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project leadership

Communicating with the C-Suite

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One of the biggest challenges in moving from an Individual Contributor to a Project Manager is learning how to successfully communicate with both the team and the executive levels of the organization. 

When you are in charge of a project, suddenly you find yourself in that dreaded “middle manager” position. A Project Manager typically doesn’t have the formal authority that comes with having direct reports.  At the same time, you feel beholden to the demands of your Executive or Steering Committee.

Woman in black jacket sitting on chair working on a computer. Picture by Christina Morillo from Pexels

Communicating Up

In this post, we’ll talk about communicating “up”, because this is typically one of the biggest gaps in a new PM’s experience.

It can be intimidating to report to the executives of your organization for the first time.  It’s easy to get caught up and start to overthink things. What do they want to see? What’s the right level of detail? Will they be angry if I tell them bad news? What if I mess up?

Communication is as much art as science and it takes some practice, as well as paying attention to how your stakeholders react and to the questions they ask.

Years ago, I heard an explanation of corporate levels that really stuck with me. Essentially, the higher up you are in an organization, the farther ahead you need to look.  Individual Contributors focus on today or perhaps to the end of the week. Their managers are responsible to plan out to the end of the month, Directors the quarter, Vice Presidents the year and the President or CEO several years into the future.

The higher up in the organization the more one needs to look at trends rather than details. Executives focus on the impact of decisions and actions, not the particulars of the work being done. It’s fewer details and more vision. It’s knowing what’s coming up, being mindful of the past, and figuring out how all the pieces fit together.

So what do they need from you?

You can help both of you be more successful by understanding how your project fits into the company as a whole and by paying attention to the type of information that will either reduce risk or increase benefit in their area of responsibility.

Specifically, let’s talk about status reports, as these are one of the most common ways we are asked to communicate with our executives. At first glance, a status report seems so high level that it doesn’t really explain what’s going on in the project. Maybe it’s just a monthly traffic light system and if you’re “green” in budget, scope, and resources, they won’t pay much attention to these areas. They will only focus on items that are at risk or anything coming up which requires their time or participation.

Your Steering Committee isn’t supposed to focus on the underlying details – they trust you and your team to get it done. And that is also why you should never “water down” these reports.  Executives don’t need to know the everything about the project – that’s why they hired you! But they do need to understand when a deliverable is at risk so they can take action to help you and your team.

A Different Point of View

They also may need to shift other elements in the organization based on your information. Just like you don’t give them the details on the project, they don’t tell you everything going on outside your project. Remember, the higher the title, the longer the view.

Approach each communication with your executives from their point of view, whether it’s in a status report, monthly meeting, or even answering an email. Ask yourself: what information can help them be confident the project is on track, understand the areas of risk, or know where the project needs their help?

Also, keep in mind that no one starts out as a VP. Everyone on your leadership team, at some point in their career, has been an individual contributor. Maybe they started in accounting or worked on the shop floor. Perhaps they were a Business Analyst. Even if their current position doesn’t warrant project details, they know how important those details are to get the job done.

A Two-Way Street

Finally, communication is a two-way street. You need data and feedback from management, too. If you have questions or need guidance, be willing to ask.  Your Steering Committee wants the project to succeed and they’re trusting you to give them enough notice so they can help.

Can I Get A Word In Edgewise?

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Remember the days of being in the same room as your team?

Most of the world has been remote for a long time. But I’ve heard rumblings that some people are heading back to the office…and some aren’t.

While I don’t bring this up to comment on the state of the world in the coming months, I do want to talk about the difficulties managing a team that’s only partially remote.

One particular time sticks in my head. I was on a conference call with my Core Team. Usually, I was in the room and could keep the meeting on track. But this time I was one of the team members who dialed in, while others were in the office.

WOW. That was one tough meeting.

I felt like I was “on mute” the whole time – I couldn’t get a word in without someone talking over me! It was as if the people in the room felt like they were the only people involved in the project – those on the phone were on the outside looking in.

As the leader, I struggled to communicate with the folks in the room. It was a really big reminder of how my remote team members feel whenever I held a meeting from the main office.

The reality moving forward may be a partially remote team. That’s so much more difficult than everyone remote!

So what’s the solution? How can we make sure everyone feels involved?

One way is what I call “All On or All In”.

That means, if everyone isn’t in the room, everyone dials in from their desk. I realize that “all on” can be challenging, as some people work next door to each other in the office.

But there are ways to handle that. The most obvious is to use headphones so you don’t hear audio from the cubicle next door.

What it does not mean is “cheating” and having 3 people in a conference room looking at 1 person’s projection on the wall.

Make it a level playing ground. If no one can have a sidebar conversation, the whole team feels included. And that makes team bonding a whole lot easier.

Stay safe, stay healthy – and lead on!

My office is a mess…

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My office is a total mess. Papers on the floor…and the chair…and the counter tops. Stickies with reminders…and notebooks, regular books, pens & pencils. It’s driving me crazy!

It’s not always a mess. In fact, I’m generally a very neat person. But I’m at a point in my project that demands so much time and attention that filing and straightening up are just not a priority right now.

Can you relate?

Project Managers are used to the swells and troughs of workload on a project. I know that soon I’ll be able to take a step back and literally clean house before the next surge of work hits.

We need to remember that not all our team members understand this. And they may go a little extra crazy when the wall of work hits. When their stress level soars, they don’t have the comfort of knowing that there really is an end to it…at least until the next milestone.

It’s our job as leaders to teach our team the realities of project work. We warn them when a surge is coming, support them when it’s busy, and make sure things really do calm down when the storm is over.

How do we do this? I have a few approaches to share with you:

  • Periodically, review the high level project plan with them. Explain the milestones. Let them know when to expect surges so they’re not surprised
  • As a heavy workload time approaches, don’t just remind them about it. Start strategizing on how to cope with the impact before it hits
  • During intense times, keep them focused on what’s real. Help them to prioritize their workload. Make sure they know they’re not alone
  • Know what you will be able to cut out if you need to. Understand when to be flexible and when you need to draw the line on workarounds that are inevitably suggested
  • Once you achieve the milestone, make sure they take some time off, or at least work more relaxed hours. A burned-out team member isn’t good for anyone

Most importantly, show your appreciation for their efforts before, during, and after the intense times. It may not be possible to do something extravagant, but I’ve found that the best received form of a thank you is an honest one.

Sticky Note or Video On?

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Be honest – how many of you have a sticky note covering the camera on your laptop?

Even if you don’t, I’ll bet half your team does…or wishes they could!

My husband is one of those “sticky note” people. I got used to being “video on” during meetings. It’s 2nd nature to our kids!

So what’s going on? Why do some of us prefer video on, and some can’t stand it?

Some of it is personality based. But part of the difference is generational.

If you’re not familiar with generational preferences, let me explain what I’m talking about.

I attended a project management presentation a few years ago on communication between the generations. I always knew that people in different age groups sometimes struggle to communicate with each other…I just didn’t know why.

This speaker taught us that not only is it the technology that shapes each generation’s communication style and preference, but the social norms, political environment, and economic realities during our formative years.

A really high level overview of the impact on generational attitudes toward work and career:

  • Baby Boomers grew up in the post-war era that supported both economic and population growth. They expect, and were rewarded for, hard work, loyalty, and following the direction of management
  • GenX was the first to have widespread 2-income households, plus economic unrest, so they tend to overwork and worry about job security
  • Millennials were shaped by 9/11 and value freedom and family over job security. They don’t expect loyalty from their employer
  • Gen Z grew up with absolute access to technology and doesn’t know what life was like before 9/11 – they live on-line and accept the security risks (and mitigations) as part of life

When you are leading your project, you’ll likely have people representing all 4 generations. And each reacts to your leadership in different ways.

For example, if you’re a new PM working with folks who have been with the same company for their entire career, it might be a struggle for them to take direction from someone who may be the youngest team member.

On the other hand, if you are a seasoned PM and your team has a lot of brand new college graduates, they may view your role as too dictatorial.

How do we work together?

The next time you have a meeting, consider not just what your message is, but how you are conveying it. If you find it difficult to reach a particular stakeholder, maybe it’s a simple generational-mismatch.

Once you know this, you can learn how to adapt. Because clear communication leads to success for both your project – and you!

…and remember that not everyone is comfortable being on camera, no matter how easy it is these days.

SQUIRREL!

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Do you remember the talking dog from the movie “Up”?

His name is Dug. (No letter “o”. Really! Need proof? Click here).

Dug was great – loyal, loving, and smart! But every once in a while….SQUIRREL!

He was effective until he got distracted.

We can be the same way. Project Managers have a ton of data to track – and we have 15 different variations of that data to report on to 10 different groups.

Plus, we need to track both time and impact of what each member of our team is working on while ensuring it is visible to them, their department, and across the organization!

We’re always looking for ways to make our jobs just a bit easier, and communication a little more efficient.

It’s so easy to act like Dug – jumping from one tool to the next. We start using one, get stuck, and try another that looks promising. Or the company decides to change the project metrics they need, and what we’re using can’t easily provide it for us…so we hunt for the next great solution.

We call this “shiny object syndrome” …and it can cost you more time than it saves.

Changing tools is not a bad thing, but my recommendation is to use 1 tool for the duration of a project. You can always pick another tool for the next project.

And although you could use any tool on the market, there is typically one main tool the company uses as standard, and it does 80% of the job. Use it. You’ll save yourself some major headaches!

Are you like Dug? Or have you mastered 1 tool that no once could pry away from you?