PMP – Lead A Team

By / January 12, 2023

PMP 1.2 - Lead A Team

The Project Management Institute breaks down their body of knowledge into Domains, Tasks, and Enablers. Domain is the high level knowledge area essential to the practice, Task is the underlying responsibilities of the project manager in that domain, and Enablers are illustrative examples of the work associated to the task. 

 

Lead A Team is the second task under the PMI’s first Domain, “People”. Project Management in any way you slice it requires leadership. Sometimes that is authoritative, but often it is through servant leadership and influence. We have all the ability but none of the authority. This can liberating. We can have our own spin on things. We can lead by example. We can support and inspire in ways that those in authority might not

 

People Domain

Task 2 -Lead a team

  • Set a clear vision and mission
  • Support diversity and inclusion (e.g., behavior types, thought process)
  • Value servant leadership (e.g., relate the tenets of servant leadership to the team
  • Determine an appropriate leadership style (e.g., directive, collaborative)
  • Inspire, motivate, and influence team members/stakeholders (e.g., team contract, social contract, reward system)
  • Analyze team members and stakeholders’ influence
  • Distinguish various options to lead various team members and stakeholders
 
For more go here.

PMP – Manage Conflict

By / January 5, 2023

PMP 1.1 - Manage Conflict

The Project Management Institute breaks down their body of knowledge into Domains, Tasks, and Enablers. Domain is the high level knowledge area essential to the practice, Task is the underlying responsibilities of the project manager in that domain, and Enablers are illustrative examples of the work associated to the task. 


Manage Conflict is the first task under the PMI’s first Domain, “People”. I love that it is the first task you’re introduced too. Because our projects are typically to serve “People” (the first domain) and when dealing with people you come into conflict all the time (our first task). Minor or major. As Project Manager you generally have no authority, but all responsibility. You have milestones you need to hit, budgets to manage, approvals from ranging functions. The ability to manage conflict can make or break our project. And when we start to consider the experience of team in the project is becomes even more crucial to mange conflict well. 


People Domain

Task 1 -Manage Conflict

  • Interpret the source and stage of the conflict
  • analyze the context for the conflict
  • Evaluate/recommend/reconcile the appropriate conflict resolution solution

For more go here.

Reaction or Response

By / January 9, 2023

Reaction or Response

A reaction is your impulsive reply to a situation. 


A response is giving yourself a brief pause to take a breath, remove your ego, think strategically, and calculate emotions. 

Next time you find yourself in a triggering situation choose wisely between reactions and responses. 

Creating Systems

By / January 9, 2023

Creating Systems

When evaluating systems and processes for improvement, it’s common to jump to the solution. We want to rescue the situation. Bring salvation to this annoying SOP. Optimize immediately!

 

Before you start solutioning take the time to slow down and create a process map of the current procedure. Where does it start? Who is responsible? Is it a task or approval? Are any outputs or documents needed? When is it considered complete?

 

Mapping this out creates the visual necessary for A.) confirming you understand the process B.) getting others’ sign-off on what’s happening today and C.) allowing you to mark the areas to remove/improve so you can make the biggest impact.

 

And should your new process work well, you now have clear documentation to contrast all the efficiencies and improvements.

Self Awareness

By / January 9, 2023

Self Awareness

Self-awareness can be a differentiating attribute if you work on your ability to drop your ego and truly analyze where your strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies lie.

 

 

Asking others for constructive feedback, as well as being honest with yourself, allows you to find the areas you excel verse the ones you struggle with. Acknowledging both gives you the ability to spend time leveraging your strengths and efficiently navigating around your weaknesses.

 

 

I highly encourage you to explore Gallup CliftonStrengths. This is one of the ways I have been able to dive deep into this topic.

The Average

By / January 6, 2023

The Average

It is worthwhile to reflect on not just where we spend our time, but who we spend our time with.

 

“You’re the average of the five people spend the most time with,” a quote attributed most often to motivational speaker Jim Rohn.

 

This means every person we spend our time with matters. If there is a version of you that you aspire to become ask yourself the following: “Am I surrounding myself with that type of person? If not, what actionable steps can I take to spend time with that type of person?”

 

 

The Gray

By / January 9, 2023

The Gray

As project managers, leaders, and change-makers, we need to live in the gray.

 

There are going to be things that are not clearly defined. It’s new. Unchartered. It’s not the way it was done before. We don’t have all the pieces.

 

It’s not black and white.

 

The thing is if it’s black and white almost anyone can do it. Almost anyone can comprehend a clearly defined, non-confusing, easy-to-navigate situation.

 

The value is created when we can calmly and confidently sail through the gray waters and keep the ball rolling.

 

If you find a gray area, that means there is value to be provided. That can be value in the form of tangible things like profit or intangible things like the customer experience.

 

Live in the gray. Be comfortable there. Make it easier for your team who thrive in the black white. 

The Largest Impact

By / January 4, 2023

The Largest Impact

With most things, it is helpful to identify the areas of the largest impact and then focus your efforts accordingly. 

With the latest version of the PMP exam, there are 3 domains. 

 

  1. People
  2. Processes
  3. Business Environment

Spending your time studying each domain equally would be an acceptable approach if we didn’t bother to investigate exam proportions or impact. 

 

  1. People – 42% of the exam
  2. Processes – 50% of the exam
  3. Business Environment – 8% of the exam

It is clear to see that 2 of the 3 domains make up the vast majority of the exam. It is certainly more beneficial to spend your time honing your knowledge of those 2 domains. So that way when the exam comes you’re prepared for 165/180 questions. 

 

Whether it is an exam or a personal project, don’t just identify the areas, but the impact of each. 

Praise The Good

By / January 4, 2023

Praise The Good

Throughout our day we experience a range of situations. Some are major, some are minor and seemingly inconsequential. They can be a net positive, negative, or anywhere in between.

 
Since we are in control of the way we respond we have the ability to do something that can easily get overlooked. Praise the good.

 
If you see a behavior that promotes the type of world or environment you want to live you should applaud it. Share your gratefulness. Even if it’s something you expect to happen.

 
I’d argue because it is something you expect to happen you should go out of your way to praise it. This praise is a positive reinforcement for whoever did that action you were happy to see and now that they got the reward of your “thank you” or smile they will happily continue that action. We love to be positively rewarded for our actions no matter their significance.

 
The trap we can find ourselves in is never showing our appreciation, those actions we welcomed go away, and now we are creating a story in our head that is negative because our world just got a little less bright. The other person had no idea of their impact on your day and since it never resonates with them they stop doing that act of good.

 
So next time you see something that embodies the world you want to live in, praise the good. It can be your wife picking up the kids’ toys, the neighbor shoveling the snow on the shared sidewalk, or a coworker cleaning up after working in the lab. It can be the mundane, the expected, or critical actions. Extend the positivity.

 
Oh, and lead by example.

Time Trades

By / January 3, 2023

Time Trades

Where you spend your time can show you what your values, priorities, or habits are. They can be positives or negatives. Community service and going to church can show your values. Meal planning and exercise can show your priority on health. Your weekly screen time report can highlight your habits.

 

Additionally, you make time for what’s important. Time cannot be created, it comes at the trade of something else. This is how you make time.

 

If you want to start working out, you can trade sleeping in for waking up early and getting some exercise in.

 

If you desire to develop a better relationship or spend more time with your family, you trade personal time or nights binge-watching the latest show.

 

If you want to progress on your latest project, you need to trade unproductive or unfocused time for time better spent.

 

The time trades typically take something that is easy and comfortable and swap it for something difficult, tiring, or new.

 

But if you value it, or need it, you make the trade for it. You trade things of less value to fit the things of more value. Prove to yourself and others how important it is to you by spending your time on those things.