I have wanted to write this article for some
time because I know how important this is to project managers. In IT, the days
are long but fast and there is no time to relax. One topic that comes up very
often is the question of whether you run a project in the waterfall method or
run an agile project. With things moving so fast, ALL projects are agile
projects. You meet every day, sometimes several times a day. You discuss tasks,
risks, issues and constraints constantly. And you speak on every project with
every project member of every project, ensuring that there are no fires to put
out. PMs are so stressed these days that taking Valium may be on the daily menu
(joking of course).
So how does a PM stay or get calm? I have
found the older methods of counting to ten or conduction breathing exercises
works. But there are better reasons why a PM should stay or become calm. Your
project team looks to you as their leader and if their leader is panicked, they
become panicked. This is not what any PM wants.
Cooler heads make better decisions
When we are not focused on the exact issue
and upset or angry about an issue or situation, we often make bad choices. This
is common knowledge, but not common practice. One of the best methods I have
learned to do is to take a step back and breathe, then after about 15 minutes
or so then respond. Now this works great in theory, but in practice there are
times you are expected to respond immediately. You should do so, but read your
response back aloud and think how the recipient will respond when reading your
email.
During a meeting, it is best to just
listen, breathe and then calmly respond to an individual. If you are perceived
as the calm and level headed person, your advice will be taken more seriously.
You don’t want to look like you don’t have
the patience to make level -headed decisions. You want to come across as
thoughtful and introspective about decision making.
The project team likes to see calm and
control, even if you’re screaming inside
The most important aspect of calming
yourself is how you are viewed by colleagues and project team members. People
want to follow a leader that actual knows how to lead even in difficult
situations. This is again common knowledge but not common practice.
I have seen PMs do remarkable things in
very challenging situations. I have also seen PMs make horrible mistakes when
rushing. I know that there are some projects that demand quick decisions. In
these cases, the PM has to make the best choice at the time with the
information given at that time. You will be second-guessed and you will come
under scrutiny. Stay calm and make the best decision you can make with the
information you have at that time. Document that decision and present it
calmly. You will come under fire by individuals who think that a better
decision could have been made. This is usually claimed by individuals who were
no where near the scene when the decision had to be made. Stay calm anyway.
Leaders don’t seek revenge or to disparage those that try to disparage you. If
you can prove that you made a decision with the availbale data at that time and
document it, you can withstand any criticism.
Make this the norm
I cannot stress this enough – MAKE THIS THE
NORM!! Yes, I just screamed. No, it was not out of angst. Time and time again,
I see PMs make the same error when responding to critical issues that need
responses immediately. This does not reflect well on our profession and the PMs
that continue this must be counseled. Now, I know that there are times that
decisions must be made quckly and sometimes without very much data. However,
that is becoming the exception not the norm. So, the PM has to collect all the
available data and review the decision, preferably with the project team.
I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at benny@bennythepm.com. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.
Good advice, Benny, as always. One of my partners (from a long time ago) use to say, "if you need a decision now, the answer is no. But if you can wait a bit it may be yes." Not all decisions have to be made on the spot and under duress.
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