• The mere thought of asking a Prime Mover to order someone to do something makes me EXTREMELY nervous, so I just don't.
• I assume that if I arrange for some Prime Mover 'juice' to be used, any rapport and trust I have with the project team will be lost forever.
• I'm concerned that my Prime will lose faith in my ability to get things done if I have to ask him/her to use his/her authority.
• I don't think my Prime is up to using authority, even if a project's success is in peril.
• I don't have to use Prime Mover authority to make someone do something; I'm reasonably accomplished at expressing a directive in ways that produce immediate and complete compliance.

Why You Should

By trying benefit techniques first and resorting to power only after resistance unnecessarily threatens the work and resources of the project team, you add to your reputation of respecting others and trying to communicate first.

By tapping into the 'juice' that more senior people can apply when truly necessary, you gain credibility and respect among participants whose work would be wasted if the project could be sabotaged by one or a few misguided sandbaggers.

You are able to gain support from the Prime Movers and other senior people because you only call on them after you've exhausted the methods of persuasion that are within your control.

By moving on someone who is threatening your schedule in a timely but not overly quick time frame, you show all team members that you're not going to endanger their job status without reasonable cause but, in the same sense, that you're not going to let anyone "get away with" deliberate underperformance.

 

Some Tips On How To

Make and document every attempt to persuade the problem person to comply with project requirements.

If replacing the problem person doesn't represent a significant difficulty, do that.

Try to find out why the problem person isn't performing and, if possible, remove the barrier (coach, provide different resources, arrange for training, etc.)

Discuss the situation with the problem person's immediate supervisor, clearly detailing your documentation and ask for his/her guidance in resolving the issue.

Only after exhausting the steps above, ask someone with sufficient authority to demand compliance. Have this person (probably the supervisor you've talked with) set a clear expectation that if compliance is not forthcoming, a Performance Improvement Plan will be.

If the performance shortfall is not skill based and poses an immediate threat to the project deadline, try to move through the steps above as quickly as possible. That said, remember that, even under the tightest deadlines, a premature exercise of raw authority will send a very chilling effect through your project team.