New Year Resolutions for Project Managers
Five things to win projects and people in New Year!
As we usher into New Year, it is a good time to look back and give a thought what went well and what didn’t. Take a few things and make a commitment to our self to deliver more successful projects and make our life better. Here are five important things, candidates for your New Year resolutions.
1. Stop surprises
Surprises often create an unwanted situation that demand urgent attention and generate stress. Many times they lead to crises management which is a high energy activity draining out the people involve in it. Surprises shows lack of planning and foresight. Even if we may not be able to eliminate them completely but we can definitely reduce to minimal level.
What can reduce surprises? It is planning. Early planning helps in identifying road blocks and risks in advance and chart out a course of action to address them which in turn help us to reduce surprises. Remember less surprises mean good project management.
Let’s make a resolution that we will prepare our plan early in our projects.
2. Build relationship
Stakeholders are our key to success. It is our stakeholders who make or break our projects. Only small amount of stakeholders (our team) is in direct control of us. All others, we cannot direct, we can only influence them to support us. To influence them, we must build relationship with them. Strong relationship is built with 2 things…
- We build relationship when we don’t need them.
- Offer our help in their needs.
Building relationship takes time and we cannot build when we need them. Also people are smart and they easily recognize that we have come for a purpose and not for them. Also when we offer help, others feel credited. Rule of reciprocation works and they intend to help and support us in our projects.
Let’s make a resolution that we will make out time to build relationship and help people around.
3. Spare more time for team
Our team members are our hands that performance and deliver projects. They are effective when they are cared and provided help to produce their deliverables. They look towards us for guidance, support and growth. Every one come with “What’s in it for me” which may be difficult to speak out but if we can figure out their “What’s in it for me” and align it with projects objectives, our projects will progress faster than we can expect.
Let’s make a resolution that we will spare more time to understand our team members’ “What’s in it for me” and work to align it with project objectives.
4. Learn one more skill
Remember that we become suitable for a job after 20 to 22 years of continuous study. If we stop learning, we may be out dated and unfit for future jobs very soon. A project manager must take out time from his busy schedule to learn new skills to stay competitive, meet future challenges and deliver project better than yesterday.
So let’s make a resolution that we will learn at least one new project management skill in this New Year.
5. Stay fit
An unhealthy person can’t do anything effectively. Healthy diet and workout both are necessary things to be successful. Diet and workouts are especially important for project manager as this role could be quite stressing. Only strong people can defeat stress and stay cheerful & calm even in difficult circumstances. Remember when it is getting tough, only tough gets going.
Let’s make a resolution to get into or continue to be in right shape and stay healthy.
Making a resolution while ushering into New Year will help us to take action which we probably wanted for a long time. I look forward to hear from you. What is your New Year resolution?