Comments on: Nice Project Managers Finish First http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/ Helping new and aspiring project managers reach their career goals! Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:11:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/ hourly 1 By: Susan de Sousa http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/#comment-8136 Susan de Sousa Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:29:20 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1680#comment-8136 Hi, Maybe I'm just too cynical, but when I hear the phrase "he's a nice guy" said of a fellow Programme or Project Manager, I instantly think, "okay so he's a pushover". Sadly so do the resources as well. Possibly it's a British thing, but over here if you are a Permie Project Manager you can get away with "being a nice guy" for the simple reason that you could be there for years. However for people like me who are Interims; well we need to be Respected rather than being Popular. I treat my team fairly. I don't micromanage unless I get a gut feeling that they never deliver or know what they are doing and I always give plaudits to those who have delivered. That's why people usually say of me, "It's good working for Susan. You always know where you are with her". I would be astonished if anyone ever called me "nice". Regards Susan Hi,

Maybe I’m just too cynical, but when I hear the phrase “he’s a nice guy” said of a fellow Programme or Project Manager, I instantly think, “okay so he’s a pushover”. Sadly so do the resources as well.

Possibly it’s a British thing, but over here if you are a Permie Project Manager you can get away with “being a nice guy” for the simple reason that you could be there for years. However for people like me who are Interims; well we need to be Respected rather than being Popular.

I treat my team fairly. I don’t micromanage unless I get a gut feeling that they never deliver or know what they are doing and I always give plaudits to those who have delivered. That’s why people usually say of me, “It’s good working for Susan. You always know where you are with her”. I would be astonished if anyone ever called me “nice”.

Regards

Susan

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/#comment-7964 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:15:01 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1680#comment-7964 Bill, I suspect more than a few project team members will interpret it exactly the same- that the PM should enable them to do whatever they want!! Thinking back on some of the most successful projects I have worked on, (both as a team member and as a PM) being "tough but fair" seems to be the words that mostly come to mind. Honestly, I don't seem to recall that "vision" or "mission" had much of anything to do with my respect for the better PM's I've worked for. What does stick out is working for a person who was able to push me to do more than I thought I was capable of doing, and then allowing me to bask in the glory of having done a good job under tough circumstances. I specifically remember winning a subcontract to provide all the carpentry work on a major school rehab and addition on Cape Cod. The General Contractor was a crusty old Jewish lawyer from Boston and I had partnered with a lesbian owned carpentry sub-contractor. We had won the rough and finish portion of the carpentry work under the minority set aside laws. To make a long story short, it wasn't until after the project was successfully completed that the old Jewish lawyer and his project superintendent congratulated us noting that they never thought we could do the job using primarily gay and lesbian construction workers. Despite having had our share of internal conflicts and challenges on the project, everyone was proud to have earned the respect of this highly regarded general contractor, And even though during the project, he was tough and demanding, never was he mean or condescending. We made him look good in the eyes of the client and he was quick to give us credit for a job well done. BR, Dr. PDG, Jakarta Bill, I suspect more than a few project team members will interpret it exactly the same- that the PM should enable them to do whatever they want!!

Thinking back on some of the most successful projects I have worked on, (both as a team member and as a PM) being “tough but fair” seems to be the words that mostly come to mind.

Honestly, I don’t seem to recall that “vision” or “mission” had much of anything to do with my respect for the better PM’s I’ve worked for. What does stick out is working for a person who was able to push me to do more than I thought I was capable of doing, and then allowing me to bask in the glory of having done a good job under tough circumstances.

I specifically remember winning a subcontract to provide all the carpentry work on a major school rehab and addition on Cape Cod. The General Contractor was a crusty old Jewish lawyer from Boston and I had partnered with a lesbian owned carpentry sub-contractor. We had won the rough and finish portion of the carpentry work under the minority set aside laws. To make a long story short, it wasn’t until after the project was successfully completed that the old Jewish lawyer and his project superintendent congratulated us noting that they never thought we could do the job using primarily gay and lesbian construction workers.

Despite having had our share of internal conflicts and challenges on the project, everyone was proud to have earned the respect of this highly regarded general contractor, And even though during the project, he was tough and demanding, never was he mean or condescending. We made him look good in the eyes of the client and he was quick to give us credit for a job well done.

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta

]]> By: Pawel Brodzinski http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/#comment-7892 Pawel Brodzinski Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:59:40 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1680#comment-7892 I knew. Although <a href="http://blog.brodzinski.com/2008/08/tough-times-forge-great-teams.html" rel="nofollow">evil manager can make team stronger</a> it usually doesn't work in a long run. On the other hand people are willing to do more for managers they like. The same situation as in our private lives: we tend to care more and do more for close friends (we like them more) than for people we barely know/like. In the long run being a likeable manager is always better than being an ass-hole. It's much more difficult too, so that's not an easy way to choose. I knew. Although evil manager can make team stronger it usually doesn’t work in a long run. On the other hand people are willing to do more for managers they like. The same situation as in our private lives: we tend to care more and do more for close friends (we like them more) than for people we barely know/like.

In the long run being a likeable manager is always better than being an ass-hole. It’s much more difficult too, so that’s not an easy way to choose.

]]> By: Josh Nankivel http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/#comment-7843 Josh Nankivel Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:27:48 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1680#comment-7843 Good points Glen. I'm starting to think that when team members say "basically being a nice guy", what it really means is acting with integrity and competence as a project manager. Good points Glen. I’m starting to think that when team members say “basically being a nice guy”, what it really means is acting with integrity and competence as a project manager.

]]> By: Glen B. Alleman http://pmstudent.com/nice-project-managers-finish-first/#comment-7834 Glen B. Alleman Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:49:24 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1680#comment-7834 “You cannot have an execution culture without robust dialogue – one that brings reality to the surface through openness, candor and informality.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done If along the way the team is "self actualized" in some beyond the execution of the project, all the better. These "being a nice guy" is a very slippery slope. Being clear, concise, supportive, encouraging, and most of all tenacious on following through on the committments may not mean always being nice in the way described in the article. This may also be highly dependent on the domain. Software developers at internal IT shops versus propulsion engineers building machines for NASA? Possibly two different domains. “You cannot have an execution culture without robust dialogue – one that brings reality to the surface through openness, candor and informality.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
If along the way the team is “self actualized” in some beyond the execution of the project, all the better.
These “being a nice guy” is a very slippery slope. Being clear, concise, supportive, encouraging, and most of all tenacious on following through on the committments may not mean always being nice in the way described in the article.
This may also be highly dependent on the domain. Software developers at internal IT shops versus propulsion engineers building machines for NASA? Possibly two different domains.

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