Finish What You Start (It’s more than a predecessor type)
I think back to the .com era of our economy. There was a span of about 2.5 years where I was working as a project manager, or person brought in to roll out project manager in an organization. During this 2.5 year period the majority of the initiatives I was on were very risky. We would get close to launching and the company would get bought, the CIO would get fired and his projects as a result deprioritized, etc….
One of the things I think I really enjoy as a project, program or portfolio manager is seeing something come to reality. In that 2.5 year period the environments I was in kept resulting in the stand down option. I admit, it really started to mess with me. I liked to finish things, I liked to build things. I liked to see things complete and DONE.
There is something to be said for crossing the finish line. I preach to my kids a number of things. The ten knowledge areas in the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013, how to do the forward backward pass analysis, take care of people, suck it up and a very important, down in the details item as well. That is to focus on results, not effort.
I think often the project manager can get caught up in the effort and lose focus on results. Results get you across the finish line. Effort can as well, but it can also simply keep people busy, which doesn’t necessarily produce results.
Remember the next time you are interacting with a team member, a sponsor, or your kids for that matter, to focus on results, not just effort. This works not just in the work place and life, but in exam preparation as well.
One of our Trainers, Greg Shetler, tells his students to not study a certain amount of time each evening, but to set a study goal and when it’s accomplished call it an evening. Results, not just effort.
In closing, if you are reading this, then we have finished the rollout of our new website platform. Feel free to send us any comments about it, or our products and courses at info@crosswindpm.com
Down the road we will discuss ASAP project management, virtual live learning, checklists, and quality tools/charts. Until then, remember to focus on progress and results.
Regards,
Tony