ON THE EDGE
I Promise...
(Some Summertime Thoughts on Promises We Should Make
to Ourselves, Our Organizations and Our Project Teams)
By Carl Pritchard
As this is published on the ProjectConnections website, I am counting down the days to my annual vacation at the beach. Of course, my idea of a vacation may not be like everyone else's. I tend to cut back to only doing my e-mail twice a day and to work only a couple of hours a day on my ongoing projects. To me, that's just about as close to total isolation and quiet time as I can possibly stand.
But in the waning days of my summer busy season, I had the good fortune to hear former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani speak on project management (at IIR's ProjectImpact), and his thoughts reverberated on what it takes to run a project and to have an environment where we're both accountable and feeling rewarded for our projects. In light of his insights and his shared experiences, I felt compelled to make a few promises.
I promise to have a vision and to let others know where I'm going...
Ready to head on vacation? I don't want to leave my team members wondering what I expect while I'm away. The key is to let others know where we're going to go. We can't assume that they're going to have a clear understanding of what's coming up if we don't tell them. Giuliani talked about the people he trusts and the reasons he trusts them. And a big part of it is that they share his vision. They understand it. They can communicate it with some of the same fervor he does. That's crucial. As I head for the beach, I want to know that while my toes are sifting through the warmth of the summer sand, they're going to be addressing concerns and dealing with customers in the same fashion I would.
How will I communicate it? I'll write it down! I'm craft a project vision statement. I'll catalog my objective with clarity. I'll hang it on posters on the wall. It's not something to be left to chance. We need a common understanding.
Don't expect everyone to see what you see. They can't. They don't. And when you're not there, you need to leave a road map to lead the way. That's essential. Part of that is communicating information in a way they can see and understand. Don't feel like you need to embellish it. Just make sure you leave reminders about where you're going and why.
When you come back from vacation, if you've left the project in good hands and with a clear understanding of where you're going, you have only one new question to ask. "How much closer are we than when we left?"
I promise to take advantage of the authority granted to me and to grant it to others...
One other thought that Rudy shared was the notion that we need to take advantage of the authority we're granted. (Uh, Carl? I wasn't granted any authority!) Oh, but you were! The authority to build the schedule! The authority to deal with the customer! The authority to share information with the team!
No, it doesn't sound like authority, until you actually deploy it. If you do deploy it well, you'll find yourself in the position where you're "in charge." But no sooner are you in charge, than you're going on vacation. What do you do? You build your authority-by giving it away!
Tell others what you can do. Tell others how they can serve. Tell them what they have control over and what they don't. By giving them authority, you ensure a greater chance of project success while you're gone and you build their respect for you (even in your absence) by respecting them and their capabilities.
I promise to get something done...
Progress is everything. I intend to make it at the beach. I intend to forge my way through two New York Times Sunday crosswords, one trashy beach novel, and a few articles. Does this advance the profession, my projects and my team? YES!!!
It buys my self and my team members a sense of balance. It lets them know that I respect their desires for a reasonable level of R&R. It also gives them a chance to get something done and prove themselves capable of taking their organizations forward in my absence.
The promise of summer
The promise of summer is in the future of our projects, and in many cases, in the future of our projects without us. That doesn't make us lesser project managers. It makes us more. It makes our team members more. And it gives us... a chance to breathe.
Sand Castles, anyone?
©Copyright 2000-2008 Emprend, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
About us Site Map View current sponsorship opportunities (PDF)
Contact us for more information or e-mail info@projectconnections.com
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy