Every Team Member is hoping to develop something different.

Your team isn’t just a collection of skills. They’re people with goals, ambitions, and things that get them excited about Monday mornings.

The best technical leaders figure out what each team member wants from the project—then find ways to deliver it. 🎯

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Remember stakeholder management? Team building follows the same principle: everyone wants something out of the project.

The difference is that with your team, you have more flexibility to actually deliver what motivates them.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗽

Instead of assuming what drives your team members, ask:

🎯 The Skill Builder: “I want to learn Python/machine learning/cloud architecture”

→ Can you carve out a project component that lets them practice?

🏆 The Expert: “I’m really good at data visualization and enjoy it”

→ Let them own that domain (but check if they want to try something new too)

🚀 The Impact Seeker: “I want to see my work make a real difference”

→ Connect their contributions to user outcomes and company goals

🧩 The Problem Solver: “I love tackling complex technical challenges”

→ Give them the gnarliest problems and the autonomy to solve them

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Just because someone is good at something doesn’t mean they want to keep doing it.

Your best data engineer might be craving a chance to work on front-end development. Your visualization expert might want to try their hand at backend systems.

Always ask: “You’re great at X. Do you want to keep working on X, or try something different this time?”

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲

Team building is where your listening and empathy skills become superpowers:

Listen for energy: What makes their voice change when they talk about work?

Watch for engagement: What tasks do they dive into vs. drag their feet on?

Ask about growth: Where do they want to be in six months?

Create opportunities: Can you adjust project scope to include their interests?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁

When team members get what they want from the project:

→ They’re more engaged and productive

→ They develop new skills that benefit future projects

→ They feel valued and stay longer

→ They become advocates for your leadership style

You’re not just building a project—you’re building careers and loyalty.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵

Great team building is about connecting individual aspirations to project success. You’re finding the intersection of “what needs to get done” and “what people want to learn/do.”

When those align, work doesn’t feel like work.

What’s your experience with team motivation? How do you discover what really drives your team members?