewing has worked for more than 20
years as a consultant with organisations
in financial services, healthcare,
manufacturing, mining and the legal
sector. She is a certified Kolbe Consultant
with experience providing leadership
development, strategy and coaching
teams, as well as a keen volunteer for
charitable organisations including Good
Shepherd Services in New York.
they can use the Front End Loading (FEL)
Closer to home is the example of the leader
All the chapters make up the story as the
framework, which most mining projects
of a potash project who used ‘flawless
entity becomes an integrated whole with no
follow, for story material. FEL 1 typically
execution’ as his mantra. Each word –
individual piece more important than another
describes the ‘why’ of the project – the
‘flawless’ and ‘execution’ – carried a meaning
piece. But the leader may place emphasis on
business case. For the potash example this
that was clearly defined for all members of
particular elements, or chapters, depending
might be feeding people around the globe far
the team so they would be on the same page.
on the audience. The leader can bring up
into the future.
Each word set a reference point on which to
examples of the components comprising
judge activities for the project.
the project story, and make sure all the
FEL 2 typically describes the scope of the
stakeholders remain aligned during the
project. This comes once the business case is
BILL SEDGWICK
Within his own consulting business in
strategic and business planning, Bill
Sedgwick has worked with more than
70 senior teams in many different
organisations. He has degrees in business
and education from the University of
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South
Africa, and is a long-time volunteer for
Habitat for Humanity York, which builds
homes for those in need.
Resource Global Network
COLUMNS | Big Tree Strategies
who are permanently on the team with their
names, positions and pictures, and also who
they ‘face-off against’ in other sub teams on
the project. Or this may simply be a large
circle with everyone inside it.
It’s one thing to have the chapters of the
story, but the story must be compelling. The
leader should simplify the message, fight
or manage complexity, and initiate critical
metrics. For example, what is the production
rate? In shaft mining (as opposed to open pit
mining), the production rate is metres per
day of shaft sinking.
Finally, how should the ‘book’ be used? The
leader uses the story to clarify and to work
on deliverables, roles, schedules, highlighting
best practices, resetting expectations,
communicating value, coaching team
members, and bringing on board new team
members and new partner organisations.
Ideal times to re-tell the story are at 90-day
milestone meetings to check in on team
performance, communication with the
workforce, and in-team meetings.
Now the book is done. The ‘reader’ is happy
established and you can ask questions like:
involve tens of thousands of items, all of
and how it works together, resolves conflict,
and the project is successful. But most
based on all our assumptions about cost and
which guide activity and need constant
communicates and organises. All these are
importantly, the chairman and members of
execution, is it feasible? Once again, the story
updating and communication to ensure
key elements.
the board are happy too.
of the project can use information from the
alignment between groups.
Another key piece of the project story is who
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FEL 2 work, such as assumptions regarding
the cost and execution of the project.
Discussions about readiness are also a rich
is on the team. This might involve showing
source of discussion about the way the team
an organisation chart with concentric circles.
Next comes FEL 3 – readiness – where we
needs to operate to be successful, which
The outer circle of this chart might include
prepare for execution. In a large mining
is another piece of the story. This might
project suppliers, such as for underground
project, the Project Execution Plan may
include the purpose as a team, its values,
equipment. The inner circles will show those
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