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Nothing succeeds like success, except in project management
where nothing succeeds like failure.
Managing an IT project is very difficult; especially the
first time you try it. The project
manager’s days and nights are filled with stress, worry, dreams, aspirations
and fear. Some first timers are
overwhelmed by their newfound power while some are weighed down by the
responsibility. But for most, the
overriding concern is to avoid both personal and project failure.
This fear is often instilled and/or reinforced by the
project manager’s supervisor. The
new assignment is often initiated with comments like, “Don’t screw this
up.” “This is your big chance
to shine.” Or, “don’t make me
look bad and regret giving you this opportunity.”
Trust me, those sorts of comments really help first timers succeed.
For the project manager, this sort of fear is not only
counterproductive, but also misplaced. In
fact, I think that every first time project manager desperately needs to fail.
That’s right. I’m not
just saying that it’s ok to fail; I’m saying that if they don’t fail, they
may never learn to be effective project managers.
In fact, complete success may set their management careers back by years.
As a manager, consultant, trainer and coach, I’ve had the
opportunity to work with hundreds of first time project managers, and I’ve
become convinced that one of the greatest impediments to their success is their
need to succeed. If against all
odds they do manage to succeed, they fall prey to the twin career killers,
arrogance and self-confidence, depriving them of the opportunity to grow and
learn.
Project management is such a complex discipline that it is
completely impossible for a first timer to have mastered all the subtleties of
task, people and risk management. In
fact, it’s impossible for anyone, no matter how experienced to have mastered
it all. The successful first timer
is invariably lulled into a false sense of security that they know much more
than they really do. They become
convinced that they are now fully-fledged managers and can take on anything.
What’s more dangerous is that they get brain freeze.
They stop learning. Why
learn when you have mastered a topic?
It can take two or three failed projects to undo the career
damage inflicted by early success, before a new project manager reclaims the
humility and open-mindedness that they started with. Unfortunately, by that time, their careers have probably
absorbed major damage. It is one
thing to be seen as making a few mistakes as a first timer. It’s another to have demonstrated a pattern of failure.
Both the manager’s image and self-image have been irretrievably
damaged.
So what does the first timer need?
- A
few big mistakes
- Permission
to make those mistakes
- Coaching
and introspection to learn from them
If you are a first time project manager, be prepared for
some problems along the way. Relax
and enjoy the ride. No one will
lose respect for you.
If you are the manager of a first timer, give them
permission to make mistakes. When
they do, make sure that they learn from them and don’t make the same ones
again. Coach them about the sources
of problems and the meaning of their failures.
It’s normal for them to have difficulties, but make sure that you view
them as training investments and not as screw-ups. Your job is to ensure that you get the maximum return on
investment for the training that mistakes offer.
Becoming a project manager is hard work, but a little
failure will help make the transition from individual producer to manager more
successful.
Paul Glen
is the Founder and Editor of GeekLeaders.com. He is also a columnist
for Computerworld and the author of the award-winning book "Leading
Geeks: How to Manage and Lead People Who Deliver Technology." You can
read more about his speaking and consulting at www.paulglen.com.
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