Anyone can become a better project manager. It takes intent, time and experience. However, there are things you can do to accelerate the process and as a result increase your value as a project manager faster. The more valuable you are, the more earning potential you have. In this article, I will share three powerful tactics to boost your project management game.
Summary
- Take on a ‘stretch project’. This means you should manage a difficult project that will push you outside your comfort zone and challenge your abilities. We learn the most through difficult experiences, not easy ones. The more stress and anxiety we experience on a project, the more we will grow from it.
- Get a mentor. A good mentor can have a huge impact on your progression. They can share their experience, offer you project advice, and provide constructive criticism. Be sure to find a mentor that is an excellent project manager or ideally a more senior change professional, like a programme manager or programme director.
- Get around high performing project managers. There is a saying ‘you become who you surround yourself with’. Therefore, you want to surround yourself with great project managers. Even just by sitting near them, you will at least hear how professionals run their projects. Inevitably, some of their traits will rub off on you. The more you can expose yourself to great project managers, the faster you will improve.
What do I mean by ‘high leverage’ tactics?
By high leverage, I mean something that delivers a big return on investment. If you use a lever, you expect the force you input to be multiplied. Archimedes said, ‘Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world’. There are actions that you can take that have the potential to drastically change the path of your evolution and the results you achieve. These kinds of actions I call ‘high leverage’.
Number one; Take on a ‘stretch’ project.
This tactic is the highest leverage of the three. The term ‘stretch project’ refers to a project that will stretch the boundaries of your abilities and comfort zone. You need to find a project that will test your limits and challenge you. Nothing will internalise practical project management principles and skills like delivering a very difficult project. We learn the most when things are difficult and times are tough, not when things are easy.
A big part of project management is resolving issues. With every issue you resolve, you become more experienced, resilient and competent. With a every issue you resolve, you become wiser and a better project manager. Think of it like a video game. You constantly gain experience points in exchange for resolving issues, and with enough experience points you can level up your character. Why not take on a difficult project that offers you more experience points, as opposed to an easy project with less?
A great measure of how difficult a project is relative to your experience is the amount of anxiety and stress you are experiencing! Some stress and anxiety when leading a project, in my opinion, is a good thing. It may feel bad at the time but that’s okay. Once the project is delivered you will be rewarded with a project management ‘level up’. Keep reminding yourself of this when you are going through difficult projects. It will be worth it.
I can speak on this from personal experience. When I was promoted to my first ‘lead project manager’ role I was given a beast of a project that, at times, felt like hell. Feeling anxiety, late night working and weekend retreats to the office was the norm. It was unpleasant, it was uncomfortable, it was stressful, but it was a gift! It was fourteen months of struggle in return for monstrous growth. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I got lucky with that first project.
Number two; get a first-rate mentor
There are so many ways in which a good mentor, particularly a more senior one, can help you level up your project management game. Here are just some of them.
- They can share their experiences and lessons learned
- They can answer your questions about project management
- They can help you solve problems
- They can provide constructive feedback
- They can push you to do better
- They can be your advocate
- They can help you secure the good projects
- They may be able to influence your progression
However, it is important that you find the right mentor. Unfortunately, many people will volunteer to be mentors when they are not particularly good at their jobs. If you want to get the highest return on your investment (time spent with your mentor), you want the best to be your mentor. They should be a company star, if possible. By star, I mean someone who shines and stands out. At a minimum, you want to find someone who is currently a first-class project manager with a lot of experience. Ideally, you want someone who has project management experience but has progressed their career in change management, like a programme manager or programme director.
You may be apprehensive about asking someone to be your mentor. However, in my experience, company stars understand the importance of mentorship and are willing to help. Once you have a mentor, don’t waste their time. Don’t break appointments. Don’t be late. Listen carefully and if they suggest that you do something, always do it!
If you get a good mentor, it will make a huge difference to your growth. It’s a high leverage move.
Number three; sit with high performing project managers.
There is a saying that goes ‘you become the people that you surround yourself with’. A similar saying is ‘you are the average of your closest five friends’. Whether we like to admit it or not, we humans are very influenced by the people close to us. The more time we spend with them, the more of their traits and mannerisms we pick up. It’s almost inevitable.
So, if you are going to become the people that you surround yourself with, why not surround yourself with great project managers? Ideally, you would want to join a team or department of project managers that has a reputation for being excellent. If you can’t join their team, ask if you can sit with them, even for one day a week. Just being in their proximity will have an effect. You will hear how they run their meetings, how they lead their teams and how they engage with their stakeholders. Some of these traits will eventually rub off on you. If you are in a team of top performers who are all on a higher level than you, they will pull you up. Automatically. Conversely, if you are in a team of bottom performers, they will pull you down.
Conclusion
There are many ways to get better as project manager, but does it not make sense to employ the most powerful ones? If you do these three things, and do them right, I promise you that your project manager skills and abilities will improve much faster, and your career prospects will be much greater.
This brings us to the end of the article. Thanks for staying with me, and I look forward to sharing more project management content with you next time.
Project Manaverse 