Insights

The following is adapted from The Irreverent Guide to Project Management.

Problems are inevitable in every project. Something is going to make you slow down, miss deadlines, shift gears, change the scope of the project, or spend more money than you expected. The trick is to solve these problems in a way that enables you to keep on time and on budget.

When these impediments arise, it’s best to inspect the problem, adapt, and respond to the changes, but the best way to do that is not always clear. At my firm, we’ve learned that when challenges arise, the best way to handle them is to tackle them with what I call the “Rule of 10.” Read on to learn how the rule works and how it can get you out of tricky spots in your projects. 

Everybody, say it together: “Great leaders hold their employees ... .” If you said “accountable,” you’re dead wrong. And I don’t blame you. It’s a common, and destructive, misconception that hits at the core of human nature.

But if you want your team members to succeed, you have to stop holding them accountable.

Turnover is wrecking businesses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people are quitting at the fastest rate since 2001.

Churn within a project management team is especially brutal. When your project manager gives two weeks’ notice, it can stop the project—cost a ton of time and money, seriously impact customer satisfaction, and disrupt your entire business.

The good news? You can prevent churn within your project management team before it starts. Read on to learn how to create the right project management team and eliminate the churn.

No one plans to be a Project Manager when they grow up. Many people gravitate to Project Management as an entry into software development, or more vaguely, “Tech” or “IT.” Project Management is what you do if you’re not an Engineer. Or a Designer. Or QA. Or any of the many positions that are viewed as a “value-add.” A needle mover.

I’ve been there. You’ve got a project manager role you need to fill fast because your business needs to deliver something yesterday, or your current PM just gave you two weeks’ notice! And in comes the flood of staffing agency offers.

The following is adapted from It’s Never Just Business.

There’s a major difference between authority and leadership. Can you articulate it?

Many people can’t, but almost everyone knows the difference when they see it.

What is authority? Telling others what to do. Why? Because that way you win.

People in authority are the top dog and get the big paycheck. They’re amazing because they’re the boss. But, just because an executive has authority over their employees doesn’t mean their employees will follow them. Here’s a great example.

The following is adapted from It’s Never Just Business.

Ask any organizational leader how their team members would react to a big change, and they’re likely to say that fear would be the default reaction.

Here’s what’s funny: I don’t think people actually fear change.

The following is adapted from It’s Never Just Business.

When your team sets a goal at work, how do you track progress to see how you’re doing? Are you more prone to using a lag measure or a lead measure?

Uh oh, did I lose you?

The following is adapted from It’s Never Just Business.

What does leadership mean to you? To me, it’s about creating a culture of listeners, collaborators, challengers, and decision makers. Leadership is about enabling your team to self-actualize by giving them a voice and engaging their creativity.

Great leaders are the proverbial sounding board. By creating a culture of leaders, team members can provide the same support to each other and their leadership.

Encouraging everyone on the team to be a leader is good for the team, and it opens the door to let others’ expertise show the leader where growth and change can occur.

I recommend that you invite your team on this leadership journey with you. In this article, we’ll explore reasons to turn followers in your organization into leaders.

The following is adapted from It’s Never Just Business.

Leadership will frequently require giving critical feedback in the form of coaching, and this article will help you get the results you are hoping for from coaching sessions.Pick a team member you feel could improve in some way, but not the problem child.

It’s better to practice on a high performer, someone who gets positive feedback and because of their performance is usually overlooked from a coaching perspective.