Introduction
Projects create change. Change makes some people nervous and resistant. Projects, like it or not, usually challenge the balance of power. Setting up a sustainability plan in an organization involves the lives and habits of all employees. Developing a new software platform for a product could make sales professionals nervous. They may need to gain skills they don’t yet have. As a coach, help your people see both the positive and negative impact of any project they lead. Here are some coaching tips you can use when coaching your employees in leading a project.

1. Showcase the Benefits of the Project
Don’t expect that people will automatically notice the value a project may bring to the organization or community. Package and present the benefits to different stakeholders in the organization. Managers are being driven by an increased cost consciousness and value imperative. Get clear about the different benefits for different stakeholders. If possible, put them in bottom-line terms.

Do some action research. Spend some time thinking and talking about the following questions and ask others how they would answer the questions for you. Do some action research! Do your research in an informal manner. Don’t make a big deal of your questions but listen to the answers.

• What value will this project bring to the organization? What are the major benefits you see?

• How do you see the project furthering the mission, strategies, or departmental objectives?

• Where do you think the project can make the greatest contribution?

Suggest they listen carefully to the answers. See where they could tweak the objectives or the value proposition, based on what they heard. Talk about ways to add more value. Think in terms of bottom-line. Then broadcast the answers in a humble, business-oriented manner whenever they have the opportunity. If they can’t speak powerfully about their project and contribution, who can?

2. Build Visibility
During periods of change, training time and training dollars are often limited. Don’t let that stop professional development. Suggest to your employee that she be on the lookout for projects that foster her growth and learning. Design her role in the project around building visibility in the organization or community. Listen for organization needs, customer needs, colleague needs, and management needs. Take on those projects – large or small – that give more visibility to key people.

As a coach, talk with your project leader about her current network. Who are the people she wants to meet and talk with about her capabilities and aspirations. Brainstorm together how this project could enhance her visibility.

Think carefully about the people to have on the project team or as key stakeholders or advisors. Choose team members who have expertise around certain aspects of the project and support areas where your project leader may have skill gaps. If the project team is designed well, the visibility and respect of the project leader and team members will all be enhanced.

3. Enhance Learning and Development
Talk with employee about what level of mastery he is at as a project leader – apprentice, individual contributor, coach, master. What projects has he already led or participated in? What did he learn? What profession is he in? What is his reputation in his profession?

Based on your own experience of project management, what do you think are the most important competencies for success? You might even make a list of them. Check out the resources in your own company. Is there a list of project management competencies? Have a discussion with your employee and rank his level of competence in each of these areas. Which are the ones that will be most important for the success of this project? Make recommendations about people who might also need to be on the team; people in the organization to observe; and best ways to take on learning those skills.

Build in frequent discussions on these necessary skills to your contract expectations around your coaching. If possible, you may even want to observe one or two meetings to see firsthand how the person is doing and be able to give some constructive feedback. Also advise the project leader to solicit feedback from the team regarding those key competencies. If the person really isn’t doing that well with one of them, suggest he delegate that to another team member. This could include: follow up notes on meetings, scheduling, running parts of meetings, etc. Projects are a great opportunity for everyone to “up” their game. Don’t miss that opportunity.

4. Provide Energy and Support to the Team
Coach your employee to take care of her whole team and know how each person is doing. Organization changes can cause energy drains as well as economic uncertainty for many people. We are being asked to do “more with less.” Some people feel over their heads. Help them. Coach your employee to check in with team mates frequently to assure that they are okay and able to meet their deadlines. See what’s needed and help if possible. Make offers when there is a need. Enlist the help of others if needed. Project leaders need to be an energy source NOT an energy drain.

Project leaders need to energize. Pay attention to the spirit and energy of colleagues. Listen to people. Ask them how they’re doing. Observe if they seem overly stressed. Offer to critique, review, or just be on the other end of the phone if people get overwhelmed or blocked in any way. You can do this as a coach and recommend to the project manager that he do the same with his team.

Coach your project manager to be a “go for.” Get lunch, fun snacks, water, coffee, candy, health food. Notice colleagues’ demeanor, mood, attitude, etc. Shift it! Bring it up! Provide the positive power surges needed to bolster a team, office unit, office mate, manager or customer. Coach them to go out of their way for people NOW. In the future, the giver will be the receiver. Watch and see.

5. Take Care of Your Own Mood and Health
Any kind of change or major project can be disorienting and emotionally upsetting. Coach your people to pay close attention to their own mood and health. Do what they need to do to project an energetic, healthy image during these tough times. Managers, stakeholders and team members pick up on the subliminal signals of body language, mood, health, etc. There will be times when they need to take a break, read a book, go for a walk or get a good laugh to alter their own mood. Coach them to take extra good care of their health — physical and psychological — so they don’t get sick, need time off, or negatively impact others on the team. Suggest they get more exercise and get more sleep. Coach them to lift their own spirits quickly.

Here are some steps you might recommend:

• Stop work 3 times a day and check in with your body. What are you feeling? Where are you tense? Take action to address what you discover. Move, Stretch. Take a break.

• Make a pact with a friend to exercise together – whatever the form. This ups the chance you’ll really do it?

• Reflect on your favorite places outdoors. Make a point to retreat there once a week.

Leading any project is difficult. People are observing how others are doing and what they achieve. Character, motivation, attitude, performance, mood, and smarts are more important than ever.

As a coach, use these five steps for those you coach. It’s possible to use the current environment to develop the careers of your people while providing immense value to the organization as you’re doing it. Leverage the winds of change through smart coaching and see a long-term payoff for the careers of those you coach.