Perspective PM

A List of Don'ts for Presenters

Last week I attended a seminar hosted by the NYC chapter of a prominent professional organization with the intention of sharing and adding to any wisdom I may have gained from the experience. However, it didn’t go quite the way I’d anticipated, so instead, I give you:

How Not to Conduct a Seminar

Show up 20 minutes late.

In a city like New York, "there was traffic" is the lamest possible excuse possible for being late. There is ALWAYS traffic. You should plan for that. You should also plan to arrive early to check out the venue and introduce yourself to attendees before your presentation. That way if you're running late, you'll still show up on time.

Make no attempt to look presentable.

You don't have to be a supermodel to give a presentation, but you should at least look like you cared enough about your appearance to run a comb through your hair. You may also want to ensure that your shirt is buttoned properly.

Be sure any handouts are riddled with grammatical errors and typos.

There is no excuse in this day and age for more than one or two typos in any written material. If word processing isn't your strength, have your work proof-read by someone who knows how to use a spell checker.

10 Reasons You're Not the Manager

Many of the things you can’t stand about your manager are the very skills it takes to be one.

Have you ever heard yourself saying, "This guy is an IDIOT! How could he be my boss when he doesn't even have half the skill I do? I could do his job better; why aren't I running this department?" Here's why.

1. You don’t play politics
Why does one employee get the same compliment for a mediocre job as another employee for an outstanding one? Maybe the boss knows that this mediocre employee needs to feel appreciated, or not only will his mediocre performance become terrible, he'll also be a general pain and make life unpleasant for other outstanding employees. Seemingly inexplicable management decisions sometimes have reasons you just can't see from your vantage point. When management's priorities don't align with yours, it's dismissed and disdained as "office politics."

2. You refuse to make sacrifices
Juggling the needs and priorities of your staff and the business means making sacrifices. Sometimes one option jumps out at you as being the best one, but sometimes there is no clear best option, and you're stuck shooting down a great idea for one that's only marginally better/cheaper/easier. If you've ever been accused of procrastination, you likely have difficulty making decisions that aren't clear-cut.

3. You pay great attention to detail
Attention to detail is a great attribute if you're a designer, programmer, instructor, analyst, etc. But as someone charged with the overall success of an operation or project, you'll need to keep your head out of the details and keep an eye on the big picture. It's near impossible to do both effectively at the same time.

4. You hate paperwork
Managers spend anywhere from 30 to 85 percent of their day with various forms of paperwork. Status reports, budget reports, project plans, performance reviews... the list is endless. Sounds exciting, no?

5. You refuse to take heat for others' mistakes
If you think it's unfair that your boss occasionally gets credit for your accomplishments, consider that they will just as often be blamed for your mistakes. Be prepared to take responsibility not only for your own screw ups, but for all the screw ups of everyone you supervise.

Top 10 Signs You Aren't Cut Out for Anything

Via Tech Republic:

10 Signs you aren't cut out to be a project manager:

1. You're a poor communicator
2. You don't work well with people
3. You prefer the details
4. You don't like to manage people
5. You don't like to follow processes
6. You don't like to document
7. You like to execute and not plan
8. You prefer to be an order taker
9. You are not organized
10. You think project management is "overhead"

More here.

As I commented there, most of those qualities make you unfit not only for project management, but pretty much any job that involves working with the public or a diverse group of people at all. Number 2 implies number 4. If you don't like working with people but you do like managing them, you're probably just bossing them around. That's not managing.

To me, two key attributes that separate those who might be good at project management (in just about any industry) and those who might not are their ability to multitask and their ability to prioritize. Can you separate the critical issues from the minutiae? Can you get neck-deep in an issue but still switch gears smoothly if needed? Can you decide between costing your company lots of money or hurting its reputation? Are you as willing to take the blame if it all falls apart as much as the glory when it all comes together?

If you answered yes to all of the above, you're probably a bit of a masochist. You'd also make a terrific project manager.

To PMP or not to PMP

I'm often asked if I think it's worth getting certified as a PMP. In addition to catapulting your resume to the top of a recruitment manager's pile, it often commands a higher salary and even the envy of non-certified colleagues. Yes, the PMP is a desirable thing indeed.

Unfortunately, it's often desired for all the wrong reasons, namely, earning a higher salary and the envy of colleagues. Worse, after countless hours of studying PMI's narrowly defined processes and cramming for an exam, many people begin to look at their real-world projects as academic exercises and start to get a little crazy with things like formal communication, protocol and documentation. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with wanting to earn more, and I am all for adhering to standards and using best practices. In fact, I'm a fairly active member of PMI and intend to maintain my certification status. However, only a small part of my value as a project manager can be attributed to what I learned while studying for the credential.

The two best reasons to take the PMP exam are:

1. You want a new job. If you're looking for work as a project manager, having this credential will definitely  give you an edge over the competition. The process you have to go through just to sit the exam is just arduous enough to scare off enough people to boost your chances of landing the job you want.
2. Your company said they'd pay for it. One major deterrent for taking the exam is that it's expensive. I addition to the approximately $500 exam fee, you need to spend a certain amount of time sitting in a classroom, taking online courses, or attending seminars. I spent about $3,000 on the structured learning necessary to sit for the exam. If your company offers to fund your pursuit of the PMP credential, it's wise to take them up on it. It's a good investment for your company too, especially if they have prospective clients who factor professional certifications into their vendor selection process.

If your only goal is to improve you abilities as a project manager, your time is best spent reading up on project management techniques and finding ways to work closely with more experienced project managers.