Building Leadership Skills – A “Novel” Approach

Posted on April 17, 2013 by

Reading 2

I’ve always been, even as a young child, an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. I admit to enjoying fiction novels more than non-fiction books and articles, although I do read a lot of the latter. In the past, while immersed in the pleasure of reading a good fiction novel, I sometimes felt a bit guilty that I might be wasting time that could be better spent on reading some non-fiction work that would enhance my knowledge and professional expertise. However, a recent non-fiction magazine article has changed my perspective and eliminated the “guilty” part of my “guilty pleasure” in reading fiction. Apparently, a childhood hobby of reading fiction books, may also have been an unintended investment in developing leadership skills that helped be successful as an adult.

The March 2013 issue of “The Rotarian” magazine includes a fascinating article titled, “The Truth About Fiction, by Frank Bures.” The article describes the findings of cognitive psychologists that by reading more fiction we enable ourselves to better understand and interact with other people. Numerous studies of children have shown that their exposure to the inner thoughts of, and the dynamics of relationships between characters in fiction books, improves their ability to interact with each other in real life. This ability to perceive, interpret and adjust our behaviors in consideration of the feelings and emotions of others is generally referred to as emotional or social intelligence, and it is a critical leadership skill. Researchers theorize that by reading works of fiction we immerse ourselves in a kind of a social interaction simulator. Exploring and processing these thinking and relationship management simulations builds connections in our brains that enhance our ability to interact appropriately with those around us.

A study is just study of course, and there is much more we need to learn about the linkage between brain development, social intelligence and leadership. However, this notion of using the reading of fiction as a kind social intelligence simulator, really resonates with me. In an organization or a society, we accomplish important things through a network of collaborative interactions between people. The degree to which we achieve our goals and objectives is dependent upon the effectiveness and efficiency of those interactions and that depends on the social skills of the people. The role of a leader, it seems to me, is to plan, guide and facilitate those interactions to achieve the goals of the network.

Of course, we can’t indulge in reading about the world around us to the extent that we isolate ourselves from reality. Nothing can ever replace the “life learning” that we get through real human interaction, but that involves the risk of trial and error. However, what safer, less painless way to build and supplement the development of our human interaction skills, than by learning how to interact with each other through the trials and errors of fictional characters in the books we read. It’s essentially a subtle form of risk management.

So this is yet another compelling reason to encourage everyone, and especially our children, to read. Reading fiction allows us to take an exciting, yet safe ride in a life simulator, learning to be more socially intelligent, more effective collaborators and leaders, and better people.

“Readers are Better Leaders.”

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Art of Project Baseline Management

Posted on April 9, 2013 by

Baseline Art 1

Scope, schedule, organization, risk and cost baselines are the fundamental elements of a Project Plan, defining the What, When, Who, and How of everything necessary for successful project execution. The direction, tempo, resources and deliverables of our projects are driven by the plan baselines. We measure the degree to which we are successfully executing the project, by the variances from the baselines in our plan. Finally, we manage the risks to our baselines by using reserves, buffers and other methods, to protect the project from uncertainties and threats. On the surface, this all seems to be the domain of “left-brain” analytical thinking, or in other words, the Science of Project Management. I’m convinced however, that to be better Project Managers we must both acknowledge importance of, and increase our use of, a more “whole-brain”, thinking approach that incorporates the Art of Project Management. Our thinking must be artful and creative as well as analytical and logical. Most Project Managers probably don’t think of themselves as artists, but in this blog I’m going to explore the notion of the Project Baseline Management through the perspective of a “Project Manager Artist”. So, with that as a theme, here we go!

When project baselines are done well, they not only inform and direct, but as with works of art, they also motivate and inspire. Here are a few “artistic attributes” of good project baselines:
• They are crafted with skill, care and pride
• They are set on a strong, stable pedestal of knowledge
• They are designed for clear expression and appeal to an audience
• They are constructed of good quality, durable materials
• The elements are integrated to form a holistic final product
• They inspire performance and creativity
• They focus and connect the project team members on a common theme
• They are protected and maintained as a valuable asset

It seems to me that at the end of the day, this list of artistic project baseline attributes is not all that different than a traditional project baseline attributes list that we would make, using analytics and logic. The reason for that is perhaps, that subconsciously, even the most practical of us, want our otherwise utilitarian work products to also be works of art that are beautiful in their own way.

So, as Project Managers, how can we incorporate a more artistic sensibility into the design and use of our project baselines? Here are a few ideas:
• Create a project baseline vision for your project team before creating the work itself.
• Select a blank canvas for your project baseline artwork that is free from the clutter of other agendas
• Think of your Customer and Project Sponsor as patrons who’ve commissioned your baseline art work and ensure it reflect their wants and needs
• Leverage the power of the capability and creativity of the other “artists” on your project team to collaborate in the creative process for the baselines
• Make the features of your baselines, simple, clean and clear
• Present and communicate your baseline artwork in a way that is accessible and understandable to all audiences
• Monitor the condition of your baseline artwork and protect it from mischief and abuse
• Ensure that the project team is inspired to follow the spirit and the detail of the baseline artwork and that they use it to direct, guide and correct their work
• The baseline artwork should be designed to support the timeline of the project and major changes should be few. However, when significant changes are necessary they should be evaluated with a critical eye that ensures preservation of the basic ideas and principles, and implemented with the same care and collaboration as the original artwork.

I know that analogies like the one I’ve presented here can be powerful and useful, yet trivial, and even and dangerous. My intent in this, and my other blog posts, is to provoke the consideration and inclusion of non-traditional project management thinking processes that I believe will improve the products and enrich the experience of our profession. To the extent that I may have stretched the artistic baseline management analogy too far for some or you I apologize, but for the rest, I hope you find it of value.

What are your thoughts about the concept of the Project Manager as an Artist? I’d very much appreciate your comments, as well as those of any colleagues with whom you would care to share this blog.

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management, Project Baseline Management | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Project Manager Politician

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

Org Politics 1

 

 

The dictionary definition of politics is, “the art or science of influencing people.” One might argue that Project Management is also the art or science of influencing people, albeit for different purposes. So, does this mean that Project Managers are politicians? Perhaps not, but I’m convinced that to be successful, especially in complex project environments, Project Managers must have, and effectively use, political skills. This blog post explores the idea that Project Managers need to be politically aware and competent.

A Project is executed by using a network of connections between people in an organization. Those connections enable the flow of needs, ideas, knowledge, and physical resources from where they exist to deploy them where and when they are needed to deliver products and services to a customer. Most of the network connections are defined by the business organizational policies, procedures and rules. However, all organizations, over time, develop hidden workflow connections that aren’t documented or obvious to an outsider. Members of the organization, not necessarily those with the official roles and responsibilities, have learned over time to collaborate in an unofficial ways that get things done while protecting local organizational interests. This is what forms the political environment of an organization. It’s a bit unsettling to think that businesses run this way, but to one extent or another that is the reality of any social structure, including a business.

I think it’s fair to say that if you asked Project Managers how they feel about organizational politics, many, maybe even most, would say that they are all too common, and that they are unfortunate, and wasteful. I’ve heard this view and even more negative characterizations expressed by many Project Managers. Yet, it’s been my experience that whether we like it or not, organizational politics is permanent and unavoidable part of any project management operating environment. I’d even go so far as to say that poor political awareness and competency on the part of the Project Manager could be one of the more common contributing factors for poor project execution and failure. In addition, as the complexity of the project increases, the more pervasive and significant are the project politics and the greater the need for the Project Manager to be engaged in, and competent to deal with politics.

Early in my career I was worried by, wary of, and even repulsed by, the notion of being involved in project politics. I thought of it as an unseemly distraction from the real work of the business and that it stole significant time and energy that could be better applied to the real business of project management. I felt that those that took part in organizational politics were not really leading but trying to achieve their objectives through opportunistic deals and by telling people what they wanted to hear. Over the last few decades I’ve learned a lot about project politics, the reality of their presence, and the necessity of being politically aware and competent if you want to be successful as a Project Manager. Today, although I’d say I’m not totally comfortable with the subject, I have accepted the fact that politics is a natural part of the culture of any social network and that a leader must employ strategies that take them in to account and even leverage them to pursue the project objectives.

Here are a few strategies that I think will help you deal with your project politics:

• You don’t have to like being a politician but you must deal with. Get over your fear and loathing or project politics and deal with their reality. You don’t have to like them, but you should acknowledge their presence and power and be open to learning and using them to both protect and advance the interests of your project and your career as a Project Manager.
• Study to become politically savvy. Political savvy is a leadership competency. There are many sources of knowledge that you can access to start building your skills. Like most skills, however, competency comes with accumulated experience.
• Understand the political landscape. During project initiation, even before you start the project if you can, learn who the project stakeholders (including Customers, Suppliers, Sponsors and Functional Managers) are, what they say they must have, what they would like to have, what gives them pain, what their assumptions, biases are, and what they think of as Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). This will take some time and require strong social and communication skills. You will discover conflicts, tensions, and hidden agendas, but also secret hopes, unexpressed passion and genuine character during this process that will define the political landscape, at least as it is for the current moment.
• Recognize and adapt to political change. Political landscapes change as a function of time, and people and events. You must maintain awareness throughout the project and be prepared to adjust your behaviors and actions to adapt to those changes.
• Keep your stakeholders informed and “unsurprised”. You must keep your stakeholders up to date on progress and setbacks using a personalized communications approach and KPI’s that each stakeholder values and trusts. Obviously you will want to standardize the KPI’s and project status reporting methods to the greatest extent possible. However, it’s important for your stakeholders (especially the difficult ones) to feel like they are getting customized attention and information. Stakeholders are seriously unhappy when surprised with bad news. To the greatest extent possible, keep providing an on-going stream of meaningful communication, even if it includes unfavorable news about new problems and risks. They won’t like hearing bad news, but being in on the early stages of its discovery helps them to process it in a less emotional way. This allows the project politician to manage stakeholder expectations to protect the project from the distraction of providing crisis responses to surprised stakeholders.
• Develop Your Ability to Take Other Perspectives When Making Decisions. One of the arts of politics is social intelligence. Social Intelligence is the ability to recognize that others have different perspectives on the world and that you can and must adjust your behaviors in such a way that build relationships with those having different perspectives, to make decisions and create approaches that pursue win-win outcomes for everyone.
• Use the strength of your character and unwavering business ethics to guide your use of political relationships. The leverage gained through the political relationships that you build within an organization can be very powerful, and like all powers, it can be abused. Make sure that your character and ethics guide your use of this power to benefit the project, the project team and the customer, without doing harm to others.

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 2 Comments

Humor is the Best Medicine – You Know Your Project is in Trouble When…

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

Project Trouble 2Project Management is serious business, hard work, and it can be very stressful. A little bit of humor goes a long way to relieving that stress. I thought I’d offer a little of my own humor to try to make you smile and perhaps lighten your stress load a little. Coming up with your own humorous additions to this list probably offers even more stress relief than reading my ideas, so feel free to contribute.

You know your Project is in trouble when…
• Your Scheduler keeps muttering, “Let the healing begin.”
• Your Marketing Representative has red marks all over his body from 10-foot poles.
• Your boss summons you to a “No Subject” meeting at the lobby of your business.
• No matter how cynical you get, you can’t seem to keep up with reality.
• The Managing Director of your critical path Supplier is featured on the “Americas Most Wanted” television show.
• The words “inadvertently” and “inexplicably” have shown up in your last three product acceptance test reports.
• Your customer gave you a “wedgie” (look it up on Wikipedia) during your last Project Review.
• You feel compelled to use the word “Diddly-Squat” in your Monthly Progress Report.
• You receive an urgent request from Human Resources to complete a form showing how long you’ve worked at the company, not counting tomorrow.

Don McAlister
February 2013

Posted in Best Practices, Humor, Program & Knowledge Management | Leave a comment

The Never Year

Posted on February 15, 2013 by

Mikayla 2010(800x600)In most of my blogs I write about the things that I’ve learned from my experience in the business world. Some of my blogs however are more personal and talk about things that I’ve learned about myself, and those close to me. This is one of those very personal blogs.

There is nothing more devastating than the diagnosis of cancer, or some other life-threatening disease in a child. However, I’ve also learned from my daughter Lesley, that there is nothing more powerful than the love and determination of a Mother trying to save her child from such an illness. Lesley and our son-in-law Steve went through this experience with their 15-month-old daughter…our granddaughter, Mikayla in 2010. As they dealt with the challenges of that year from the many blood tests and scans, through the multiple rounds of chemotherapy, tumor removal surgery, and more blood tests and scans, the word “Never” kept coming in to my head. “Never” expecting the diagnosis… ”Never” being so afraid… ”Never” feeling so helpless and angry… “Never” working so hard… but also ”Never” feeling so much love, …and “Never”, “Never”, “Never” giving up.

Mikayla 2011 (800x600)

So, 2010 became our family’s “Never Year” and I was inspired to write this poem to capture my daughters experience and to honor her for the power of her love and fierceness of her spirit. And now, 3 years later, with Mikayla cancer-free, and enjoying life as a typical 4-year old, I thought perhaps it was time to share the story and the poem.

My hope is that it provides comfort and inspiration to the many other families experiencing their “Never Years.”

The Never Year

Never hurt so much or felt such fear.
Never slept so little or cried such tears.
Never been so angry or felt so wronged.
Never had to be the one that’s strong.
Never worked so hard, or been so tough.
Never felt such joy in the simple stuff.
Never learned so much I didn’t really want to know.
Never been so many places I didn’t really want to go.
Never knew such love of family and friends.
Never doubted the power of prayer in the end.
Never been so blessed, and as you might expect,
Never want to remember, but never will forget.

Dedicated to Mikayla, Lesley & Steve

By Don McAlister, proud and thankful Dad and Papa
28 November 2010

Posted in Heroes, Life, Love & Courage, poetry, That's Life | 5 Comments

The Myth of the Powerless Project Manager

Posted on January 28, 2013 by

powerless 2It’s not uncommon to hear from worried Project Managers (PMs) that although they are held accountable for the success of their project, they aren’t given the necessary authority to control it. They say their Sponsors are no-where to be seen and their stakeholder support ranges from ambivalence to hostility. These PMs believe they are powerless to perform the responsibilities they’ve been assigned and ask for advice. My advice?…Stop allowing yourselves to be victims and build your project authority by beginning with taking control of yourself.

Experience has shown me that most PMs that claim to be “powerless” really do have the necessary talent to enable them gain the influence and control that they seek. They are only as powerless as they allow themselves to be. In my opinion, the notion of the “Powerless Project Manager” is a myth. This blog post offers a few suggestions for PMs on how they can avoid, or perhaps recover from, being a victim of powerlessness.

I suppose I should start by admitting that those of us who have chosen project management as a career, have done so, at least in part, because we have an inherent need to be in control of things. In return for the privilege of having project control, we are willing to take on the heavy responsibility and accountability for project success. Legitimate project control and authority, isn’t positional, that is, it isn’t given to you when you get the Project Manager title. You must earn it by demonstrating to the Project Stakeholders that you have the knowledge, good judgment, character and leadership skills to make the project and everyone associated with it successful. So, if you’re pursuing a Project Management career because you want to be in control, be the kind of leader that you’d want to follow.

Here are a few suggestions for building legitimate project influence and control authority.

• Know and Trust Yourself. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses and knowing when, and how, to leverage them with the strengths of others on your team is emotional intelligence. It’s a critical leadership competency and a powerful self-confidence builder. Understanding and believing in yourself is a necessary first step in gaining influence and control authority you require to successful lead all of the other project elements.
• Build an Effective Relationship with Your Project Sponsor. Project Sponsors are responsible to the business for authorizing the project itself and for empowering and supporting you, the Project Manager. Your authority to execute the project comes from them and you must hold them accountable for making it clear to all Project Stakeholders that you are empowered to make decisions, set priorities and direct the allocation of resources related to your project. Meet with your Sponsor before the project starts to establish a set of mutual expectations. Agree on, and document, in a Project Charter, your mission, goals, and you resource control and decision authority. If you don’t feel that you have been adequately empowered to make decisions, or you are concerned about passive or uncooperative stakeholders, then make sure that the Sponsor knows that, and that both of you agree on taking immediate corrective actions.
• Build Effective Relationships with Matrix Organization Managers. If you are leading a project in a matrix organization environment, although you own the project, the people, equipment and facilities you need to execute it are “owned” by Functional Managers. By building relationships with those Functional Managers, so that you understand their needs and concerns and they understand yours, you will reduce the risk of resource conflicts that impact your project, or at least make them easier to resolve when they do occur.
• Build Relationships With Your Key Project Stakeholders. The term Stakeholder implies a person who has a vested interest in the success of the Project. If they are true stakeholders then, they should also have a vested interest in your success as the Project Manager. Do the best that you can to understand what their interests are and work to integrate those interests into your Project Plan and the processes you will use to execute to the plan. Keep them informed. That doesn’t mean they will always be happy, but the more open and honest you are with them, the more likely they will be to be supportive of your project needs.
• Know and Be Engaged With Your Project Team Members. You earn you the privilege of having control and authority over your team by gaining their trust and respect. Communicate with them honestly, and frequently. Get to know them as people…their strengths and weakness, what fulfills them, what pisses them off, and what scares them. You must do this in addition to the managing the mechanics of the project management process. It takes time and it isn’t easy, but it’s necessary for you to consistently demonstrate to your team that you care about them as well as the execution of the project.

As you can see, I believe that gaining and maintaining legitimate project control and authority is all about the art of project management. Certainly the science of Project Management as embodied in the PMBoK and other standards, but it’s the art of leadership that enables PM’s to earn, own and exercise the control and authority to successfully plan and execute their projects.

Posted in Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 8 Comments

Better Thinking About Project Management Practices and Tools

Posted on January 9, 2013 by

Better Thinking ImageThis is the first of a series of blogs I’ll be posting on the subject of Project Management Practices and Tools. In this post I offer my thoughts on how better thinking about Project Management (PM) Practices by Project Managers can make the selection and use more effective.

You may have noted that in introducing the subject matter I’ve avoided using the term “Best “, which is commonly used by organizations when describing their suite of mandated practices and tools. One of the many things I’ve learned over 40 years of working in the field of project and knowledge management, is that the pursuit of “better” provides more value and less risk than the pursuit that “best.” It isn’t that I have a hang up over grammar, or semantics, or dictionary definitions. To me, using “Better”, thinking induces a psychological state, which opens up the conventional limits that typically constrain our understanding and creativity and enables us to be better problem solvers, decision-makers and leaders.

“Best” type limited thinking about PM Practices brings with it, three serious risks for Project Managers:
• The risk that past practices may not be relevant to current situations. Project management actions that were successful in the past typically get documented and mandated for future use in the same situations. The problem of course is, that for complex and dynamic projects, even if situations appear similar they aren’t exactly the same as those of the past nor are the capabilities, experience and personalities of the people involved in those situations. I’m not saying we should ignore what has worked in the past, but I am saying that thought and care must be used in assessing the relevancy of past practices to current situations in order to manage the risk.
• The risk that valuable new knowledge will be ignored. A bias for learning is a critical competency for both individuals and organizations. A reliance on “Best Practices” may limit individual or organization motivation to search for new knowledge, which might provide better decision or problem-solving alternatives. Again, I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t try to learn from the past, but we must also seek out relevant knowledge from all sources. Project Managers can handle this risk by demanding of themselves an on-going search for knowledge and setting those same expectations for their people.
• The risk that past practices are applied in a “one size fits all” fashion. There is a tendency in many organizations to take a full-scale approach to the application of “Best Practices.” By that I mean that if the rigor, or maturity or level of sophistication of a practice can be described on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being “best”, then the organizational expectation is that 5 is the required level of application for the project. Although some practices and some projects may indeed require level 5 PM Practice rigor, such effort is costly and requires significant management attention. My experience is that most practices on most projects do not require level 5 application rigor, and may be effectively scaled down to lower, less costly levels. Project Managers, in collaboration with their Sponsors, Customers and Teams should define the practices and tools to be used on the project and agree on an application rigor level that is commensurate to the needs and means of the project.

So, my recommendation to Project Managers is to take a “Better Thinking About Project Management Practices and Tools” approach when looking for the suite of PM Practices and tools to be used on their projects.

If you are interested in learning more about the subject of better thinking about thinking, I recommend that you take a look at the LinkedIn group In2:InThinking Network , led by Dr. William “Bill” Bellows. One of the excellent activities sponsored by this group is an on-going series of free Webinars on “Better Thinking About …”. I had the privilege of conducting a webinar with this group in September 2012, on Better Thinking about Project, Risk, and Knowledge Management.” I’m sure you’ll find that your engagement with the people in this as both a teacher and a student will be very fulfilling.

Posted in Best Practices, Better Thinking, Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | 3 Comments