High Performance Leaders Launch Their Projects

Don't start another project. Launch it.

Give that project the energy, the momentum, the power it needs to focus on the goal, work the plan, and create something both useful and memorable.

Your project is worth it. Give that new start the focus it needs with a workshop that brings together all of the key constituents. Let your project team feel part of something special by celebrating before they even get started.

Giving your project a collaborative workshop launch could be the most high impact thing you could do for it.

What goes into a collaborate workshop launch?

You decide. I have found it helpful and energizing to include these:

A vision/mission for your team. This could be your project goal, expressed in a way that drives some excitement into the project
A team identify. Depending on the project (and your budget) that could be as simple as matching T-shirts and coffee mugs, or as elaborate as a team name theme song, and video
Carefully prepared agenda. Make significant progress on the project at that first workshop so that success seems not only possible but inevitable.
People! Who ever your project touches is a candidate for that first launching workshop. Let them feel the benefits headed their way. Ask the to raise their concerns (those will come up later anyway, you might as well deal with them early.)
Food! You already know the magic of breaking bread together -- add that to the mix.
Music! Projects are dependent on creativity, so add as much creative content to the opening launch as you can to stimulate and inspire your team.

What else? What ideas do you have?

Make your project sing. Make your project shine. Make your project launch!

-- Doug Smith

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