People are at the heart of every project, so what if we put people in the center of the iron triangle? If we did that, then building healthy relationships with project stakeholders would be a priority, equal to technical, schedule, and cost performance. A healthy relationship allows us to share ideas, good and bad news, and disagreements with productive dialogue. Positivity – speaking and acting with a positive attitude – can go a long way toward establishing and maintaining the kind of relationships that make collaboration easier, problems less worrisome, and life more fun. In this session, we’ll consider the personal benefits of positivity and how to extend those concepts outward to the most important people on our projects – our stakeholders.
PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership (Power Skills)
There are two fundamental truths in project management. The first is that change is constant. In this post-2020 paradigm, our ability to manage change will absolutely determine whether we thrive or struggle unnecessarily. The second is that while hard (technical) skills help project managers operate effectively, they are nothing without soft (non-technical) skills. The technical skills help get project managers going, and the non-technical skills help keep things going. Mastering these non-technical skills gives you as the project manager a distinctive edge, getting you into rooms you have only dreamed of, and then enabling you to maneuver and manage change long after you arrive.
According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, some non-technical skills that set project managers up to thrive include motivating others, conflict management, adaptability, resourcefulness, teamwork, influence, and the ability to inspire project teams to achieve high team performance and meet project objectives (PMI, p.337). These skills are required in project management, easily transferable into everyday life, and essential to project success.
But one non-technical skill that is critical to a project manager’s health and happiness in this space, is the ability to manage one’s mind. It is a rarely-discussed, widely untapped advantage, and a skill that every project manager should have access to.
I invite all project managers interested in accelerating their capacity for growth, leadership, and withstanding change to dive into the topic with me. We’ll cover how to define a well-managed mind, why it’s important, and three things you can start doing today to start mastering this non-tech skill.
PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership (Power Skills)
