Three ways to drive success in project management
At Manta Ray Consulting, we passionately believe in the power of a lifelong-learner mindset. Whether you’re a seasoned project manager or newbie, continuous learning is imperative to acquire the knowledge, experiences and competencies needed to drive success. It’s what allows you to remain relevant and poised to pivot to late-breaking advancements, trends and tools. Based on learnings gleaned from our lived experiences and mentoring relationships, we believe that success as a PM is about more than effectively overseeing costs, schedules and scopes; it’s also about cultivating a supportive people-first culture and community.
When you take on the role of PM, your most important contribution is not only to seamlessly execute a project from start to finish but also to be your team's biggest cheerleader. This involves understanding the unique talents of each individual team member, getting people excited about their work, and inspiring critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity.
Here are three ways to foster a supportive, inclusive and collaborative environment that inspires your team to reach their full potential.
Introduce and nurture a shared purpose
It’s important to remember that our teams are greater than the sum of their parts, and it’s vital that PMs feel motivated to create a shared purpose for their project—a purpose that each team member can keep top of mind each month, week and day until the project is complete. In addition to helping the team stay focused and make informed decisions that meet the objective(s) set out at the start of the project, a shared purpose fosters a sense of togetherness.
The ability to identify where you want to go, communicate to your team(s), and continually lead them to their destination will drive your team toward success.
Incentivize team creativity
While creativity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about project management, a successful PM must foster an environment where individual ideas are heard, considered, supported and encouraged. Over the years, we’ve learned that it’s critical to embrace new ways of thinking and working if we want to drive our industry forward.
To encourage creative thinking among team members, we encourage PMs to uplift team members’ voices by personally connecting with individuals to learn about their expectations and goals and new ways to think about and approach a project. Through connection and empathy, the team will feel comfortable and empowered to share their opinions and ideas, and ultimately motivated to do their best work. After all, there is no “I” in team.
Remember, you are your team’s biggest advocate. Celebrate all ideas—the biggest and the smallest.
Know when to say yes and when to say no
The responsibility of saying yes or no often falls on the PM’s shoulders. Whether it’s a request from a team member, an executive or even yourself, it can be daunting to break the unfortunate news that an idea or request cannot move forward.
We’ve found that in these tough situations, you have to be empathetic and compassionate and provide measurable reasoning for your decisions. While most PMs are reluctant to say no, it’s essential to be conscious about the potential risks of saying yes. Most important, the decision must be feasible for you and for your team. You also need to be prepared to explain why you said yes to a proposition and not an alternative one.
We appreciate our project management community and are always seeking tips from our peers. We firmly believe that there is always room to grow and learn from one another. We’d love to hear what has helped drive success for you as a PM.