Okay, So I Got…

By / December 30, 2022

Okay, So I Got...

A popular communication technique is dubbed “The Drive Thru” Method. 


“Okay, so I got a large chocolate milkshake, small fry, and a cheeseburger. Does that complete your order? Great, your total is $10.75 and I’ll see you at the second window.”


This is a technique I use all the time. Such a powerful formula when confirming what others are asking of you, especially in a Project Management space. 


  1. Repeat what you’re hearing them ask for (tip: whether they directly say it or not state what you know to be true, it’s possible they just don’t know how to articulate it)
  2. Have them confirm what you gathered
  3. Set the expectation on delivery, follow-up, and action items. 
Finding tools and tricks can come from various places. Getting creative, efficient, and innovative is how you can go beyond what is expected or typical. 

Less ≠ Lazy

By / December 30, 2022

Less ≠ Lazy

“Doing less is not being lazy. Don’t give in to a culture that values personal sacrifice over personal productivity.”
― Tim Ferriss

Solution Oriented Language

By / December 30, 2022

Solution Oriented Language

Solution-oriented language can completely revamp your customer’s experience when working with you and their view of you, your team, and the company.


When talking to your customers (internal and external) focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. Customers typically don’t want to hear about “policy” or “procedure”. Now, you certainly need those in place for scaling and efficiencies, but focusing on solutions and phrases like “Let’s figure out what we can do here to help you” implies advocacy for your customer and can de-escalate difficult situations.


This stems from Jon Picoult’s book “From Impressed to Obsessed.”


This idea certainly resonates with me, but it also impacted my approach to some recent projects. And I believe the outcome was superior because of it.

The PMI Mindset

By / December 30, 2022

The PMI Mindset

It’s a week before you write your PMI Exam to gain your PMP Certificate. You’ve already
accomplished so much to get to this point, but you feel like there is more you need to do.

 

  •  You’ve accrued the appropriate work experience 
  • logged the required contact hours 
  • have been studying for months 
  • taking practice exams and your scores
    are somewhat decent (65-75%) 
  • but have yet to perform well (80%+) 
  • and now its crunch time. 

That was me. A historically average exam taker preparing to write the most important exam
of his life. All along, I knew that this exam was not going to test my knowledge or memorization ability.
Rather, it would test my application of the knowledge I’ve learned.


For some reason, it did not click until the week before the exam. It was clear to me I needed to acquire the PMI mindset.
Because this is the key to passing your exam! Don’t get me wrong. You need to spend time understanding the content and be knowledgeable of what the PMBOK contains. What good is a mindset without a library of knowledge to reference? What can you do with a library of knowledge if you do not have the right mindset to apply it?


You must have both. 


However, in my personal experience and in conversations with others, it is far more common to read and consume PMI related knowledge than acquiring the PMI mindset. This warrants extra attention to acquire said mindset. 

What the rest of this post contains is nothing new. It is just presented in a way that helped me pass my exam at Above Target on the first attempt and I want to share it in hopes of helping others towards achieving our shared goal. 

____________________________________________________________________


You have years of personal and applicable experience that curated your idea of Project
Management. Unfortunately, you are not studying for an exam based on your experience.
You are preparing to take an exam on what the PMI (Project Management Institute)
understands and defines Project Management to be. You will be better equipped to answer
their questions if can you think and answer like they do.


This idea was first presented to me through an insightful YouTube Channel, PMP With Ray.
Ray is a wonderful teacher that creates relatable and digestible content in preparation for
the PMP exam. In his “How to Answer Situational Questions“ videos, he discusses the 12
Project Manager Ideals. This will help define the framework required to answer each
question on the exam.


12 Project Managers Ideals


  • Holds safety, quality, and governance non-negotiable during a project
  • Holds scope sacrosanct while driving a project
  • Never bypasses steps/processes/documentation to accelerate delivery or closure
  • Is always proactive rather than reactive and always has a Plan B
  • Owns up to issues and problems rather than delegations – escalation is last resort
  • Holds every department accountable for their work
  • Questions and Analyzes every change request critically
  • Puts team before self and demonstrates servant leadership
  • Invests sufficient time to identify and engage stakeholders
  • Communicates at the Right Time, to the Right People, the Right Information, the Right Way (the 4 R’s)
  • Knows how to prioritize to meet the best interest of the project and the company
  • Knows and exercises authority and credibility in the right way to ensure best interest for all

Read the above 12 Ideals. Then read them again. In our everyday jobs there will be times
where fulfilling these ideals is difficult, inconvenient, or just not considered. But being aware
of them, understanding them, and applying them to our careers will help solidify them when
studying and taking the exam. Some may come easier than others and that is okay too. Over
time they will strengthen. Continuous development is part of any significant undertaking. It’s
also why the PMI requires 60 PDU’s (Personal Development Units) every three years to
maintain your PMP status. We need to be moving forward. Passing this exam is not just an
obstacle, but a beginning. We do not stop once we’ve passed the exam. We’ve proven we are
understanding of the material but now get to live it out. Once I finally understood this I was as
confident as I could be going into my exam.

End On A Good Note

By / December 30, 2022

End On A Good Note

Our work can be tough. The conversations aren’t always easy. Those we are working with might not see things the way we do. In our position, as change-makers and leaders, we can do our best to end on a good note.


It’s a way to leave a lasting impression, set the tone for future interactions, and it can even help build relationships. Whether it’s a conversation, a meeting, or a project, finishing with a positive outlook and summary of the change you are making can help create an identity for those involved and establish a more favorable culture. Extending gratitude to everyone for their efforts, contributions, and reinforcing the importance of the change can ensure all are on the same page and that everyone is working towards the same goal. 

 

Our world, which includes our work, is full of darkness and negativity whether we are looking for it or not. That is not in our control. But we can control and influence when and where we can bring optimism and positivity. 

How Do They Read It?

By / December 30, 2022

How Do They Read It?

When you’re communicating with anyone, personal or professional, it is helpful to put yourself in their shoes. 

Try to think “How Do They Read It?”

It isn’t revolutionary, but when practiced continuously you realize that you can tailor the same message to different audiences for greater impact. 

What context do they have? What is important to them? Am I being clear enough? Can I say my point in half as many words? What formatting am I using? When am I sending this? 
It is never a poor idea to think about others, and in communication, it is mutually beneficial to do so. 

Root Cause

By / January 5, 2024

Root Cause

Our projects, products, and people experience problems all the time. 

 

As project managers or leaders, we do our best to problem solve and then keep things moving along. 

 

But there is a difference between solving a singular problem verse one that continuously reappears. 

 

There are a few questions we can ask ourselves to ensure we are taking the best approach:

  • “Am I enabling?” – repeatedly resolving and not building up team skills or processes to resolve with out you
  • “Am I being a fire fighter?” – are you jumping in to save the day, solving the problem, but missing out on teaching opportunities or not seeing the greater picture because you’re laser focused?
  • “Why did this happen?” – Is it in our out of our control? Map the process out, don’t jump to solutioning. 
  • “Can we make this 1% better?” – you may not be able to solve or improve it completely, but can you move the dial?
Identifying the root cause can guide us in where we need to place our attention and energy.

The Valley

By / January 5, 2024

The Valley

Projects experience peaks and valleys. Processes experience peaks and valleys. People experience peaks and valleys.

 

Across the board, the obvious goal would be to promote peaks and lessen the valleys. 

 

And that is great and all. But if we never experience (or identify) the valley we decrease our opportunity to grow. To explore and experiment. To find new peaks. 

 

In the valleys, we can find new skills, scripts, and secrets. 

 

In the valley, we can create new value and have an opportunity to turn everything around and break away from the spec. 

About Process

By / February 20, 2023

About Process

“Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions.” – Elizabeth King


What a phenomenal quote. We can hope, want, and intend for the best. We can be diligent, and mindful, and desire the optimal outcome. But since we are human and we can fail, those intentions can also fail. A process can hold us accountable for the results we want to see.


Admittedly, I do not lean towards process. My initial response is to “just get it done” and being so concerned about others’ opinions I tend to communicate whatever needs to be shared and it can suffice. However, that does not scale. Because it is reliant on my behavior/time to remain the same. Now, what happens when I need someone else to execute the work? What happens when my schedule is so busy and I forget?


I believe in Progress over Process. But you need a Process to Scale. And Process can establish Habits.


Progress – Making the change you seek to make. Getting results. Building momentum. Getting your stakeholders what they want.


Process – A clearly defined set of steps and actions to achieve a particular outcome. Easily repeatable and transferable.


Scale – Grow. Efficiency. Liberty. Potential.


Habits – The automatic things we can do without having to think. How we choose to spend our time because we see the value.


As someone who identifies as a “people pleaser” (shout out to my fellow Gallup Strength Finders “WOO” folks) and someone who doesn’t lean towards to process I love to see Progress. And so do my stakeholders. It’s because they can see that I may be going around a certain established process or pioneering process-less lands to get them what they need. I’m not throwing processes in their face and withholding project momentum. They see I am an advocate for them. That is fantastic until it isn’t. When it comes time to repeat, scale, or analyze & implement, it can be challenging. There is a time a place for this type of approach, but I believe, it is best to use this approach as a tool, not the rule.


Process is one of those words that can make people feel excited because the blueprint for not getting in trouble is handed to them or they can feel allergic to it as they are being told what to do. Think about Standard Operation Procedures that you’ve been asked to execute before. The ones that were too detailed and lacked to inform you of the significance of this work can be so life-sucking. The ones that were too vague and contradictory to what others actually do are confusing and lose credibility as valuable. Processes that are clear, flexible, and informative can be magical. They can keep others accountable, get the work done, and retain the human element in the work we do. Our goal should be to find the magic. To develop a Process that emphasizes the experience of the user going through the Process.


Scale can be challenging and subjective. The way that I see it, scale means growing a process and freeing others up to spend time in other valuable places. If you do not have a Process that can be shared with others so you can focus on Progress, well, good luck. You’ll probably spend time troubleshooting, training, retraining, and spending time on work that you (or those in charge) may not view as the best use of your time.


Habits are developed. They can be good. They can be bad. Now how does it relate to this topic? Well, if we have a clearly defined set of steps that drives an impactful change that is easily repeatable and keeps some flexibility/human element to it, and you’re not continuously referencing a Standard Operation Procedure for a step-by-step instructional on how to do your job, you can just carry out the work naturally. You know that each action you do has value, you understand the context, how it impacts others, and where you have the autonomy to bend the Process for Progress for the greater good of the project. This type of situation is empowering, and accountable, and promotes a positive internal and external customer experience.


Next time you’re developing, working in, or in need of a Process try challenging yourself to think about that gray space where Progress and Process can co-exist. Think about how this Process is going to be received by its users. Will this Scale the way I hope? Is this going to establish the habits our business and customers need from us?

It Is Only The Beginning

By / December 30, 2022

It Is The Beginning

Getting your PMP is not the end… it is the beginning. 


Getting your PMP is a journey. And it can be tough. But things do not all of a sudden switch once its obtained.


Once you’re a PMP, you gain a recognition that you know industry standard material very well. It’s like you’re meeting the specification.


Meeting spec is meeting what is required. It’s not to say what is required isn’t good. It’s just not that differentiating (Thank you Seth Godin). Meeting spec and having that change nothing is not impactful.


So how do you go beyond the “spec” of the PMP?


  1. Establish that you know your PMP knowledge. Give credibility to your accreditation.
  2. Begin to set the new standard by filling the gaps (the largest gaps sit in the experience your stakeholders have)
  3. Work on this daily. It’s not a transaction. You need to continuously improve.