The quality of the leader will influence how the team can pick itself up from a misstep and go on. Regardless of the event, how one reacts to it makes a big difference on the consequences it will have.

Bad things happen to good projects.  When something happens, the project manager's reaction will guide how the team will feel about it.

• If the project manager panics, everyone on the team will feel that panic. This will affect how everyone works. Panic rarely makes people better.
• If the project manager remains calm and focuses on the solutions to the problem, she will take everyone's mind off the problem and thinking constructively.

As a project manager, we must remember that our team is looking to us for clues on how to behave in the team. Respectful managers will encourage respectful behavior in their teams.

It's a good idea to think about how you want your team to behave, and then set out to show them how it's done.