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Tag: Leadership

PMTimes_Oct2_2024

Best Of: The 10 Most Common Project Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

If you find yourself repeatedly failing to meet essential project deadlines or KPI’s, you might be making one, or more, of these very common project management mistakes.

 

Making an error in the workplace is inevitable. In fact, there’s a high probability many of us have made the same mistakes, and while at the time it can feel like an utter disaster it is the ability to recoup and learn from our failures that ultimately makes us better at our jobs.

Unfortunately, as project managers, even our smallest mistakes can have much larger implications further down the line, sending us over budget and past deadlines. Although each project will have its complex set of issues unique to it alone, across the industry there are some predictable and recurring factors we can address, that often doom a project to failure before it is gotten off the ground.

 

1. Assigning the Wrong Person to Lead the Project

Too often candidates are determined to lead projects due to factors other than their suitability or experience. Not that a lack of workplace experience cannot be made up of other factors, but taking charge of running a project is a difficult task, and often requires specific experiential skills or knowledge.

While it is true that skilled managers can lead across subject matters, for large scale projects with complex attributes, a greater number of team members, or a targeted technical knowledge requirement, it is much better to source the most experienced leader, rather than just the one who’s available.

Place as large a focus on assigning the correct manager for the job as you usually do to allocate resources, and place a higher priority on choosing a manager whose skill set more closely matches the project requirements.

 

2. Lack of Communication

Communication is essential in every relationship, but never more so than when between you and your project team. Not communicating properly, or at all, with your team and client, is one of the quickest ways to send your project to the grave.

By creating a culture of open communication, and setting out some simple communication strategies from the outset, such as regular check-ins and deliverable reviews, you and your team will have a clear view on your projects progression, and be able to proactively spot and resolve any issues coming up on the horizon.

Similarly, by engaging better with your team, you can keep your client in the loop with real-time project updates and avoid the awkward due date deliverable talk.

 

3. Mismanaging Team Members Skillsets

As important as it is to choose the right leader for the project, it is equally as important to choose the right team members and to take the time to understand exactly how their particular skillsets will fit into the larger scope of your project.

An excellent project manager analyses the project needs and utilizes his team in agreement with their strongest attributes.

If you do not have the luxury of handpicking a team to suit the project, then be sure to you sit down with your team before you begin and discuss their experience and competencies. Don’t be afraid to get specific. It is not enough to just know one of your team members has experience in web developing, filter out their specific disciplinary strengths and weaknesses and optimize their workload accordingly.

 

4. Too Broad a Scope

Anyone who’s been in the business long enough has experienced a project with a scope that appears to increase continually, while the price remains stagnant. Although this kind of scope creep where the project focus changes continuously over the length of the project should be in no way viewed as an inevitable part of the project process.

Scope creep often happens when the real outcome of the project is misunderstood by or is not consistent with the client, management, and the project team. This is why developing a clear scope statement at the outset of your project is so important.

A carefully thought out scope statement should include a clear and firm definition of the project goal, deliverables, what is both “in” and “out” of scope, and project constraints. Simultaneously, you must develop a system of strict, universal and well-documented approval processes so that any subsequent changes to scope, budget, schedule, resources, and risk are vetted and approved.

The scope statement should regularly be referred to for making future project decisions, and outlining a shared understanding of the project, and should never be created in isolation, but instead with the input of your entire team. Not only will they have knowledge, experience and valuable insights, but they will then be more aware of how and when to implement the process throughout the project

While it is true that project scope must have some degree of malleability placing checks and balances against changing any aspect of the scope allows you to make more considered decisions and control of rampant scope creep.

 

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5. Over-Optimistic Scheduling

The importance of creating a realistic schedule for your team, and the project, cannot be understated.

It is too easy to create an over-optimistic schedule designed to impress the client but is completely infeasible. Not only is the probability of finishing the project with an acceptable, quality product very unlikely, but attempts to meet these dates will cause unnecessary stress for both you and your team, schedules to slip and throw your whole project out of whack.

The project schedule directs the project team on the what and when of their actions. For your client, it projects significant milestones and the due date of key deliverables, as such, it is important that you treat the creation of your schedule as a collaborative effort.

By checking in with your team on project effort and time estimates, and your clients own schedule, you can strike a compromise by which to meet your client’s expectations, and your team has the breathing room to finish the project to a high quality.

 

6. Lack of Detail in the Project Plan

A project plan is one of the essential elements of a successful project outcome, yet the most misunderstood when it comes to project management.

A project plan does not just mean ‘project timeline.’ While an expected chronology of your project is a major component of your plan, a project plan requires a much deeper level of information regarding all elements necessary to the planning process from the specification of the new project to the budget, schedule, and quality metrics.

When done correctly, a project plan acts your very own route planner. By providing insufficient detail in your project plan, you are not only opening your team for confusion about the full requirements of their time or tasks but leaving yourself without clearly defined metrics to measure the success of your project and management strategies.

Take the time before you start your project to identify all the activities and related tasks required to meet the project’s scope statement successfully and all your project deliverables including the estimated time duration and the assignment of a resource that will be held responsible for completing each task. Keep in mind, that the plan you make at the start may not be the one you finish with, but learning to create a clear project plan and knowing how to discuss its key components is crucial to your project’s success.

 

7. Not Recognizing Your Team’s Successes

Team morale and productivity go hand in hand, and refusing to recognize your team’s successes, often has a detrimental effect on both. Sometimes it is too easy to focus on the end game, metrics, and numbers, and forget the employee that pushed them to success.

The small successes, the short-term objectives, and daily goals, any extra effort to contribute to advancing the team’s mission is, where the individual shines, and should be celebrated.

Develop a performance review system as part of your project management plan, and ensure that performance on projects is measured, reviewed and recognized as equally as it is in their day to day responsibilities.

 

8. The Wrong Project Structure Used

Project management is not one size fits all, and while you may have had great success with a particular project structure before, it is dangerous to get too comfortable with one approach and ignore each project’s variables.

Let’s take size, project teams with a larger number of individuals, around 8 or above, will find it difficult to report to the same project manager. Just as, you, the project manager will find it overly challenging to maintain communication and follow ups with too many team members reporting directly to you. If parts of the project are undertaken in different regions of the country, communications may suffer from a lack of clarity and jar with the larger project structure.

It is key to assess each project individually and adapt communication strategies and reporting protocols to suit each new approach.

It may be useful to educate yourself and your team in umbrella project management methodologies that teach adaptable, industry standard project structures, so each project structure retains an efficient cohesiveness and familiarity.

 

9. Being Reactive Instead of Proactive

Your project is running correctly, aligning with your scope and project plan, but then something unexpected comes along and disaster hits. The project gets derailed. Even though you and your team mobilize quickly, identifying the best options and solutions based on experience, you have got no opportunity, nor time, to test these solutions viability. Acting reactively, management by crisis only leaves your project vulnerable to further failure.

Risk Management is the process of identifying, analyzing and responding to risk factors throughout the life of a project, and developing a stable basis for decision making in regards to those risks. A robust risk assessment provides controls for possible future events and is proactive rather than reactive.

While it is impossible to know every likelihood of every potential occurrence, by undertaking a thorough risk assessment before you execute your project plan, and continuously re-focusing that assessment throughout your project, you can reduce the likelihood of a disastrous event occurring, as well as its impact.

 

10. Being Resistant to Change

Although most this article has been spent pontificating about the importance of preparedness, clarity, and structure, the ability to be flexible and adaptive are qualities intrinsic to your project’s success.

Despite your extensive risk management and project planning, it’s likely the functionality of your project is going to change daily, whether it’s the small things such as missed meetings, employee absence, or a change in direction that requires you to develop a new approach or resource, and being rigid about your processes only ensures that your project is unlikely to see completion.

Being flexible isn’t something you can plan for. Remember that your project is an ongoing process, keep an open mind, and trust that you and your team will be competent enough to come up with a suitable solution.

PMTimes_Sep25_2024

Skillful Efforting to Achieve Leadership Success

Create a realistic work-life balance in the context of leadership and project management to achieve optimal performance and success. Apply it to your own life and influence those who work for and with you.

Leadership boils down to the ability to cultivate a positive mindset, relate well with others, and make effective decisions. To sustain a dynamic work-life balance requires all three.

What is the mindset that promotes optimal balance?

In a recent article, Jerry Seinfeld is quoted:

“It’s a very Zen Buddhist concept: Pursue mastery. That will fulfill your life. You will feel good.

The problem is, that developing a skill takes time and effort. Mastering a skill takes considerable time and effort, not all of it — or even most of it — enjoyable. ”

He recommends that you “Make ‘Did I get my work in?‘ your favorite question to ask yourself, and while you may not achieve every goal you set out to accomplish, you will definitely accomplish a lot more.” 1

The mindset here is 1) to expect to make an effort to get what you want and 2) that the way you make the effort makes a great difference in the way you and others feel and the outcome of your work.

 

Working Hard

In Working Hard but Not Too Hard  I wrote

“Working hard is applying a high level of effort, being consistently focused, productive, and effective, and applying emotional, physical, and intellectual energy. Working hard is rewarding, it leads to personal and organizational success.”2 https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/working-hard-but-not-too-hard/

As wise individuals in our roles as performers, leaders, and managers, we recognize that hard work is necessary to develop skills and accomplish goals. Of course, working smart is highly valued, but it is not a replacement for working hard.

 

Overdoing It

We also recognize that we can overdo it. We can become so obsessed with succeeding that we forget our personal wellness and the wellness of those who are affected by our behavior. We work too hard.

If we work too hard, we get tired, disengaged, and less effective. If we miss the signs that we or our team is working too hard, stress levels increase, quality suffers, and we enter a spiral that does not end well.

 

Self and Other Awareness

This is where self-awareness and awareness of others come into play.

“Self-awareness is the ability to “step back” and observe yourself objectively to know your behavior, motivations, feelings, values, and desires.  It is knowing your personality and the way you display it in your life.” 3 https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/self-awareness-a-critical-capability-for-project-managers-d23/

An effective leader is aware of how others –  for example, your team members, clients, boss, significant others, and peers – are doing. Are they excited, motivated, and in the best shape to get the mission accomplished? Are they slowing down, or getting tired? Or are they past that stage and exhibiting the symptoms of over-work?

 

The Symptoms

The symptoms of overwork are easy to spot – more arguments and emotionality, an increase in errors, absenteeism, and lower productivity are the most common.

The quicker you see the symptoms, in yourself and others, the better. Catching overwork early gives you the ability to apply the least amount of effort to remedy it. Avoiding it is best.

 

Skillful Effort

The way you make the effort makes a great difference in the way you and others feel and the outcome of your work.

Ideally, the effort is effortless. As in Flow where skills and experience come together to perform optimally as if there was no one doing it. When that is not the case, be aware of tendencies to over or under-effort. The Buddha compared skillful effort to tuning a stringed instrument. Too loose, poor sound quality. Too tight, a broken string.

 

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Avoiding Overwork

Avoiding and remedying overwork begins with recognizing and acknowledging it. It can be avoided by consciously addressing it as an issue when planning and scheduling.

The more people are aware of the issue of overwork, the better. Make work-life balance a topic in team building. Acknowledge the degree to which there is an expectation of 24-7 availability. Will there be tight deadlines that lead to overtime? What are expectations about weekend work, and vacations?

Also acknowledge the influences of poor planning, cultural norms, personality issues like workaholism and perfectionism, and fear to push back against unrealistic demands.

When expectations are explicitly stated people can be better prepared and more accepting of what happens. Expecting a 9 to 5 arrangement and having 24-7 demands come as a surprise is likely to result in disruption at home and work.

If your project is going to require working intensively, build in practices that enable that kind of work – stress management techniques, breaks, meals, comfortable working conditions, a sense of camaraderie and adventure, and recognition when it is time for a rest.

If one intense project is followed quickly by another, beware of burnout. Take a lesson from extreme sports teams, there is an off-season for R and R, and the players get massaged and conditioned during the season.

Schedule realistically. You can add optimism to your mindset but consider it an aspiration. Hope for the best, plan for the most likely, and be ready for the worst.

 

Remedying

If you have not avoided it, and you, your team, or other stakeholders are suffering the symptoms of overwork, acknowledge it and treat it as you would a physical injury or sickness. Acknowledge it, seek its causes, relieve the symptoms, and remove the causes. And most importantly, take good care of the patients.

As we have said, poor planning, cultural norms, personality issues like workaholism and perfectionism, and fear of pushing back against unrealistic demands may be the causes. Each situation is different. There may be no options to eliminate causes, so all you can do is minimize the impact of the symptoms. Sometimes the options are severe, like changing jobs.

What can you do to reduce the symptoms and maintain the kind of motivation that will fuel success? The minimum remedy to explicitly acknowledge what is going on. That alone will reduce stress and discord.

Then find ways to institute the same practices you might have planned for to avoid the situation.  Implement breaks, meals, comfortable working conditions, morale building, and recognition when it is time for a rest. Negotiate schedule changes, additional (or fewer) resources, and other means fir reducing pressure.

 

Action

If efforting – doing the work – is an issue that needs to be addressed, bring it to the surface. Correct imbalances among expectations and realities with self-reflection and candid communication.

Implement practices to avoid over-efforting and make hard work as effective as possible while sustaining wellness. Avoid the expectation that you can get what you want without hard work.

Recognize the real-world nature of your situation. If intensive effort is a fact of life, make it known so that people can make decisions to join the fun or opt for a less intense environment. Assess all the factors (family, physical and psychological health, career, finance, etc.) from multiple perspectives, considering short, medium, and long-term impacts.

Then decide what to do, when, and how to do it.

 

 

1.https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/jerry-seinfeld-says-achievement-success-comes-down-to-repeatedly-asking-yourself-this-6-word-question.html?utm_medium=flipdigest.ad.20240910&utm_source=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=campaign
PMTimes_Sep11_2024

Developing Leadership – How To Take Control

Everyone is a leader. We lead and are led by others. And everyone leads themself.

But not everyone is a good leader. Ego-driven leadership refuses to learn from the past, fails to plan effectively, is self-serving, vindictive, is not limited by truthfulness, and manipulates.

 

Leadership

Leadership is “the process of getting a group of people in a direction, to pursue common objectives.  The most effective leaders use mostly non-coercive means and seek to satisfy the group’s best interests.”[1]

According to the U.S. Department of the Army Field Manual leadership is:

“A process in which a soldier (person) applies his or her beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills to influence others to accomplish the mission….

The soldier (person) watches what you do so that his/her mind and instincts can tell him/her what you really are: an honorable leader of character with courage, competence, candor, and commitment, or a self-serving phony who uses troops and expedient behavior to look good and get ahead.” (Slightly edited for gender equity.) [2]

When you apply this to yourself, it implies significant self-awareness. Good leaders must know their beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. They must realize that they influence others by their behavior – what they say and do. They must continuously assess and improve their skills and performance. And they must know what the mission is.

 

Start with Yourself

If you aspire to be a good leader, start with yourself.

  • Define your goal,
  • Assess your leadership capabilities,
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses, and
  • Commit to a development plan.

Any good leader does this for their “troops, ” employees, or followers. It represents one of many leadership qualities – developing skills in oneself and others.

 

Define Your Goal

What is your personal goal as you hone your leadership skills? Your most valued goal motivates your behavior. My goal is to be calm, compassionate, competent, and self-aware.

Leadership goals are complex. We have personal goals, like being happy, succeeding, making more money, being in control, getting ahead, and maximizing our wellness. There are organizational goals – being profitable, serving, ecological health, etc. Every stakeholder – employees, managers, executives, clients, suppliers, partners, etc. – has personal goals.

Good leaders step back from their own goals to acknowledge all the goals and consider them when making decisions that will affect themselves and others. When goals conflict with one another, apply your values to decide on your actions while considering short and long-term impacts.

If your goal is to further your personal agenda regardless of its effect on others, consider that compassionate servant leadership promotes optimal performance. And optimal performance furthers your agenda.

 

A recent Harvard Business Review article, Compassionate Leadership Is Necessary — but Not Sufficient posits that “Compassion in leadership creates stronger connections between people.  It improves collaboration, raises levels of trust, and enhances loyalty. In addition, studies find that compassionate leaders are perceived as stronger and more competent.”

“The article’s authors define compassion as “the quality of having positive intentions and real concern for others.”  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, compassion is the “sympathetic consciousness of other’s distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”   Compassion is exhibited in helpful acts of kindness. “[3]

Consider Servant Leadership as an option. You can apply its principles in deciding on your goal. It is an approach to leadership built on the idea that managers are there to serve their subordinates. “Servant-leaders share power, put the needs of others first, and enable people to develop and perform optimally.”[4]

As you define your goals reflect on the leadership behavior you want to exhibit. How do you want to be perceived? How comfortable and competent do you want to feel? What is your position in the hierarchy, what influence do you have, and how do you lead from there?

 

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Assess Your Leadership Capabilities

Leadership capabilities are combinations of many skills.

“Leadership skills boil down to the ability to create a vision, motivate and influence followers to realize the vision, build teams, communicate, listen, and negotiate.  These skills are supported by mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom.”[5]

We can summarize leadership capabilities as maintaining a positive mindset, relating well with others, and being able to make effective decisions.

In a Google search, Search Labs | AI Overview identified the following 16 skills:

 

  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Conflict resolution
  • Delegation
  • Resilience
  • Ownership
  • Critical thinking
  • Honesty
  • Feedback
  • Self-awareness
  • Integrity
  • Relationship building
  • Agility and adaptability
  • Innovation and creativity
  • Decision-making
  • Negotiation

 

Other sources add Empowering Others as a skill.

That’s a lot of skills to manage. Focus on the capabilities and then home in on the skills that may need tweaking.

 

Identify strengths and weaknesses

There are many assessment tools. These tools are most effective in the context of an ongoing leadership development program. It may be your organization’s program, though make sure you have your own.

For example, a leadership development program may contain assessment tools, coaching, training, and candid criticism, including 360-degree feedback. It would be structured to accommodate the needs of beginners as well as seasoned leaders.

To assess your capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, objectively observe your behavior and its effects on your ability to achieve your goals. Obtain feedback. Answer the questions: Are you achieving your performance goals? Are conditions harmonious and productive? What would you change to make things even better than they are?

 

Commit to a development plan.

Thinking about leadership and planning to improve are starting points. Action is what makes for success in a continuously improving ability to lead. Committing to the plan means planning and then acting to meet objectives.

On the surface, the plan is to define your goal, assess your leadership capabilities, identify strengths and weaknesses, and commit to a development plan.

On a more tactical level, it includes taking part in workshops and training programs, finding a coach, adopting mindfulness and other methods to support stress management, relationship management, focus, and decision-making, as well as honing skills like the ability to create or interpret a financial plan or make better use of technology.

The key point is to take control of your leadership development, to continuously improve. Assess, plan, act, repeat.

 

[1] https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/compassionate-leadership/
[2] From Wisdom at Work Discerning Insights on Leadership 9-10-24 Joel & Michelle Levey <[email protected]> ]
[3] https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/compassionate-leadership/
[4] https://www.projecttimes.com/george-pitagorsky/the-caring-manager.html
[5] https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/compassionate-leadership/
PMTimes_Sep04_2024

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Agile Leadership and Program Management

The success of agile projects increasingly relies on the emotional intelligence (EI) of leaders. Agile methodologies focus on teamwork, flexibility, and ongoing improvement—all of which are significantly influenced by a leader’s emotional awareness and ability to manage interpersonal relationships. This article explores how emotional intelligence is integral to agile leadership and program management, showing how it can be a driving force for project success and the development of a motivated, resilient team.

 

Understanding Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, a concept brought to prominence by psychologist Daniel Goleman in the early 1990s, refers to the ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions while also understanding and responding to the emotions of others. The five key components of emotional intelligence include:

  • Self-Awareness: Recognizing emotions as they occur and understanding their impact on behavior and thoughts.
  • Self-Regulation: Effectively managing emotions, controlling impulses, and adapting to change.
  • Motivation: Maintaining a strong drive to achieve goals, often setting high personal standards.
  • Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others, which is vital for building trust and strong relationships.
  • Social Skills: Successfully managing relationships, influencing others, and fostering effective teamwork.

For agile leaders, these elements are essential in navigating complex team dynamics, creating a positive work environment, aligning with company strategy and maintaining high performance in demanding situations.

 

The Intersection of EI and Agile Leadership

Agile leadership goes beyond simply guiding teams through sprints and meeting deadlines. It involves a deep understanding of team dynamics, individual motivations, and how change affects both morale and productivity. Leaders with strong emotional intelligence can apply their skills in several key areas:

Building Trust and Encouraging Collaboration

Trust is foundational for any agile team. Leaders who demonstrate empathy and strong social skills can create an environment where team members feel valued and confident in sharing their ideas. This trust fosters open communication, allowing for more effective collaboration and innovation without fear of failure. By addressing the emotional needs of the team, emotionally intelligent leaders can remove barriers to teamwork and ensure the group operates cohesively.

Improving Communication

Clear communication is critical in agile methodologies, whether during daily stand-ups, retrospectives, or sprint reviews. Leaders with high emotional intelligence excel at interpreting nonverbal cues and understanding the emotional dynamics within the team. They can adjust their communication style to fit the situation, ensuring that their messages are well-received and constructive. In parts, they have the ability to contextualize to the larger, strategic goal.  This nuanced approach to communication helps prevent misunderstandings and keeps everyone aligned on project objectives.

Handling Conflict Proactively

Conflict is inevitable in any team, especially in high-pressure agile environments. Leaders with strong emotional intelligence can identify early signs of conflict and address them before they escalate. By approaching disagreements with empathy and a focus on resolution, these leaders can transform potential disruptions into opportunities for growth. Empathy develops over experience and leaders bring in more empathy with their experience. They encourage open dialogue and help team members resolve issues in a way that strengthens relationships rather than damaging them.

Motivating and Engaging the Team

Understanding what motivates different team members is key to driving performance. Leaders with high emotional intelligence recognize that individuals are motivated by various factors—whether it’s the challenge of the work, the desire for recognition, or the opportunity for personal growth. By aligning tasks with team members’ strengths and interests, emotionally intelligent leaders can boost engagement and productivity. They are well aware of balancing motivations and handling conflicts that may arise. Additionally, they maintain a positive team atmosphere by acknowledging efforts and celebrating achievements, keeping morale high even during challenging times.

 

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Program Management and Emotional Intelligence

In the broader realm of program management, where leaders oversee multiple agile projects and teams, the role of emotional intelligence gains significance. Program managers must not only guide their teams but also ensure alignment across different projects, stakeholders, and organizational goals. Here’s how emotional intelligence is crucial in program management:

Managing Stakeholder Relationships

Navigating the interests of diverse stakeholders is one of the most challenging aspects of program management. A high level of empathy and social awareness is needed to understand and address their concerns while keeping the program on track. Emotionally intelligent program managers handle these relationships with care, ensuring that stakeholder expectations are managed effectively and that their support is maintained throughout the program’s lifecycle. This skill is particularly vital in agile environments, where requirements and stakeholder needs can change rapidly.

 

Facilitating Change

Agile projects often involve significant changes, whether in processes, team structures, or project goals. Such changes can be met with resistance, especially if they disrupt established routines. Program managers with strong emotional intelligence can anticipate these reactions and manage them effectively. By clearly communicating the benefits of change and supporting their teams through transitions, they can reduce resistance and help their teams adapt more quickly, ensuring continued productivity.

 

Making Informed Decisions

In program management, decisions can have wide-ranging impacts across multiple teams and projects. Emotionally intelligent program managers consider not only the technical aspects of their decisions but also the emotional and relational consequences. They understand that the way a decision is communicated can be just as important as the decision itself. By involving the right people, considering emotional impacts, and communicating transparently, these leaders ensure that their decisions are well-received and supported by those affected.

 

Building Resilient Teams

The ability to build resilient teams is another area where emotional intelligence is invaluable. Agile projects, by their nature, involve iteration, and setbacks are inevitable. Program managers with high EI can help their teams recover from these setbacks by fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement. They encourage reflection on failures, facilitate discussions on how to improve, and provide the emotional support necessary to keep the team focused and motivated for the next challenge.

 

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence is not just an optional trait for agile leaders and program managers—it is essential for their success. By developing their EI skills, leaders can improve team collaboration, resolve conflicts more effectively, and drive motivation and engagement. These abilities are crucial for the success of agile projects. As organizations continue to adopt agile methodologies, the demand for emotionally intelligent leaders will grow. Developing and leveraging these skills will be key to thriving in the complex, dynamic world of modern project management.

 

References

Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.

Druskat, V. U., & Wolff, S. B. (2001). Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups. Harvard Business Review.

Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional Intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart.

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2009). Emotional Intelligence: Theory, Findings, and Implications. Psychological Inquiry.

Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (2005). Assessing Leadership Styles and Organizational Context. Journal of Managerial Psychology.

Boyatzis, R. E., & Sala, F. (2004). The Emotional Competence Inventory. Hay Group.

PMTimes_Aug14_2024

PM for the Changemakers

For changemakers to succeed, project managers and key stakeholders must recognize the need to go beyond the nuts and bolts of project management to address the need for strategic thinking, adaptability, and resilience to manage in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. That is the message of PMI 4.0. “a growth strategy to address the PM needs of changemakers.”[1]

 

Changemakers

Changemakers proactively drive change and transformational efforts. The clever ones have for decades used project management concepts and methods to manage the projects and programs that make change happen. Change leaders – entrepreneurs, product and process innovators, and social change agents – have employed project managers.

Those who have not recognized the need for effective project management have floundered.

 

Going Beyond the Basics

Two PM experts said in a recent article that we have “entered a time when requirements-based schedules and estimates are no longer sufficient because the nature of projects has shifted to innovative projects.”[2]

We entered that time many years ago. We have been performing innovative and disruptive projects all along. Projects are and have always been the vehicles for innovation and organizational change.

The need for adaptability and agility has been recognized for years by the PM establishment after decades of practical experience in the field. The need for strategic management to align project work with organizational goals and values has also long been recognized.

Project managers who adhered too strictly to the standard approaches have often failed. Changemakers who have yet to make project portfolio and program management a priority have wasted time and money.

 

PM as an Art

However, project and portfolio management is not a cure-all. We still see large numbers of projects led by professional project managers fail, often because professional PMs have not been cognitively ready and trained to apply the effective decision-making, adaptability, courage, and resilience needed to creatively manage volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) situations.

PM is more of an art than a science.

 

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VUCA is the Rule, Not the Exception

Formal PM training has focused on the performance of projects in which requirements are well-defined and conditions are under the control of the project team or PMO. As a project manager, PM consultant, and technology executive I have never experienced such projects.

Granted, my experience has been in the technology and organizational change realm, not in engineering and construction projects where more firm requirements are likely. But even in those fields, changing requirements and external conditions beyond the control of the project manager have been common.

 

There is nothing new about requirements being discovered as product and process design and implementation take place. To address this reality, the Agile Manifesto was produced in 2001 based on twenty-plus years of prior experience. Jim Highsmith, writing for the Agile Alliance, stated

“In order to succeed in the new economy, to move aggressively into the era of e-business, e-commerce, and the web, companies have to rid themselves of their Dilbert manifestations of make-work and arcane policies. This freedom from the inanities of corporate life attracts proponents of Agile Methodologies and scares the begeebers (you can’t use the word ‘s–t’ in a professional paper) out of traditionalists. Quite frankly, the Agile approaches scare corporate bureaucrats— at least those that are happy pushing process for process’ sake versus trying to do the best for the “customer” and deliver something timely and tangible and “as promised”—because they run out of places to hide.”

 

The Future is Now!

No longer can we strictly adhere to ridged methodologies and attempts at setting schedules and budgets in concrete before we have a sense of the true nature of each project.

But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. To be successful organizations must adopt the skillsets and methodologies that directly address VUCA while honoring the wisdom of traditional project management. We need realistic planning, control, and execution.

 

In addition to traditional PM skills, Drs Kerzner and Zeitoun identified the following skills required to manage projects “in the future” in their article “The Transforming Dynamics of Project Management’s Future[3]  –

“Brainstorming, creative problem-solving, Design Thinking, Idea Management, rapid prototype development, innovation leadership, strategic planning, managing diversity, co-creation team management, supply chain management, advanced risk management, and change management”

These are the same skills, under one label or another, that have been used to succeed in the past and present. The future is now and has been since the earliest days of project management.

 

The Foundation: Cognitive Readiness

The foundation for the effective application of these skills is cognitive readiness

“The readiness of individuals and teams to apply their skills and to explore their faults and deficiencies and make the effort to overcome them. Cognitive readiness implies the courage and candor to objectively assess performance and improve it as needed. It implies resilience and the capacity to accept uncertainty and paradox. It is enabled by and enables a healthy perspective and the application of knowledge and experience.”[4]

Cognitive readiness, being ready for anything, is the single most important quality needed to address VUCA and the projects we perform in complex environments where change is the only thing we can rely on.

 

Four factors contribute to being ready for anything:

  • Technical and interpersonal skills along with business acumen to enable decision-making during the initiating, planning, controlling, monitoring, and closing of projects
  • A realistic view (systems and process thinking) of the way things are — Interacting systems and processes, the reality of not always getting what you want, and the inevitability of change — to have a solid foundation for planning and managing expectations and conflict
  • Emotional and Social intelligence, based on mindful self-awareness to enable responsiveness, candid performance assessment, and effective relationships
  • The courage and insight to confront and overcome barriers like bias, anger, fear, frustration, confusion, and clinging to untenable beliefs and impossible expectations.

 

Action

To succeed in ongoing innovation and change management relies on cultivating these factors.

To cultivate them, implement the training and ongoing learning management to integrate them into the fabric of the organization. Skills training falls short without the inclusion of the critical factors of systems and process thinking, mindfulness-based social and emotional intelligence, and the importance of the courage to speak truth to power.

If your organization is stuck in the past, unwilling, or unable to recognize the need to manage VUCA creatively, take it upon yourself to develop the skills and concepts you need to succeed.

 


For more on this topic see these other articles by George Pitagorsky:

Ready for Anything – Mindfully Aware https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/ready-for-anything-mindfully-aware/

VUCA, BANI, and Digital Transformation https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/vuca-bani-and-digital-transformation-managing-radical-change/

‘Delay Thinking’ is a Project Success Factor https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/delay-thinking-is-a-project-success-factor/

Decision Making – A Critical Success Factor https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/decision-making-a-critical-success-factor/

The Most Important Thing – Systems Thinking https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/the-most-important-thing-systems-thinking/

 

[1] https://www.pmi.org/chapters/luxembourg/stay-current/newsletter/introducing-pmi-4_0#:~:text=PMI%204.0%20is%20a%20growth,businesses%2C%20people%20and%20society%20overall
[2] https://blog.iil.com/the-transforming-dynamics-of-project-managements-future/
[3]  https://blog.iil.com/the-transforming-dynamics-of-project-managements-future/
[4] https://www.projecttimes.com/george-pitagorsky/project-management-education-cultivating-cognitive-readiness-and-optimal-performance.html)