In this podcast episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss vital project management strategies, focusing primarily on leadership and human behavior aspects. They share personal experiences and lessons learned in project management, emphasizing the importance of knowing oneself, seeking help when needed, and the value of mentorship and hands-on experience. By analyzing their early career challenges and the advice received from their seniors and peers, they underline the significance of learning from every situation, regardless if it's a success or failure. The conversation also touches on the contrast between managing projects strictly by the book and the benefits of incorporating leadership skills to enhance team success, client satisfaction, and personal growth. This episode aims to inspire current and aspiring project managers by showcasing how leadership qualities can significantly impact project outcomes and team dynamics.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help
• Challenge through questions and observations of the actions taken
• Practical applications from learning how to ride a bike
• Project management moves from the autocratic to the collaborative
• The power of developing relationships

 

Show Notes

 Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches - Stories of Growth and Guidance

00:53 Merv talks about his first project management experience (he had had numerous project lead positions to this point in his career, but this was his first PM role on a mor project), where he very quickly realized that he was a little over his head. He did what is too often unnatural for an IT project manager – he asked for help.

• Leadership tip: Know thyself!
• Leadership tip #2: as a leader, look where you can provide help when it is needed.
• Leadership tip #3: place team members where they can succeed.

05:35 Tim recounts how early in his career he had a supervisor who would challenge him through asking questions – questions meant for his learning and further action. The test in these questions was to help Tim learn from the actions taken, whether successful or not.

7:54 Practical application from learning how to ride a bike as a child.

10:56 Merv describes the evolution of project management practices as he personally witnessed it over four decades. He saw the progression from manage the project to deliver at all cost to lead the team to deliver better product for customer satisfaction.

16:14 Tim tells of the wisdom of a director in his consulting organization who effectively led his teams through a reorganization. It showed the importance of establishing relationships among the team members so that the team would continue with current project work through such disruption.

18:45 Project managers can learn to reflect on leadership lessons by establishing a mindset that finds a teachable moment no matter the situation.

19:24 Project managers learn to lead by first learning to lead themselves.