Michael Hammer's Harmer's new blog suggests that project managers report the weather: Nerdherding for Beginners: Good project managers tell us about the weather
One of the things a project manager should do for her team is to tell them about the weather. Is it sunny (we're running to schedule with a happy client and a good product being produced), cloudy (a bit behind schedule with a happy client and acceptable product), stormy (behind schedule, unhappy client) or has an asteriod just hit?
Project managers and leaders need to help the team understand what is happening wiht the project from a number of different perspectives. This "weather" view is a non-threatening version of what is happening on the project that can help the team see what is happening.