|
In This
Issue...
Sherri Thomas, Publisher
March 1, 2008
Published
bi-weekly. You are on our list
because you signed up for one of our
programs. To change your
subscription, see link at end of
newsletter.
Sign me up for this newsletter!
Visit our Website at
www.CareerCoaching360.com
|
|
Featured article: Flex Your Project Management
Muscles
Career Change Resources:
Books, CD's and personal coaching.
Please add "Info@CareerCoaching360.com"
to your white list or address book in your e-mail
program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!
|
|
Featured
Article
Flex Your
Project Management Muscles
by Sherri Thomas
My most shocking moment as a project
manager wasn’t related to my project. It
wasn’t anything said by a team member,
customer, or stakeholder. It was a
comment made from someone I didn’t even
know in an advanced education class I
took a few months ago. I didn’t hear the
first part of her comment but I
certainly heard the last: “…I don’t
want to be a project manager. Project
managers are a dime a dozen.”
Hello? What? You could identify all of
the project managers in the class by the
way we peeked over our laptops to sneer
at her.
Her comment made me think
hard. We’re definitely not a dime a
dozen, but some of us may have a few
more success strategies in the old’
project management toolbox. Below are a
few of the strategies from my career
that I’d like to share.
1. Give
it your passion.
If you are not passionate about
your project, who will be? Nobody. How
many times have you sat through a
presentation given by someone who
reminded you of Ferris Bueller’s
mono-toned teacher? If you take on a
project that doesn’t interest you, it’s
going to die a slow, painful death. Your
senior managers, team members, and
customers will all sense your lack of
desire, drive, and most of all, your
lack of leadership.
On the flip side, passion is contagious.
Genuine excitement about your
work—because of its value to the company
or clients, or because it’s a brand new
initiative, or a “hot” project, or you
find the work challenging—leading the
project becomes so much easier. Job
number one for a PM is to find your
passion for the project.
2.
PM as CEO.Commit to your
project. Own it. Get involved and
understand it. Otherwise, you’ll be
sitting on the sidelines for the whole
game and nobody can lead from the
sidelines. You have to be visible. Don’t
sit in your office or cubicle wearing a
headset for 10 hours a day. Be
approachable. Get out and talk to
people, meet your colleagues, your
customers, and shake hands.
Every project has a story and part of
being a CEO is
telling your story. What’s the
biggest hurdle your team overcame? What
was the biggest benefit your project
brought to the company or clients?
What’s been the best part about leading
the project? Tell it in a compelling
way. And then broadcast it.
Learn how to give a killer presentation .
Every great CEO excels at presenting.
Know your audience. This is critical.
Understand who the audience will be and
what they
really
want to know. If it’s a finance team
then make sure you talk about data,
numbers and facts. If it’s senior
managers then talk about the strategy,
challenges and risks. If someone
hands you a presentation template to
use, then use it as a guideline but not
as something carved in stone. Add to it,
revise it and make it your own.
Use data and logic to tell your story in
a compelling way. Talk about your top
two or three key issues and how your
team managed through them. Educate your
audience about your team’s strengths,
challenges, lessons learned, successes
and best practices. Teach them what
you’ve learned as a PM. And most of all:
practice, practice, practice. I always
practice out loud three times before I
walk into a room to present. Do these
things and you’ll knock your next
presentation out of the ball park.
3.
Playing to win vs. playing not to lose.
In tennis, you can hit down the middle
of the court and play “not to lose,” or
you can “play to win” by going for the
lines. One strategy is driven by
aggression and passion, the other by
fear. Every time I’m on the tennis court
and play not to lose, I lose. I realized
that I was using the same strategy in my
PM work. So, I changed my approach. Now,
every time I’m hit with a challenge, I
think “play to win.” It made a huge and
positive difference in my thinking, my
actions, and my project results.
And by the way, your team members who
you are currently leading know which
approach you use. If you’re not already
doing it, make a conscious decision to
play to win.
4.
Explain "why."
I live in smurf world. My family
gets along, my neighbors are nice, and
when I walk down the street in Phoenix
people say “Hi”. But life is a
teensy bit different in my work world.
My work world is what I would call
schizophrenic on steroids. A
relentless tug-of-war of resources,
technologies, processes, approvals,
timelines, and budgets. To say the
least, the environment is brutal.
This is what I know for sure: as
much sense and logic that you can create
inside your team, the better your team
will function.
When you need their input on creating
the Project Master Schedule, explain its
value. When your project’s
timeline is being pulled in, explain
why. When you ask a question,
explain why. When you ask some of your
team members to attend a meeting with
you, explain why. This lets them
tap into the way you think, the way you
manage a project, and reassures them
that everything you ask them to do has
meaning and purpose. Eventually,
they will trust that you are looking out
for them, and doing what is right for
your project, the Company, and the team.
5.
Look for ways to exceed your
customer’s expectations.
Usually, you won’t be able to
deliver flawlessly on every single
customer requirement. Needless to
say, a large part of our PM role is to
manage our customer’s expectations so
they understand the issues and agree on
a manageable workaround solution. But
that doesn’t mean you and your team
cannot look for ways to exceed
expectations.
For example, if your technical launch is
missing some functionality, look for
ways to drive the issue and try to
connect with the manufacturer to
influence their roadmap. Or, if a
vendor says this his part will be
delivered to you one week late, then
call a meeting with the vendor, your
purchasing or legal department (whoever
is responsible for managing the
contract) and the customer to discuss
the business need and possible
solutions. Your customer may still be
disappointed about the extra workaround,
but they’ll also be impressed that you
went the extra mile.
6. Lead
your team.
Every project hits a rough patch, or
two, or nineteen. Show strength. Role
model grace under pressure. What have
you done for your team lately? What
motivates each of your teammates? Have
you asked them? You’ll find that some
are motivated by the challenge, some by
the visibility of the project, some by
learning something new, and others by
being able to showcase their expertise.
Find what motivates each team member and
then give it to them. Without a
motivated team your project is nothing.
7. Prioritize
everything. In the resource-,
cost-, and time-constrained work world,
you don’t have the luxury of not
prioritizing. Managing a high profile
project is like herding snakes. There
are countless other initiatives that
your project is dependent on, and
countless customer and business
stakeholders wanting to know the status,
risks, timeline, and resources you need
for next quarter. Just breathe. Then
prioritize. You can only do so much with
what you have. If someone is asking—or
demanding—the stars, then meet with him
one-on-one to discuss your timeline,
goals, and priorities. Listen to his
suggestions and then align the
expectations.
8. Role
model PM discipline.
You can’t be a leader unless until you
value, demonstrate, and role model PM
discipline. Get your PMP certification.
It works. Your life and your teammates’
lives will be easier. You’ll also have
so much more energy since you won’t be
running away from key stakeholders, or
challenging the necessary processes, and
asking “why” all the time. You’ll
understand what the right thing to do
is, and you’ll know to just do it.
9. Don’t
hide problems.
I’m tired of people saying my projects
don’t have any problems, only
opportunities. Where is it written that
having a problem is shameful? I have a
friend who’s a Microsoft general manager
and whenever Bill Gates visits he asks
just one question, “Mike, What’s your
biggest problem?” What a relief that
must be to actually take off his big
coat of armor and just be able to talk
about his biggest problem.
It’s comforting to know that other PMs
have similar issues. Once the “I’m in
this all by myself” feeling goes away,
then the “how can work together to
manage this” feeling comes in. There
should be no shame or judgment, only
support and encouragement. So be proud
of your problems. Talk about them
openly. Then find a manageable
workaround solution.
10. Celebrate
successes, give compliments and lavish
recognition.
We can’t leave it up to our senior
managers to improve morale and make our
projects fun. We need to do
that
ourselves. We all want the same thing:
to have work that gives us meaning and
purpose and to work on a project where
we feel valued and appreciated. Find a
way to give that to yourself and your
team members.
If you continuously gloss
over the 90 percent of the project
that’s going right, and ripping into the
10 percent that’s not, then shift your
thinking. Take moments to appreciate
your team. Don’t put a “but” at the end
of your compliments—for example, “Nice
job on that data conversion, John, but
when are you going to fix that defect?”
That’s not a compliment. Say “good job”
and “well done” regularly.
Send it in an e-mail and
copy the person’s manager. Host a team
recognition dinner after the project is
complete. Write personalized thank you
notes. Nominate the team for a Company
award. Send extended team members a
thank you token such as a $5 Starbucks
gift certificate. And most of all, don’t
be stingy with compliments. They cost
nothing. Let’s make our projects fun
again. Appreciate your team, and
they will appreciate you.
WANT TO
LEARN ABOUT HAVING A PERSONAL CAREER COACH?
You can learn more about personal career coaching,
personal management coaching or personal leadership
coaching by visiting the web page:
Personal Career Coaching by Career Coaching 360
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A
PROFESSIONAL RESUME CRITIQUE?
Visit the web page:
Professional Resume Critique by Career Coaching 360
WANT TO LEARN ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS,
PRODUCTS and SERVICES?
Visit the web page:
Programs, Products and Services by Career Coaching
360
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
ONE?
See Sherri's
newsletter archive.
WANT TO
USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb
with it: Career success coach Sherri Thomas is
President of Career Coaching 360, an international
speaker, and author of "Career Smart - 5 Steps to a
Powerful Personal Brand." If you're ready to
jump-start your career, transition to a new level,
and move into a more meaningful and enriching
career, get your FREE tips now at
www.CareerCoaching360.com
About Sherri ~
Career success coach Sherri Thomas
is President of Career Coaching 360, an
international speaker, and author of "Career Smart -
5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand."
She has successfully transitioned into
the radio, television, finance, retail, and high
tech industries, and now teaches others how to do
the same.
If you enjoyed this issue, then check out the
products, services, and coaching support available
to help you
get "un-stuck" and move your career forward.
The website is power packed with resources to help
you transition into a new role, company, or industry
quickly and easily. (I use these same
strategies to drive my own career.)
Learn more.
Resources and Events
Resume & Interviewing Toolbox
Sherri's personal "Resume & Interviewing Toolbox"
When you're ready to get "un-stuck" and move your
career forward sign up for the "Resume &
Interviewing Toolbox." You'll get instant
access to easy-to-use, proven resume templates,
samples, and guides to help you create a
professional resume QUICKLY and EASILY. Also
includes the "Interview Smart" guide, the "Know What
You're Worth Compensation Report", and personal
coaching support.
Learn more.
CD Audio Program: "Career Change Boot Camp!"
A step-by-step action plan to help you change
careers quickly and easily.
AVAILABLE NOW! This boot camp
program includes two (2) audio CD's, e-Workbook, and
transcripts
I designed this
program
as a
step-by-step action plan with proven, easy-to-use
tools, insider secrets and strategies to help you
transition into a new industry, company, or job role
quickly and easily. This is the exact same
formula that I've used to successfully transition
into the radio, television, finance, retail, and
high tech industries.
Learn more.
|
|
