Throughout my career, I have worked with many teams. As a junior, switching from one company to another meant shifting from one team to the next. As I progressed to more senior roles, I needed to collaborate with multiple teams across several projects simultaneously or in parallel—teams like DevOps, testing, design, documentation, and even company management.
In addition, every project involves different stakeholders from the client side, such as the customer’s project manager, infrastructure support, system administrator, business analyst, or management personnel. These people vary from project to project, meaning each engagement brings new dynamics and expectations.
Given these variations, I believe I’ve worked with an extensive variety of team members throughout my career. Each individual’s attitude towards work is shaped by their personal perspective on professional life. Their contributions align with their career expectations, which can vary significantly. I’ve found that team members’ dedication depends heavily on their personal circumstances—like family support and financial freedom.
Those with strong financial backing often take a more relaxed approach to work, contributing less to the project. On the other hand, individuals who are financially motivated or have clear career goals are typically more willing to take on challenges and are deeply committed to their tasks. However, external factors such as personal issues, family problems, or disruptions in their social lives can temporarily affect any team member’s productivity, usually lasting between one to three months.
In these situations, it’s crucial to understand each person’s vision, goals, and challenges by maintaining open discussions. This helps identify who is fully aligned with the project’s success, who might leave for better opportunities, and who may not take their responsibilities seriously.
I have also noticed that team members who live far from the office tend to focus on leaving early to avoid long commutes, especially during stressful project phases. Their priority shifts to reaching home, which can make it harder to rely on them during critical times. Managing remote or hybrid team members brings additional challenges. Although they provide timely status updates, I sometimes suspect they aren’t as engaged, and waking them for urgent tasks can become a frustrating effort. Unfortunately, management often assumes that remote employees perform exceptionally well, without realizing the extra effort required to get consistent output from them.
Another challenge I’ve faced is managing team members who are connected to top management through personal relationships. These individuals often see their role as a hobby, with little regard for deadlines or pressure, and their contributions tend to be minimal. Management’s assumption that these members are exceptional can make it difficult to hold them accountable or ensure consistent performance.
In the end, the success of a project depends heavily on the quality of the team. If you manage to build a good, committed team and avoid the complications that come with unmotivated or poorly managed individuals, your work as a manager becomes far smoother. Otherwise, you’ll need to be constantly on guard to keep the project on track and deliver results.