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A Human-Centered Approach to Leadership & Team Development

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Don’t Try to Fix Other People’s Problems

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A PM’s focus needs to be their own project

I was reading an article the other day that stated a PM’s “sole responsibility is to create value, efficiency & productivity in the entire organization” (emphasis mine). Yikes! Although the rest of the article made some salient points, I have to disagree with this one. If I’m hired to implement a software program in manufacturing, for example, my “sole responsibility” is not to muck around in how their Quality systems are being managed.  If I start focusing externally, I’ll never complete my own project!

As a Project Manager, we need to remember that we’re there for the project. Let the VP of Quality worry about efficiency in their own area. Sure, we might see something that can be changed in Manufacturing as we go through our project, but we need to use a little common sense. It’s like fixing a kitchen cabinet and suddenly you’re talking to a contractor about an entire renovation. Just fix the cabinet! If you want to do a renovation, then plan for it – else your cabinet will be broken for 8 months until the rest of the kitchen is working again.

Kitchen Cabinet Door
If your intention is to fix the cabinet door…fix it before renovating the rest of the kitchen.

A team member once commented to me that his company spends so much time focusing on new “efficiency processes ” that he can’t get any work done! I agree. I’ve seen it time and again. Organizations want to improve – their hearts are in the right place. But they don’t think through the impact. You can’t jump into Agile in two months. You can’t declare “no meetings longer than 15 minutes” without other avenues to allow collaboration and discussion. And you can’t fix the world all at once.

Unintended casualties

2 guys on a plane before takeoff
Apply the oxygen mask to yourself before assisting others

Let’s also talk about people for a minute – those folks in the departments you’re changing. No, not the ones impacted by your project – they’re covered by your thoughtful stakeholder analysis and communication plan (at least, I hope so!). I’m talking other departments you’ve decided it’s your “sole responsibility” to make efficient. Please remember: if it’s not your area, you don’t know the whole story! There may be a reason it’s done “that way”…it’s not always “because we’ve always done it this way.” It could be a system limitation or a quality requirement. It may be the only way they can get a much-needed piece of data out of the system. You just don’t know.

Wooden Bridge over River
If you want a relationship to last – don’t light matches on a bridge.
Photo by Mabel Amber from Pexels

We also need to be careful not to burn bridges. If we stick our nose into someone else’s area, even with the best intentions, we can come across as pushy, arrogant, and invasive. And we won’t get anywhere! Bringing it closer to home (pun intended), if your neighbor came into your house and just cautious of stepping on toes. If we discover an inefficiency that’s causing a major problem, there are ways approach it that aren’t so caustic.  And if it’s an obvious inefficiency, they’ve probably already tried to solve it.  A fresh perspective may be welcome, but don’t insult the department head by barging in with guns blazing.

Take one step at a time

All PMs notice inefficiencies and risks.  It’s how we operate. We also want to fix the world…and sometimes we’re not patient about it.  But as they say, “slow down to speed up.” Stay calm, focused, and finish what you’re working on now.  We’ll get our chance to  – but we need to do it one project at a time.

Who, Me? Building Team Member Confidence

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I took a strategy course during graduate school – a group project with 4 other people. We were each responsible for one section of a research project. One of our members, we’ll call him Joe, came to every single meeting…but without his part complete. Not even a draft!

The team tried everything we could think of to get Joe’s input. We offered to work with him, to divide the work if he was too busy, to go over a draft with him, etc. We tried being supportive, strict, logical, you name it. We gave him reasonable deadlines, but farther out than the rest of us had. Joe was a great guy and had good ideas in other classes, so no one could understand why he wasn’t holding up his end of our particular project.

With deadlines looming, we started writing Joe’s section. Then our group’s mentor called a meeting. He’d met with Joe to talk about the issue. It turns out that Joe was too intimidated by the rest of the group to turn in anything!
He sat at home, writing draft after draft…and could never bring himself to show it to us. 

We sat there, stunned. Us? Intimidating?  We explained to our
mentor that we’d tried everything we could think of to help Joe. He replied
that obviously, we hadn’t tried everything because we didn’t figure it
out; Joe still didn’t feel like he was smart enough to belong in the group.

That lesson has stuck with me for over 20 years. I still don’t know what else we could have done to help Joe feel part of the team…and that haunts me still. 

When it comes to other human beings, no matter what you think,
no matter how hard you try to figure them out, there still may be something you’re missing. Never assume you know what is going on in someone’s mind. Recognize that, just as you find some people and groups to be intimidating, you may be intimidating to others, as well. The bottom line is to never give up on people. Keep trying, continue to be supportive, and work through issues. You’d want them to do the same for you.

Project Management Trends Favor A Human Approach

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Companies seek PMs with higher emotional intelligence

I’ve been researching trends in Project Management. Yes, the trends for Big Data and for Agile/Scrum are still out there. Fortunately, there’s also a big trend towards “humanity.” Meaning… companies are looking for project managers who have Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and they’re realizing that, regardless of the methodology, it’s the people on the team who make it happen.

Why is this good news? Let’s take them one at a time.

Emotional Intelligence
Sure, data is important. So are timelines, budget, etc. But in order to hit your milestones, to complete tasks so they don’t come back to bite you later on, you must be aware of the needs, agendas, and skillset of the people around you. When you lead a discussion, observe the faces and body language around you. Most of what is being communicated is not through words. If someone is sitting back and keeping their mouth shut, it’s your job to discern whether they don’t have anything to contribute, or if they don’t want to speak up for some reason. Then, if they don’t want to speak up, why is that? That quiet person may be the key to making a solid decision… or a big mistake that will cause time and money a few months down the road.

If you’re an Introvert, this is great news! Introverts are used to observing. You take in the stimuli from the room and naturally read the crowd. If you’re an Ambivert or Extrovert, take heart. To be effective, you only need to lean into this ability. Make sure you notice the signs around you and take the next step to draw out the information you know is there. Pay attention to what doesn’t feel right. Use your innate skills to listen, redirect, and acknowledge contributions from those around the table.

Success Through Team
Anyone who has been on a team—great or horrible—knows that it’s not the methodology that drives success, but the team itself. A well-functioning team can handle changing requirements, challenging issues, shrinking timelines. Trust between players is paramount.

When it comes to personal relationships, the important lesson is: don’t dance for the crowd – get to know individuals. As you build your team, work on developing trust with each team member but also between them. It’s not a given that folks in different areas (think Finance and R&D) will naturally blend or believe they can help each other with project tasks. Use your personal skills to bring them together, building one relationship at a time until there’s a web of trust throughout your team.

As the trends focus on EQ and Team, all leaders must keep in mind that gathering information, listening, and acknowledging aren’t goals in themselves. What you learn by listening, and what you do with that information, is what matters the most. Give your team the opportunity to put their good ideas into practice. This will benefit your project directly and give your team members the confidence to let their ideas be known in the future.

Go Away!

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Vacations recharge your creativity and productivity

I just returned from vacation. It was great to get away from the routine for a bit and hit the “reset button.” We were at Disney World in Florida (yes, we’re Disney fanatics). It was my husband’s 60th birthday, and it just happened to coincide with February Vacation week for students here in Massachusetts. Yes, it was a full agenda, as most Disney vacations are, but this time we scheduled in some downtime. What a blessing that was!

Here are the major insights I gained while visiting with the Mouse Who Started It All.

Back in the 1920s & ’30s, when the Disney Company was young, Walt Disney was a workaholic. He pushed himself so hard for so long that he had a breakdown. He took a vacation with his family, and it changed his outlook completely. He realized that stepping away from work increased his creativity—he had his best ideas while he was away…not working.

I’ve found that, as well.  As someone who works from home most days, there’s always some task staring me in the face—whether it’s “oh, I need to fix this web page” or “yikes, laundry’s piling up.” The list of “must do” items is distracting and makes it hard to get done the things I need to, especially the creative ones, like writing a blog (!) or creating a new template. Sometimes, when I am struggling with a new idea, odd tasks like “clean the refrigerator!” keep popping into my head.

But it’s so hard to take a few days off—even more, it’s hard to take the time to make the plans to take the time off! For me, not only is it finding the few days we’re all available, but it’s researching the hotel, arranging the dog sitter, etc. But it’s incredibly worth the effort!

At the end of the summer last year, I scooped up my family and spent 2 overnights at a hotel on the coast—only about 1 hour away from home. It was amazing! While they slept in (we have 2 teenagers…) I took walks by the ocean, ate breakfast at a little café, and generally had that “think time” we all so desperately need. Journal in hand, of course—does no good to think and let good ideas slip away.

Staring out over the water, I vowed right then and there to continue to take these mini-breaks throughout the year. It doesn’t need to be a Disney vacation, it just has to be away from the routine.  Sometimes a day trip into nature—somewhere quiet—is enough, but if I can, I’ll do an overnight because for me, the most creative time is in the morning. I hope you all take the opportunity to step away from time to time—it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.