Some of the testimonials for this book swear by these 4 foundational behaviors alone to get that informal authority you will need.
Even if you have the formal title of Project Manager, you will want to exercise these behaviors to gain sincere support of your teammates.
If you get nothing else from this book, focusing on and making behavioral improvements in these areas creates a better working environment in a few ways I can think of:
1) It makes you a better servant leader no matter your position, 2) It makes you an easier person to work with, and 3) It gives your teams and co-workers a better chance to excel together with you.
Here is my takeaway #11 from one of the most useful practical books in my field, “Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager”:
11) “We’ve identified four foundational behaviors that will help you earn the informal authority you need to engage people fully to achieve the expected project outcomes…”
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Demonstrate respect
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Listen first
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Clarify expectations
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Practice accountability
Note: This comes from Chapter 2 “PEOPLE + PROCESS = SUCCESS” (page 22-23)
Story time: Someone I always say was the best active listener I have ever worked with was actually exceptionally good at all of these behaviors. I don’t know if it came naturally for him, if he grew up soaking this kind of behavior in, or if he had to work at it, but he was good. I suspect a little of all three factors. He is Filipino and the Philippines is known to be a friendly people who represent their country well with kindness, professionalism, service, and grace.
He was a business optimization specialist, who reported directly to me. He demonstrated a lot of respect from the start. We had a great working relationship because of it. We were holding calls across the ocean before that was fashionable, and my computer didn’t have a camera (Imagine that!), so we didn’t even have a face-to-face meeting, at least not while on the job. But we had great professional conversations and earned each other’s respect. We enjoyed working with each other!
At first, I thought he asked too many questions, especially when he rephrased and repeated back what I said. But I realized he was just making sure he understood, and purposefully clarifying expectations for requirements of the project, including the time he had to accomplish it. And then he diligently reported back each day in a morning call and made it a practice of good accountability.
We were basically naturally doing a 5 to 15-minute standup meeting before I knew that was a thing and we liked it! That kind of meeting was a welcome routine to get us going and keep us on the same page through our days working together. So much of these behaviors have to do with great communication and so much of project work relies on it. There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy others in a natural but professional way!
I was going to skip over further explanation of these behaviors in future posts, but I think each deserves a little more attention, because the book has more great points about these subjects, and people and our behaviors are a big part of the equation for success.
PEOPLE + PROCESS = SUCCESS!