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Archives for November 2021

There Really Is Such a Thing as Over-Communication

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Information Overload!
If we’re not careful, we can overwhelm our people with information!

There once was a fantastic manager whose performance critique from their boss consisted of only one word: brevity.

No, that manager wasn’t me. But it is a true story and certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to find on my annual review.

We all understand how critical it is to communicate with our stakeholders. We want our team to feel important and included, and to have all the information so they are empowered to make good decisions. Our sponsors and other executives should have the critical information at the right time. And our end users and extended team? Let them know what’s happening so they’re “with us” all the way.

But sometimes it’s hard to know when we’re going overboard.

Do any of these sound familiar?

  • A five-minute update can regularly take twenty-five.
  • A meeting that “shouldn’t take too long” goes the entire hour…plus a few minutes.
  • There are five main slides stuffed with content in your presentation…and fourteen back-up slides.
  • You put everything they need to know in your email…and get the most basic questions in response.

I am guilty of all of these. And I can name a dozen colleagues who do it, too.

So really, if we’re making sure we’re giving people all the information; how could there be any harm in it?

To answer that, let’s look again at the above cases:

  • If you say an update will take five minutes, not only is your audience expecting five minutes, they may have re-scheduled if they knew it was going to take longer. But they’re trapped in the middle of the conversation and need to see it through.
  • The same goes for a meeting. It’s hard to leave a meeting in the middle of a conversation. And if they do leave, they take with them a sense of frustration and unfinished business. And if you tell everyone the meeting will run short, they will be expecting some of their time back, even if it’s just five minutes to grab a water before their next meeting begins.
  • A jam-packed slide deck is deadly. Each slide should contain useful information, but ask yourself: do you want your team to spend time reading a slide or listening to you? And what is in those fourteen backup slides? If your audience needs the data, should it be in the main presentation?
  • Most emails don’t need a ton of background to evoke the intended response. It’s easy to miss the main point of a long, involved email.

Our teams (core, executive, extended) trust us to be respectful of their time and to deliver what we promise. In each of the above cases, we are wasting someone else’s time. More than that, we’re setting expectations and then not living up to them. But combine both—and do it repeatedly—then we’re starting to erode their trust.

How Do We Tell We’re Over-Communicating?

The result of over-communicating can be subtle. You’ll notice people start declining your meetings or aren’t available when you ping them for a quick update. They may stop reading your emails and instead send you a DM asking about the exact the subject you emailed them yesterday.

Let’s take a final look at our cases. A bit of review is usually all you need to dial it back to where it needs to be:

  • Take a few extra minutes to craft a more succinct message in email—or preparing for that five-minute update.
  • Unless there’s a very good reason for a meeting to run over, cut it off and make sure you do a better job estimating the time needed for each topic.
  • Check your slides for the 3-5 bullet rule. More information than that and your audience can’t absorb the information. Be critical in your review: does your overall point get lost because there’s so much context?
  • Read your email before you send it. If it requires a lot of explanation, maybe a phone call or meeting would be better—that way they can ask for additional information if they need it.

The focus on communicating the right amount of information helps you and your team get the job done. And it builds that foundation of trust so when you do find a meeting running over, they know it won’t become a pattern.

PM Consulting – Mastering the Interview

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How do you leave an interview demonstrating you’re the perfect fit?

Consultants are constantly looking ahead to the next assignment. Since the nature of consulting is temporary, we can’t afford to shut down our networking efforts and let them fade while we work on our current project. Logically, if we wait until we’ve rolled off from the existing client, it will take a lot more effort to ramp up again, reconnect with our network, and then start looking for a new opportunity.

So while we are focused on our current client, project, and team, we are also working on relationships, looking ahead to trends in the market and industry, and leveling up our skills so we can transition smoothly and quickly from one job to another.

When the next great opportunity comes along, all that long-term preparation helps us be ready for the next step: the interview.

The most fundamental advice I can offer is this: you will never be an exact match for a job posting. There will always be some software, product, or project nuance that you don’t know. But if the company has requested an interview, chances are you have at least the minimum skillset they require. So don’t let the fear of “I’m not a perfect fit” hold you back.

Showing positivity and confidence in your abilities are the obvious ways to combat that fear, but it’s easier said than done. Let’s talk a bit about what’s behind that confidence and what brings that genuine positivity to the conversation.

Keys to demonstrating your fit

  • Focus on the client. Are you there to help the company and the project? Do you really believe you can make a difference…or are you just hoping to get someone to hire you? No company hires a consultant for his or her benefit and growth. They have a need, and they’re doing their best to bring on the right person for the job. And since you’re, by definition, not a permanent employee, you have even more reason to focus on the benefits they will receive when you come on board.  

  • Understand your experience. Have you been in situations before where you had to learn something new and succeeded? Have you done something similar in the past that is close enough that you could ramp up quickly with this new tool/methodology/product? A little research can help here. If you understand something about the company’s product or industry, you can use that to draw parallels to your own experience.

  • Bring the energy. This doesn’t mean all you introverts should suddenly love the spotlight. If your energy is calm confidence, you need to show it. Don’t sit back and make the interviewer pull information out of you. Lean into what the interviewer is saying. Ask basic but thoughtful questions and listen actively to the answers. This isn’t a tennis match. Working together for a good interview helps you both picture working together on the project.

  • Enjoy discovery. This is one of the keys to my own success. Every new contract brings with it a ton of opportunity for discovery. Not just the bits on the job posting, but a whole new group of people, a different corporate culture, and new challenges and methodologies on the project itself. You will likely learn a new set of tools, too. All this brings the need for you to stretch and grow.

Don’t just “look” interested

When you’re truly interested in this opportunity for discovery, it shows. Of course, this doesn’t imply you should bounce up and down in your seat like a toddler. But if you have energy behind your words, you’re genuinely looking forward to all you’ll be involved with, it will come through loud and clear.

Interviewing for a permanent position takes a similar attitude to consulting. But the overall mindset when going for a temporary position is just that: a knowledge and understanding that your job is to get in, hit the ground running, and take as much project management burden from the permanent employees as possible. If you decide the company is not the right fit during the project, you can always leave when your contract is up.

When you have the right focus during the interview, they will get a much better sense of who you are, what you can do, and how you will fit in.

And that will naturally give you more confidence in return.

You’re Not the Only On Who Storms

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Everyone belongs to a team so everyone goes through the stages of Team Development!

I often write about the stages of team development (Forming, Storming, Norming, & Performing). We should be aware when we go through each stage, and help guide our project teams through them, as well.

But what about people outside our project?

These people may not be on any formal team. Why would team development be relevant to them?

First, everyone is on a team of some sort. Think about it: A Manager has direct reports. An Individual Contributor supplies information to the team. And if you’re a Remote Worker, you may not bump into anyone in the hallway but you’re still part of the group.

Here are more. What if you all have the same objectives? That’s a team. Presenting together at a conference? Team. You get the picture. If we need to relate to someone else on a regular basis, it’s a team.

They could also be new. New to the company, their position, or department. Something in the status quo of their work-life has changed and it causes a start back at Forming.

You know the signs in yourself and in your project team. Here’s how they show up in others:

  • Forming: Lots of basic questions. Oriented towards “getting to know you,” what is happening, expectations, what’s typical, etc.
  • Storming: The questions become pokes. More “Why are you doing it that way?” and questioning decisions already made. Re-evaluating, re-vamping, re-doing.
  • Norming: They start asking the “good questions” and know where poking won’t be productive.
  • Performing: You feel comfortable going to them with questions and for their opinion.

So what? Now that we can spot these individuals, we can help them get to Performing with as little Storming as possible.

Here are a few suggestions:

  • Let the questions come. You’ve been in their position. Sometimes you need to ask the question two or three times until it sinks in. And one question leads to another.
  • Keep your cool when the pokes become a bit sharp. It doesn’t mean you need to cave. Think about whether you had the same questions. How did you resolve them?
  • Take the suggestions seriously. Remember, they have a unique perspective. You may have spent countless hours wrestling with an issue and feel you’ve covered every possible outcome, but it’s all brand new to them.
  • Encourage their discovery, however it happens. I was recently in a session with someone who was literally re-doing the work I’d just gone through. But before stopping them and pulling out my own document, I suggested we move forward with their new doc and I’d answer questions as they put the pieces together.

    I had to step back and let them take that journey. But my experience helped them get to the finish line faster. And, as we all know, figuring something out yourself helps it “stick,” and gives someone ownership of the solution.

Helping others move through their own Team Development benefits them, certainly. But it also helps you in three ways.

First, you’ve just racked up a ton of good will! Everyone appreciates help when they’re struggling to understand and get up to speed. That time and effort spent will come back to you!

Next, no matter what type of team you’re both on, that individual was selected for a reason. The faster they ramp up, the more efficient you all can be, and the sooner they will start contributing from their unique perspective.

Finally, if you help focus their questions and pokes on you, the less time they’ll spend slowing down other people who may not be as prepared. Not everyone understands Storming—it can be tough when someone questions your decisions and processes!

So for the next two weeks, pay attention to the signs of Team Development outside of your project. Ask yourself if you can lend a hand in bringing them along faster. And then do it. Watch what happens!

What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional athlete?

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We see professional athletes on TV and in person and are amazed at their skill. Tom Brady, Dustin Johnson, Simone Biles (Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt…); these athletes stand out. There is something magic about them. What makes them so good? Why do we remember their names?

Many people love to play a sport but would never be able to turn it into a career (I golf but I’ll never be 1/10th as good as Jin Young Ko). But others are able to turn their passion into their livelihood.

They’re amazing at their job.

As an amateur, we stand in awe of these professional athletes.

What makes them so good? Is it natural talent? Yes, that’s part of it. But it’s more. It’s a dedication to their profession. They work at it day in and day out, always seeking to improve, even if they’re the GOAT.

The reality is, professional athletes train every day. They don’t just show up on game day and rely on their past experience and natural talent.

Project Management should be no different. If we want to be the best – not just launch our project but hit it out of the park (pun intended), if we want to be recognized as a leader in our field and get that promotion/next contract/plumb assignment, we can’t just rely on past successes or experience, either.

Here are five ways to keep improving, from my favorite sport, (American) football:

  • Train – even during off-season, athletes train their bodies so when it’s close to game time, they are already primed and ready.

    As PMs, this means working to learn and grow in the art of project management and leadership even when we’re between projects. Reading books and attending webinars will hone our skills and keep up to date with the latest tools.
  • Study the opposition – a big part of game-day preparation is to learn about the opponent. Is there something specific we will need to watch out for? Who are the players for this game, on our team and theirs, who are well matched? What plays will work particularly well…or not…for this game?

    Maybe a projects isn’t exactly an opponent, but each one has its unique challenges. What do we need to pay more attention to this time? Is the design particularly tricky, leading to a complex testing workstream? Are there hundreds of users to train this time, while your last project required almost no formal training? Think through the particular characteristics of this project to help your whole team prepare.
  • Adjust – how many times does the Offence change up their approach in the second half? Adjustments are a basic part of the game. Those who adjust the best are frequently the winner, even if they were losing at Halftime.

    After every project stage, sprint, month, or even each week, review what happened, incorporate new information, and adjust. Remember – it’s not the plan itself, it’s the planning. Sticking to a path that doesn’t work is going to dig a deeper hole. Knowing when to adjust, and how, is the key.
  • Review the tapes – after every game the team gets together…for a Retrospective! What went right, what did we plan for but didn’t work out? What do we need to work on for next time, as a team and individually?

    This is a critical ingredient and it’s so often overlooked on a project. Additionally, as a PM, we can periodically review past Lessons Learned. Do we see any patterns? Is there a cycle or habit we need to break? This is an amazingly beneficial practice, if done regularly.
  • Be a part of the community – football players spend a lot of time together training, traveling and, of course, playing the game, But have you noticed: after the game the opposing players meet on the field and talk with each other? Not just a “good game” pat on the back, but you can tell many know each other personally.

    There are other Project Managers out there – some you’ve worked with in the past, some in your current organization that maybe you only see at departmental meetings. Get to know them. And reach beyond your current circle. Local groups and on-line forums give you the opportunity to talk about project management with others who understand. Learn from them. Give your own advice. If you have a network of PMs, it’s easier to sustain your growth.

A Project Manager’s primary muscle is our brain rather than our quads or entire throwing arm. It’s even more important to reflect, plan, adjust, and continue to learn.

PM Tasks – You’re Not Alone

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A picture of a cat is always more fun than looking at a PM working hard, don’t you think?

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post for my Leadership Notes blog. My apologies!

I’ve been hard at work on a new project (or three). I’m sure you can understand; it’s intense, heads-down digging in, learning the players…the requirements…the timelines…and, as a software implementation PM, the product.

So while I get back into the swing of writing about leadership, know that you are not alone in your daily routine. I’m living the same joys and frustrations that you are. With one year of experience or thirty-five, we have the same work to get to a successful Close, and there are no shortcuts.

Here are a few thoughts I’ve had over the past few weeks:

  • Scheduling is a bear. All the tools and formulas in the world can’t remove the depth of consideration that needs to go into a solid plan. And no matter how much time and effort you put into it, be prepared for it to change. Because…things happen. Remember: it’s not the plan, it’s the planning.
  • Don’t put yourself into a box. It’s easy to say we’re only going to do “project manager things,” to run meetings and create the budget and communication plans. But sometimes, leading also means we need to get our hands dirty. If there’s no one to lead the training team, and it’s in your wheelhouse, pick it up and run with it. Success comes when we all pitch in—wherever we can.
  • We’re not in charge of everything. Sometimes we hand over the reins to a team member in charge of a workstream. And if the executives are talking about a directional change in the project, sometimes all we can do is accept it. We are there to make sure the company’s goals are being met, and that can mean taking a step back.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other. You’ll reach your destination – and so will I!