Sharpen up
It is summer time, usually time to relax a little bit, think about your achievements, learn from your failures. Anyway you need to be prepared for the near future and be as effective as possible. To be an effective project manager takes time and effort. If you feel you’re not focused enough, try these tips:
- Work on yourself. Spend some alone time every day—even if it’s only 15 minutes to start. Try to understand your feelings about being a project manager. What type of things are you doing well? Asking a colleague to share his or her opinion on my work has always been a benefit.
- Start your day by prioritizing your tasks. Take five minutes of time in the morning—I do it over a cup of coffee. Put the most urgent and important work at the top of the list.
- Play to your strengths. Make a list of four things you do well in your job. If you’re good at delegating, for example, reflect upon the process you follow and see how you can do it even better. If you’re a born motivator, get to know your team better and think of ways they can improve as well.
- Outsource your weaknesses. Use other people to perform the things you don’t do well and try to learn from them.
- Create an edge. Ask yourself what it would take to advance to the next level in your main area of strength. Rethink how you do things and be willing to make sacrifices. Time and money spent in this arena are the best investments you can make.
I learned to prioritize tasks and not be afraid to tell the executives, “not now.” Little by little, they came to understand this.
- Find the right people. Join positive people with a commitment to improve, and your attitude will improve, too.
You can be more complete as a project manager. Read our books: THE COMPLETE PROJECT MANAGER and THE COMPLETE PROJECT MANAGER TOOLKIT or attend to our Seminar at PMI Seminars World in Chicago from October 24-27th 2017.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY but TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER!
Alfonso Bucero, MSc, CPS, PMP, PMI-RMP, PfMP, PMI Fellow