Sonali Malu helps us get the most out of our meetings by being positively ruthless. The emphasis is on positive. Constant communication is a project manager’s main business; be it communication with peers, teams, stakeholders, supporting departments, or clients. A project manager is constantly communicating with everyone, giving advice, providing directions, negotiating, promising deliverables, and […]
“Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.” Colin Powell Delivering bad news does not have to be scary. Unfortunately, your best customer who is the sponsor for the project you manage just placed a freeze on all future project work. This is a big deal. One-quarter of your organization’s projected earnings for the next […]
“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” – G.B. Stern Have you ever heard this from a leader? “If I do not yell at you, it means you are doing a good job. Go about your business and be happy that I am not yelling at you.” OR “You get paid for being here; I have […]
Contributed by Heather Redding A team is only as good as the cooperation between its members. The first place you should look to optimize performance isn’t the process but the team itself. We’re all human, and team members will experience friction. If you notice recurring issues, then resolving those issues is your first order of […]
“It is the oddest thing. They are such a nice group of people. Each one of them comes highly recommended and yet nothing seems to be happening.” Joe, the project sponsor explained to Mary Carol. He went on to explain, “I thought that this was such an easy effort that this team could really just […]
As a project manager, you prioritize building and strengthening stakeholder relationships for good reason. Every supplier, investor, employee, and project sponsor involved shares a vested interest in the success of the project and, on a larger scale, the entire company. Author Simon Simek notes in his book that a business’s success is measured by longevity […]
Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” Ambrose Bierce You just gave one of your most eloquent speeches. You were inspired, you were passionate, you were a bit witty, and you had the attention of everyone around you. Your words evoked strong emotion in others. Unfortunately, […]
By Luke Smith Is there an aspect of work that COVID-19 has not changed? For project managers, likely not. New processes for remote work, changes in company structure and composition, and trends in management strategies overall will define the modern workplace. But project managers can successfully navigate these shifts. With the tools and strategies available […]
Why was Joe putting so much effort into the decision-making process and the outcome of that process? He had a high-performing team. This was a team that worked well together and met challenging goals. A team who could argue and then break into laughter. This time the team felt a bit more passionate about the issue at hand. The divide seemed a bit deeper than during any of their previous disagreements
: One of the opportunities presented to you by the Coronavirus pandemic is that time typically scheduled for events, meetings, and other tasks is now open for a larger focus on team communication. This doesn’t just mean sending out a bunch of emails and hoping the content will stick. You need to use strategies that keep your team strong and cohesive.
Don't keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. It takes practice to capture lessons learned and to make use of those lessons as we move forward. What could you do better?