As an administrator, you will often be in charge of organizing groups of people in order to get things done at work. Even if you are not actually the official team leader, because you are the one with the calendar and all the phone numbers, you will likely function in a leadership capacity simply because – as you know – you are the one that “knows where everything (and everyone) is.” As a result, it will be up to you in many cases to help keep a team together and motivated even if you are not the acknowledged or appointed leader of the group.

One of the best ways to keep people motivated is to keep them connected, and this is where administrators like you can shine. Particularly if different team members are located in different geographic locations, it can be difficult to create a cohesive, functioning, productive unit. One way to keep people in sync with each other on various parts of the project is to send out periodic updates. These updates should let team members know where the team as a whole stands on various aspects of the project and also will give individuals an opportunity to ask for help, insight or assistance on a facet of the project that may be troubling them.

In addition to the updates, you may wish to provide some online training sessions for team members if they are engaged in distinctly different aspects of the project so that those who are not actually in charge of other facets of the project are at least familiar with the direction that the project is taking as a whole. Finally, consider maintaining a team blog. Of course, this blog should have an administrator – probably you – to prevent it from turning into a forum in which aggravated team members are able to fly off the handle in the event of a bump in the road. However, a blog can be a great way for people to interact and share ideas and for you to share updates, thoughts and insights on the way that the project is going.
By keeping your team in touch, you will find that all members instinctively are more timely, understand what is required of them and are more willing to work together on the project to create a cohesive, productive whole.