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The Plateau

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Your team worked long and hard to achieve this milestone – they need some rest!

I recently finished creating a quiz for Project Managers. It’s called “What’s Your Project Leadership Type”. It took me months, lots of effort, some late nights, and a fair bit of revising & rethinking along the way. 

As the quiz neared completion, I was doing great – making quick decisions, easily hooking up the tech, and making huge progress every day. I was so excited when I went through it one last time and couldn’t think of any other adjustments – I was DONE!

But over the next few days, instead of building on that momentum and quickly taking the next steps to get my quiz “out there” in the market…I actually started to feel a bit adrift. I *wanted* everyone to take the quiz, and I *wanted* to start presenting the accompanying webinar on Leadership Types.

But I found my motivation was actually lower than normal.  Sleep in? Garden? Read a novel? Yes, please!

And to my frustration, I couldn’t seem to figure out exactly what the next step should be, so it was tough to hook onto some kind of action to keep me moving forward.

What in the world was going on??

That “lull” I was experiencing is actually perfectly normal. It’s the “plateau” you reach after making a big, long duration effort. Think hiking up a mountain trail. You keep climbing up with no relief until you hit that bit of level ground where the view is amazing.

This plateau is what your team feels whenever they hit a milestone.

Which milestones? Any that take effort. For example:

  • Blueprinting is done or requirements signed off
  • User Training is over
  • Data conversion is successfully completed
  • A major demo is given to the customer (or executives)

Your team worked long and hard to hit each of these milestones. They’re much more than a line item on the schedule.

Be aware that your people are going to lose a little momentum. They may slide backwards in the area of team development and start “storming” for a while. They may chat a bit more during a meeting, or seem unable to make decisions.

Don’t worry – just like when I feel the need to curl up and read a book all afternoon, your people need some time to recover.

When will they get back to “normal”? It depends on a few things:

  • How long was the heavy lifting…and how much effort did they put into reaching this milestone? 1 week of all-day testing might be draining, but if your team has been burning the midnight oil for 2 months, they’ll need longer to recover
  • How strong are they as a team? If part of the effort was dealing with each other, they may be hesitant to jump back into close quarters again (even if it’s virtual)
  • Were they able to recover from the last milestone before the current one began? My husband had a manager who used to tell the team they needed to “surge”. The team would grumble “when are we ever not surging?!”

Since they hit the last milestone out of the park, no doubt the team will eventually recover. But you have a big influence on their plateau’s duration and intensity. Remember to let them rest. And help them prepare for whatever comes next.

Where Do You Go From Here?

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When you’re at the top of your game – where do you go next?

When you’re a new PM, your immediate career goal may be to keep your head above water, or to succeed at your current project.

Mid-career, you’re looking to build relationships and grow into that “go to” PM – the one they call when the project absolutely must succeed.

Lots of my readers are already highly experienced Project Managers.

They’ve “been there and done that.” They’re seasoned – senior leaders and are well known for their ability to get the job done right. These folks are comfortable with communication to every type of stakeholder, from brand new BA to CEO to vendor resources.

So that got me thinking: for those at the pinnacle of their career…what’s next? Where do you go from here?

Seasoned PMs: this post is for you!

(What? Not a senior leader yet? No worries – you may find some nuggets in here, too!) 🙂

So what do you do with all those years of experience and wisdom?

To be fair, some PMs will be perfectly happy continuing to lead projects as they have been all along. That’s fantastic – and a huge relief to their companies, as well!

But PMs are driven to grow. We love projects, after all. And projects, by their very nature, create.

Without opportunities to grow, it’s easy to become dissatisfied and bored. The risk for the most experienced project managers is stagnation.

That’s not good for anyone!

So what can a seasoned Project Manager do to avoid this trap?

Here are a few options:

  • Mentor.
    It’s gratifying to share your skills and help others avoid the mistakes you’ve already overcome. Find a program that allows you to foster the skills inherent in younger PMs. Many large companies have formal mentoring programs, but if yours does not, that doesn’t mean you can’t unofficially mentor someone! And if you belong to PMI, your local Chapter may have a Mentoring Program you could participate in.
  • Speak.
    This isn’t for everyone, but opportunities abound to share your wisdom and knowledge! Your company may have a lunch & learn series, or you could present to a local group (i.e. Chamber of Commerce or other professional organization). You can also participate in panel discussions.
  • Bring your skills to the community.
    At one time I ran the “Between Shows Pizza Dinner” for our town’s band and chorus nights. 200 kids descending upon the cafeteria, fed, watered, and back out the door in 45 minutes. Do you think that doesn’t call from some serious project management skill? Look around and see what opportunities you have to give back.
  • Join a PM group.
    I hope you’re already in one. But this is a great way to not only use your skills but to mentor, to get to know other PMs outside the office, and help grow the profession
  • Get another role.
    Have you ever considered leaving behind the title and moving to, say, VP of Engineering or Finance Director? What about Leadership Training? You can go “back into the business”, and the skills you’ve honed over the years will serve you (and your department) very well. Leadership & communication? Check. Milestones & prioritization? Double Check.

I hope this gives you some ideas to mull over. And perhaps you’re doing a few of them already? The goal is to continue to grow, even when you’re the expert. When you share, we all benefit!

What Sets Your Virtual Meetings Apart?

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My PM mentoring program ran a virtual panel discussion recently. The topic was Lessons Learned…or Retrospectives, if you’re Agile-minded.

9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and 16 people took time out of their short weekend to hop on a call and talk project management!

You’d think the conversation would be, well, sleepy, at least. But it was an amazingly quick hour and we could have easily talked for another.

I was reflecting on what made it such a great meeting.

Yes, the panelists were knowledgeable and gave us practical advice. And yes, there was a feeling of camaraderie amongst the attendees. And, certainly, there was A LOT to talk about!

At the end of the meeting, one of the participants made a special mention of how great our Moderator, Helen, was.

This called to mind a conversation I had a few days ago with my father. He has been on a ton of Zoom calls lately. Like all of us, he’s getting a little “Zoomed out”. 

He told me in many of his meetings it’s hard to follow the flow of conversation or to know when to jump in with a comment or question. It takes extra effort to be focused and active in the discussion.

I asked him why.

He said that when you’re in person, you pick up on cues from other people’s body language. 

If you need to be heard, you can let the manager know with a simple action like raising you hand or catching their eye. And it’s easier for them to control the flow of conversation, too.

But when everyone’s virtual, it’s tougher to pick up on those cues. You need to rely more on the facilitator to guide the discussion. You can’t use eye contact to capture the manager’s attention well. And there’s no guarantee they’ll see a hand being raised on screen.

I get it!

If you don’t have someone skilled leading the meeting, it makes for a long hour.

What set apart the Lessons Learned discussion was the pacing and flow. Helen gave enough time for each panelist to answer a question and then moved people along, noting who hadn’t had a chance to participate and including them in the discussion.

She set the tempo and everyone followed. This allowed our panelists to share their advice and insight – and for all of us to take it in before we moved onto the next topic.

Whether it’s a Lessons Learned, a Team Meeting, Kick-Off Call, or any other interaction, the person in charge needs to, well, take charge. To lead.

The goal of a meeting is to make sure the objectives are met.  (Why else would you be holding the meeting, anyway?) Our role as Project Manager is to help the team achieve them.

At our best, we shift the spotlight away from us and concentrate on the needs of our team. Are they actively involved, focused, and moving together towards the goal?

We moderate. We facilitate.

We work hard to make it look easy.

Why is that important? 

Because we want the team to concentrate on reaching the objective, not worrying about how they’re going to make their point, or trying to follow everyone’s frantic grab for airtime.

The next time you’re a participant in a virtual meeting, observe how it’s facilitated. Is everyone sharing? How is the pacing? Is anyone allowed to drone on? Does it all feel rushed – or slow?

Then, during your own meeting, pay close attention to the cues your team is sending. Make adjustments if you need to. 

Remember that you have a big part in the success of the meeting, just by setting the pace and flow.

Is It Sabotage?

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I was talking with a friend the other day. He is working on a renovation project. The team gathered requirements, reviewed options, had a lively discussion (or three), made decisions and then sent the final plans to the architect.

If you’re a PM you know what’s coming…

Yup, 2 days later, one of the team members sent an email to everyone: “I don’t think this is going to work. Here’s what we should do instead…”

UGH!

I felt so bad for my friend. And I could complete empathize!

It happens all the time on a project, unfortunately.

But why do certain people always seem to sabotage a project? And what can we do to prevent it?

The “why” is pretty easy: we’re human. And being human means we’re subject to frailty and influence…and we don’t always do what we should, even if we know better.

Here are some common reasons for the late entries:

  • Shyness. Some people don’t like to speak up. They work up the courage to speak but it’s well after the deadline
  • Introversion. As opposed to shyness, these folks may not speak up in a meeting, but need some time to reflect. And they may feel more comfortable writing or meeting 1:1 to discuss
  • Power. Let’s face it. Some people – consciously or unconsciously – feel the need to step in and take over. They may believe they have the better answers and it’s “my way or the highway”
  • Temperament. This one feels like Power, but it’s more about how they communicate. I know plenty of folks who honestly don’t realize they’re disrupting the very thing they’re trying to accomplish – they think they’re helping by bringing up additional suggestions or solutions, regardless of who they’re stepping on or how much re-work they’re causing

Having these late additions go unchecked can disrupt the project and the good will of the rest of the team. People may even leave the team completely – they refuse to work with the “disrupter”.

And as the Project Manager, if you don’t rein in the late entries your reputation takes a hit, too.

Each case is unique, but given the four common reasons above, there are a few pretty simple ways to minimize the occurrence, or at least the disruption:

  • Set up a short meeting with the known disruptor pre-decision meeting. Ask their thoughts and if there are any risks they see. Make sure to bring up these risks during the meeting so they’re addressed
  • Set up a meeting with the disruptor post-decision meeting. Ask for feedback again – you can play on the “did we cover it all” angle
  • Hedge your bets by giving the decision a “draft”. Give the final decision a buffer period for “new information”. I use this one with requirements. Sometimes we’ll schedule a “soft freeze”, knowing things will come up right after we freeze the requirements – even without a “saboteur” on the team!
  • Simply don’t allow it. Politely but firmly tell them it can’t be changed without \approval from the executive team. This one is tough to do unless you’ve planned for it. I always set up a change control process early in the project: process, documentation, decision-making. And make sure everyone is aware of this process throughout the project

Identifying project risks is important, no matter when they are raised. Our goal is always to bring the project forward, with everyone on board. Seeking to understand why a team member gives you a late entry helps lead you to the most appropriate response.

Are You The Hub? Or Just A Spoke?

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I usually lead software implementation projects. They have the classic waterfall stages (Initiate, Plan, Execute, Close) with gate decisions that close one stage and open the next.

This morning I was thinking about a recent project. I was hired to help two teams come together to complete a series of milestones.

While it’s definitely a project, and I can “see” the stages, there is no need for rigid gating. Classic project management is not necessary and if I was strict about it, the project would probably fail.

What is completely essential, however, is the leadership component.

All teams need that person who sits at the center of the project and coordinates, communicates, raises risks, and links people to solve problems. That go-to person who understands the elements and how they fit together…the one who keeps everyone moving forward to achieve the goal.

Here’s an analogy: if the project is a wheel, the Project Manager is the hub and the team members are the spokes.

Each spoke has a particular function, a singular touchpoint to the wheel – the project itself. But the hub touches all the spokes and connects the spokes to each other. The PM is the hub that keeps everything working together, and this function is what allows the wheel to turn.

Our goal is to bring the team successfully from point A to point B. Whether we are in a project that uses Waterfall, Scrum, Lean, Hybrid, or none of the above – it’s our commitment to keeping the wheel spinning that powers its success.

If you’re in a situation that doesn’t fit “classic” project management, know that it’s okay. Keep your focus on providing that connection for the team. Add the elements that help reach milestones. Be strict or set aside formality when it makes sense.

If you do that, your project will run more smoothly. Your leadership allows the team to focus on their own roles – they can get the actual work done on the project, knowing you’re keeping that wheel turning.

Does That Mean…Yes? Or No?

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The other day my husband Steve asked if I was ready to go for a walk. I replied, “And the dog’s more than ready!”

He said “that’s not what I asked. Are you ready?”

This tends to happen to us. He’ll ask a question. I’ll read into it and give a reply that assumes the answer.

But if he doesn’t hear the actual answer, he can’t interpret what I’ve said. And that is frustrating for both of us.

If I’d simply added 1 word, if I’d answered “Yes! And the dog’s more than ready!” he would have understood and been able to receive the further information. Instead, I assumed he understood that my “and” covered the answer.

We all know what happens when we “ass-u-me”.

As I have a tendency to do this at home, I need to be extra careful to avoid “assuming and extrapolating” at work, too.

Communication with our stakeholders should be concise, as we all have full plates already. In an effort to be brief, to not waste our reader’s time, we naturally make assumptions in our emails, documentation, reports, etc. However, being too concise increases the chance of misinterpretation.

Here are three key methods to keep your communication clear:

  • Answer the question first. If you’re replying to an email or writing a summary report, there was an initial question or intent you’re responding to. First answer the question, and only then add relevant information
  • Use formatting techniques. Specifically, use bullet points to group together information. But here’s the key: use a header topic to explain the information. (For example, these bullet points are under a header topic that says the grouping is all about clear communication.)
  • Re-read your document for assumptions. Do you remember your elementary school teacher telling you to write like you’re explaining to “someone who has never heard of the topic”? That remains good advice! Especially in our distracted world, our team members don’t always pay attention to the details. This is a good way to orient them to the subject before you give them important information

Clear communication takes effort. It’s a balance between data and human nature. If we are going to respond to a question, we must answer it in a way that the person asking can understand and absorb. No assumptions.

Am I ready to walk the dog? Yes. Is he excited, too? Absolutely! Time to get his leash…