This morning I had a breakfast meeting with a high-end consultant and project manager. He’s been a project manager for police (crime and DNA policy), large construction projects, municipalities and cities, and has worked with State and Provincial lawyers both in Canada and the US. This man has a massive wealth of experience in taking a variety of projects successfully through to their end.
Every time we meet up I try to talk to him about what makes a solid, trusted project manager. This morning was no exception. I asked him how common self-sabotage was. He chuckled and thought it an interesting question. I told him that the company I used to work for continued to work with clients they knew may not pay the bill. I told him about single skipped emails that had derailed projects. I told him about people putting off tasks through silence, then only piping up about urgency when they know it is already too late. This is a great way to blame “group scheduling issues”.
He said NOT ONLY is it extremely common, but project saboteurs are more common than we’d think, and they will act in their own specific manner. He says to be weary (in groups) of the people who want to ruin it for the entire group. They exist. These people will smile and agree with you, then do nothing .. or something completely different. These people fear change and fear work. Behind closed doors and even to your face a project saboteur will state that your price is too high and try to throw you under the bus.
As a contract project manager (a valuable tool for a variety of reasons) you cannot fear change and you cannot fear the hard work it takes to keep an entire team on task.
What were his top comments on how to be a solid, trusted and valuable project manager? Included in this list are things that I have observed him doing as well.
- Make a plan that shows process and results. Follow that plan. Follow it right to the end.
- Find your allies who want you to succeed. Rarely assign tasks to those who don’t want you to succeed.
- Communicate your plan often. Praise success and celebrate large completed tasks.
- Play your cards close to your chest. Not to keep secrets; do it so you don’t overwhelm your clients and allies.
- Every card has its time and that time is usually pre-assigned.
There’s more but I am unable to pull them out of my head right now. I simply watch how this man (a current project partner) communicates and markets his plan with calm and flow. I am lucky to be working with him.
He never says too much and never says too little.
He knows he is always on the road to success and his lack of panic & nerves is elegant.
