Project management has evolved far beyond managing schedules and budgets. Building teams that can deliver multi-billion-dollar projects across different continents requires a deeper understanding of human dynamics and cultural nuances. Akin Oni, a senior project executive and strategic advisor in global energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors, has spent decades perfecting this art. His experience leading complex projects across five continents offers valuable insights into what separates high-performing teams from the rest.
Understanding What Drives Teams
Here’s the thing about high-performing teams. Most people think it’s about having the smartest people or the best technology. Akin’s seen enough projects to know better. There are four things that matter more than anything else. “Number one, they have clarity of purpose, which means every team member knows why their work matters,” he says. It’s not enough to know what you’re doing. You need to know why it matters.
Then there’s the safety factor. “There’s psychological safety, which implies that people must feel safe to speak up without fear,” Akin explains. This one’s huge, especially when you’re dealing with projects where one mistake can cost millions. People need to feel like they can raise concerns without getting their heads chopped off. The third piece is “accountability with empathy, implying high standards but with understanding.” You want people to deliver, but you also want them to know you understand that they’re human. Finally, teams need “adaptability, especially in hybrid, multicultural, and AI-assisted environments.”
Spotting the Warning Signs
Experience teaches you to spot trouble before it blows up in your face. Akin’s got four warning signs he watches for. “Number one, silence in meetings. Two, delayed decisions. Three, reactive rather than proactive behaviors. And four, excuses over solutions,” he lists. Anyone who’s been in enough meetings knows what he means. When people stop talking, that’s when you should start worrying. His fix is pretty straightforward. “Set up a team health dashboard. Include both hard metrics, which may include productivity, delivery timelines, etc., and soft metrics, which may include engagement, pulse feedback cycles, etc.,” Akin suggests. Track the numbers; but also track how people are feeling. Both matter.
Building for Consistent Performance
According to Akin, building teams that deliver comes down to three big things:
Clear Purpose Drives Everything
Building teams that deliver starts with everyone knowing what they’re doing and why. “Every high-performing team begins with clarity of mission, roles, and outcomes,” Akin says. “Whether you are leading a refinery expansion in Chile or a greenfield facility in Australia, teams must understand not just what they’re doing but why it matters.” When people get the bigger picture, accountability happens naturally. You don’t need to micromanage when everyone owns the outcome.
Safety in Numbers
The second part gets tricky because teams aren’t what they used to be. “Project teams today are overly multicultural and geographically dispersed,” Akin points out. “The best leaders know how to create environments where team members feel safe to speak up, challenge assumptions, and learn from failure.” He’s worked with teams where “a technician in Western Africa or an analyst in Asia felt just as empowered as a senior engineer in the Americas because we nurture trust, transparency, and open dialogue.”
Technology That Actually Helps
The third piece is about using technology the right way. “In today’s digital-first environment, collaboration tools and AI aren’t just enablers, they are accelerators,” Akin says. He’s talking about “data analytics, integrated digital platforms, and real-time project dashboards” that help teams make decisions faster. But the real win is how these tools help “remote and hybrid teams to operate as one cohesive unit, breaking down silos and enhancing accountability at every level.”
“High-performing teams don’t happen by accident. They are architected by intention, engineered with trust, and powered by purpose,” he says. The job isn’t just about managing stuff. “We don’t just manage project schedules and scopes. We don’t just manage costs and risks. We lead humans navigating complexity, uncertainty, and ambition.” His challenge to other leaders cuts right to the point: “Audit your team culture. Are you enabling or just executing? Recommit to your people, the ones in the trenches with you every day. Lead with both head and heart because performance follows people, not the other way around.” That’s the kind of advice you only get from someone who’s been there.
Follow Akin Oni on LinkedIn to gain deeper insights into leading complex global teams.
