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Successful Leadership Comes From Leaning Into Your Own Style

Effective Leadership

Include Your Whole Value Chain from the Start

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We need to gather input from the teams down the length of the entire value chain.

As an IT/IS project manager, I am often involved in the selection of business software. The RFP is a key component of any large purchase, as it allows us to compare several systems against a set of common requirements, including business, technical, cost, and support.

But it doesn’t go far enough.

It’s easy to focus on marketing, finance, and the end user requirements. But what about infrastructure, manufacturing, or field technicians? How about quality control or customer service? We need to gather input from the teams down the length of the entire value chain.

I’ve been in situations where two systems look great: functionality, front end, and cost all are where we need them to be. Vendors, of course, talk a good game. Their RFP responses look similar. On the surface they’re both shiny new sportscars with all the latest gadgets.

But then the technical folks get in there and check under the hood. They find one still has an engine circa 1980! There’s no way this will work in your organization. You don’t have the resources to maintain the servers or update the desktop-based application. And it makes no sense to revert your users to 32-bit!

Good thing you included the tech folks before you signed the contract.

But not all projects involve software.

Years ago, our company was struggling because our manufacturing costs were consistently high. A review of our new product development process revealed that the problem wasn’t our product, and it wasn’t the skill of our manufacturing team. It was the NPD process itself.

R&D would design a product, test it in their small, flexible lab, and hand it over as a defined product. They weren’t aware of the constraints of large-scale manufacturing. No one asked them how long it would take to change over a line.

Manufacturing was not involved in the process until the very end. They had no input! The result was a product that worked as designed but could have been made at half the cost if only someone had checked with them first.

In the software example, it is wise to plan for a technical deep dive with the vendor finalists. We don’t want to bring them in too early, before we’ve finished analysis on other areas. But adding this tech review as a normal part of our software selection process can eliminate years of headaches for end users, IT, and you!

For product development, we want to make sure all areas of the value chain are involved in the NPD process. That doesn’t mean Support has equal say in the design as R&D, of course, but reviewing early and keeping them in the loop can keep you from launching a product that’s unsupportable.

All projects rely on communication through the whole value chain, at each phase of a project. Pull in the experts when it makes sense and plan to make adjustments. Reach out to teams you don’t traditionally include. And be prepared for a better outcome!

Helping a New Team Member Settle In

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I went into the office for the first time last week. I’ve been working from home since that fateful day in March 2020, when my manager called and said, “Don’t come in this week.”

When a resource joins your team halfway through the project, it’s not possible to “hit the ground running” unless you give them a solid surface first.

Life has been shaken and stirred since the last time I had to commute. And for me it also meant a new client, with new projects and a new office.

I admit, I was a little nervous. Would I find my way there…and around the campus? Where would I sit? Who would I see? What are the expectations for eating at my desk, talking within the group work area, and conference calls? Finally, how long does everyone stay at the end of the day?

So many worries!

Everything turned out fine, of course. But it started me thinking about how a new employee (or contractor) feels when they join your team.

If it’s a brand-new project it’s a bit easier, as you can start with a kick-off. Everyone is starting fresh, and you make your way forward together.

But if your resource is joining in the middle of the project, especially if they don’t know anyone or they’re new to projects in general, it can be more nerve-wracking. Not only are they worried about the logistical pieces (see above!), but they may also wonder if they’ll fit in, how much they’re expected to know already, and whether they’re going to fail miserably!

How can we help our new team members handle the pressure and settle into their role?

  • First, have as much logistical information as possible. This may seem counterintuitive, but helping someone new figure out where the coffee machine is (and how to use it) will give them a sense of control, however small. And from there they can move forward.
  • Next, let them know what to expect during the first few days. Your new person may be wondering if they’re getting a laptop, if they’re supposed to concentrate on taking all the training assigned to them, or if you expect them to start diving into action items right away.
  • If there are a few key people in the organization—maybe an admin who knows how to navigate the operational waters—introduce them! Perhaps go a step farther and ask one of the go-to resources to keep an eye out for your team member. Most people feel good about being asked!
  • Finally, be patient and answer all their questions. Remember that you’ve known Sue in Accounting for years, but someone who just started may not remember if it’s Sue or Susan…or Sam! They’re going to slip up. Be there to help, even if you’re busy.

I consider the first month of ramp-up time for a new resource as having a “puppy license.” This is the time when they’re drinking from the fire hose, their head is spinning, etc. Encourage your new resource to take advantage of this time to ask questions and meet as many people as possible. Because that time is all too short. You’ll need them to start taking control of their own meetings and schedule soon, rather than relying on you to guide them.

One final thought about helping someone transition in. The best way for them to realize they’re not the “new guy” anymore is to connect them with someone even newer. You may not have another new person (bonus if you do), but when your resource becomes the one with the answers, their view of where they fit in the team can shift in a big way.

All Metrics are NOT Created Equal

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Your data can show just about anything. But how do you know you’re showing the right data with the right amount of detail?

Mark Twain was fond of the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”  These words are as true now as they were back in the 1890s.

Living in this information age is incredible. There’s no waiting for another team to calculate and then hand over results. You don’t have to guess anymore—you know. This independence grants you both speed and security in your decisions.

With so much data available, and a myriad of ways to analyze it, it’s ridiculously easy to create the exact metrics you need to prove any point. You need no more than Excel to produce a compelling data story.

This, of course, adds amazing value to your project. You can spot trends in an instant and use a chart to make the impact hit home with your executives. Compiling results data and using it to determine the success or failure of testing takes seconds instead of days.

  1. It’s easy to slip into a pattern of going for flash instead of substance.

I’ve seen plenty of Project Management presentations showing colorful, complex charts with lines and bars…in 3D. Super cool. But I haven’t the slightest idea the point they’re trying to make. Lots of glitter with no substance.

To combat this, constantly remind yourself who you’re presenting to. I don’t know many executives who are impressed with flash. The easier you make it for them to understand the bottom line, the more you really will impress them. So, unless you’re presenting a new advertising campaign, all your design efforts should go into honing how to easily communicate your point.

2. We can make the data say pretty much anything we want.

It’s a matter of perspective. We can make a 1% increase look big or small, depending on the overall volume. Your judgment here is critical. If you’re concerned about a 1% increase, what other data supports the larger impact? Thinking through the supporting data will do more than help present your case: it will help you determine whether the change is as relevant as you initially thought.

Your stakeholders, including your team, aren’t going to know all the data available. They are trusting you to give them the information needed to move forward. What will best support them in their role?

When you are alone at your desk, take some time to play around with the data. Ask yourself questions like these:

  • What can I use to show a mitigation is working?
  • How can I prove out our success metrics?
  • How do I show the risk vs. reward of a decision?
  • What are my sponsors’ biggest concerns, and can I validate our solution?

This broad knowledge base will do a few things for you. First, it will give you a feel for the data available, and what’s useful and not. Second, when it’s time to answer a question or make an important point, you’ve already done half the work.

Keep in mind the goal of your project, and always focus your metrics to that end. I don’t mean to show the project is amazingly successful if that’s not really the case. Your job is to cut as clear a path to your goal as you can, and that means being honest about the backslides as well as the surges forward.

Finally, don’t discard a super-cool graphic just because it is flashy. Maybe a 3D chart is exactly right to help your team understand a trend on your project. Just consider the sparkle a bonus, instead of the heart of the communication.

Three Truths About Praise

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There are three truths of workplace praise. And all have their roots in communication style and human behavior.

The topic of workplace feedback is wide and deep. Maybe I will write a book about it someday, but to keep this article a reasonable length, I’m going to focus exclusively on praise.

There are three truths about praise:

  • Not many people take the direct path and say, “Good job.”
  • Most people are oblivious.
  • Not everyone likes to be praised.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

The Indirect Path

I was working with a client a while back who felt disconcerted because his manager never said, “Thank you.” He thought he was doing a good job at work, but never received direct positive feedback. When we took a closer look at the situation, the proof his manager valued him was right there all along.

Here are some clues that your manager is pleased with the job you’re doing:

  • You’re invited to meetings. Most people are so busy they think of another meeting as a punishment. But consider: Who else is at the meeting? Is it a topic that expands your current role? Will being involved create opportunities down the road or make your current job a bit easier? Most often, the invitation is a gesture of growing trust or belief in your abilities.
  • You’re called upon to present…again. Like attending more meetings, many people don’t enjoy presenting. But if you did a bad job the first time, your manager would hesitate to put you in front of an audience a second time. It’s actually a compliment to be asked to lead a meeting and share your knowledge.
  • Your manager stops attending your meetings or no longer wants to be copied on every communication. This isn’t a sign that they don’t care, but that they trust the work you’re doing. Just remember they expect you to keep them updated on the project’s progress, and to let them know if you need them to help resolve an issue.

Most People are Oblivious

Yes, it’s true. 😉

What seems like a monumental task to you, something you’re exceptionally proud of, your manager may never even mention. They’re not trying to ignore your good work. They just have a myriad of other things to do. (Hey, if they had time to do your work as well as their own, you wouldn’t have a job.)

A long time ago I had a friend who worked for a big supply company. He used to go in on the weekends when no one was around to inventory the warehouse, straighten the shelves, and basically do a ton of things that kept the place working efficiently during the week.

I’m sure you can guess what happened: his boss never noticed, and if he did, he didn’t say a word.

Don’t expect anyone to be focused on what you’re doing. Most managers expect you to do a good job—you were hired to do it, so just being competent won’t merit praise. There are no participation awards.

I gave my friend this advice and it is still relevant: either don’t do the extra work, or let your manager know the relevant outcome.

There was no reason for my friend to go in on his own time to clean the warehouse. He could do it, or assign someone to do it, during the workweek. If he wanted to show his initiative, he could have told his boss about a significant finding during his time the past weekend. Remember, fishing for compliments is unprofessional and will backfire. Better to focus on the outcome. And again, if there’s no benefit to the project or company, don’t do it.

If you have an “oblivious” manager, simply let them know a particular event or effort went well. Here are some tips to receive a positive reaction:

  • Keep your delivery in your normal communication style. You want your manager to focus on the event, not be distracted by your altered style.
  • Don’t tell them about every little thing; the big efforts won’t stand out.
  • Be consistent in your communication so sharing good news won’t come during a special meeting.

Not Everyone Likes to Be Praised

This may shock some people, while others will raise their hand and say, “Oh, yeah, right here!”

For those who can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t enjoy a good pat on the back (or bouquet of flowers), take a moment to think about your teams. You have many personalities and styles to manage every day. Your communication methods vary to make sure you reach everyone.

So if Brenda doesn’t speak during a meeting, or if Lonnie blathers on about everything he did last weekend, you will likely find they will receive praise very differently, too.

And there are more of these folks on our teams than we know. They usually just grin and bear it.

A few years ago, I worked with an amazing team lead. She was the lynchpin to success in her area. I wanted to let her know how much I appreciated her. But she told me that she hates (yes, hates) to be called out, even if it’s praise. And she didn’t just mean in the obvious, public way. Her name attached to a team thank-you email caused her discomfort.

For team members like this, balloons aren’t going to be well received. Here are some low-key ways that, if they accept anything, may work:

  • Reply to all their email / DMs. That’s it. Just do them the courtesy of acknowledging their communication.
  • Use their data. They want to contribute and to know they’re doing a good job. When you actually use their work product, they’ll feel valued.
  • Do something for the whole team, but not together. A team gathering is probably not going to fly. But something non-personal will be more appreciated, like letting people know that next Friday you want everyone to take off at noontime (if within your power).

At the end of the day, the most important part of praise is paying attention to the communication style of the person on the other end of the line. When you’re seeking validation, you may want direct feedback but receive indirect signs of trust. On the other hand, you may feel uncomfortable with a public shout-out, but your manager loves to hand out awards.

And when showing appreciation to a team member, the best outcome happens when you focus on their most receptive communication style, not your own.

Is There Ever a Good Time for a PM to Take a Vacation?

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Project Managers need a vacation, too. There’s never a good time to take off, but the right preparation means less stress when you return.

Greetings from Florida! For those who don’t know much about me, I live in snowy Massachusetts. Every year, around October, I start obsessing about how to escape the cold New England winter.

It started years ago. I had a conference in Florida in February, and it happened to coincide with my husband’s 50th birthday. There was simply no way I was going to skip down to the Sunshine State and leave him (and our kids) home. A week away mid-winter was so restorative that each year since then we’ve made the trip south.

2020 was an eye opener in more ways than one. Since flights were canceled and hotels closed, like everyone else we hunkered down at home and endured. That year reinforced, at least for me, the deep need to get away during the coldest part of the year.

I’ve written about the importance of vacations before. I’m a strong believer that a change of scenery will change your attitude, whether you’re going downtown or across the country. That mental reset can be worth more than a raise.

But, if you’re a Project Manager, when is the right time to take a break? With a few exceptions (Go Live, obviously), no one time is better than another.

Let’s be honest: No one can predict the project timeline with certainty. Even the most simple, benign projects have milestones that get delayed or pulled forward depending on resource availability, funding, technical hurdles, and change requests.

Sometimes fate smiles and we decide to go away the exact perfect week. But typically, it’s “not the best time” and consequently, our stress level inches higher as the days to vacation draw near. And when we return? How often do we sit at our desks, confronted by requests that piled up while we were away, and mutter, “Ugh, was taking a week off really worth it?”

Seriously, you need that vacation. So here are some tips to help alleviate the stress of the “before and after”:

  • Go away when it’s convenient for you. There’s never a good time and no one at your company will suggest you take off for a week or two. If you need to get out of the winter cold (or summer heat), that’s the time to go. You’ll feel more refreshed if you go away when you really want to.
  • Don’t make the day after you return your first day back at work. It’s great to spend every second you can in paradise, but coming back on Saturday gives you time to re-acclimate, do laundry, or just relax before hitting the ground running on Monday morning.
  • The more you prepare, the less they’ll need you. I’m famous for meeting with my team, my sponsors, or anyone I routinely meet with, the week before I go. I create back-up plans to the back-up plans. I remind people I’ll be away. I give them my contact information, including the best way to reach me (“text is the fastest”), and make sure they can get to it in three different ways. Basically, by the time I leave they’re saying, “Sheesh, Amy, you’re only going for a week!”
  • Catch up on Monday morning, not Sunday night. You know you’ll have three hundred emails. You’ll need time to go through them. Use your catch-up time on Monday, not Sunday night. Don’t short-change yourself on that transition time!
  • Block your catch-up time before you leave for vacation. If you don’t, you’ll come back to find you’re in back-to-back meetings before you’re up to date. You don’t want to go into your first meeting blind. By the way, this catch-up time means both reading and meeting. Who were the key people you met with before you left? Schedule time with them when you return. They’ll key you into what happened while you were gone.

Above all, remember that if you’ve been paying attention to your project and your team all along, it should be able to keep moving forward while you take time to recharge.

Narrow & Deep or Shallow & Wide—it’s a matter of perspective

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view of river from high above is wide but shallow
While your vantage point is “wide & shallow” on your project, you’re seen as “narrow & deep” when you present to an executive.

I was talking with a client about communicating to the C-Suite. They were struggling with how to retain an executive’s attention, to make sure their points are heard…and remembered.

I’ll be honest, the higher you go the shorter their attention span seems to be. It’s easy to feel frustrated when you get cut off mid-sentence, or they take the conversation in a completely different direction, and you’re left with three minutes to make a case that needed a full ten.

There are several factors at play here, including your proximity to them (direct report vs. several layers down) and their own personality. But let’s focus on the main one: vantage point.

Think about the quantity of areas and topics they’re involved in. An executive needs to see and respond to dozens of different people, topics, projects, strategies, and issues. They can cut across the company, so their vantage point is one of standing on a mountain, watching a river twist across the landscape but not seeing the bear fishing in it. Their view is “wide & shallow.”

You’re on the ground. You notice the bear but can’t see beyond the next bend in the river. Your vantage point is “narrow & deep.”

Bringing this back to business, the CEO is responsible for many areas, but their role is to gather information and make decisions, rather than do the work in all these areas personally: “wide & shallow.” And the lower down the hierarchy, the more “narrow & deep” until an individual contributor is focused on accomplishing their daily tasks, like the bear fishing in the river.

This is natural…and relative.

Think about your own project. Your role here is considered “wide & shallow.” Your job is to understand, assess, schedule, and resolve, but as a PM, you don’t do the actual “building.” Your resources are “narrow & deep,” digging into the work itself, raising issues, and preparing information.

When your team member is faced with a challenge, you, as the leader, don’t need to understand every nuance; just enough to get to the heart of the matter and make a decision. While talking with your resource, you may realize the problem they’re facing is actually the symptom of a very different issue, and you’ll start asking them questions to understand how big that one is!

So while you are “wide & shallow” on your project, you’re seen as “narrow & deep” when you present to an executive.

Given this perspective, it doesn’t make sense for your executive meetings to focus on the details. Their vision is about a thousand feet up, and miles wider.

Even understanding why the higher up you go the less likely you are to have an executive’s full attention, how do you effectively communicate with them?

First, think carefully about what outcome you’re looking for. Is it advice? Help? Money? A “Go” decision? Maybe you want to convey confidence in your team/timeline/project?

Whatever your goal, the rest of your communication (meeting, email, phone call) should support that. I know it’s nice to tell the CEO how great your team is, but if the meeting is to get a decision to purchase new testing equipment, talking about your awesome team is just an opportunity to get sidetracked. (That’s not to say you shouldn’t ever praise your team, but in this circumstance, they’d probably appreciate the equipment more!)

If you’re having a 1:1 meeting, make sure to leave time for discussion. If you have a half hour, expect the first five minutes to be “How are you doing?” questions…if your executive is on time. Then you need a few minutes to set up the discussion. Remember that while you’re living and breathing your project, it’s only one of a dozen they’re following. So start with a status or reminder of where you are in the project schedule. (“As you probably know, we just finished training everyone on the new process and we’re getting ready to roll it out next month.”)

Plan some room for detours. (“How did the training go?”) If you load up the meeting with details, it will be tougher to know what to cut out when time runs short. The risk is you’ll rush through all your data, hoping you hit on the information they need to make a good decision.

I’ve mentioned it before: The more important the communication, the more time I spend preparing for it. If I need that purchase decision, and the CEO doesn’t know too much about it already, or I only get this one shot to ask, I can take hours…or days to prepare. Because the message and the outcome are too important to risk anything other than crystal clear communication.