Earning Trust through Power You Own

The Practical Project Manager earns trust through power:  positional power (you are the boss), expertise power (you do what you do very well), and/or relationship power (people trust you will get the job done).

Because project managers are often "on loan" or allocated to projects, they often must lead teams without real positional power.  Starting with a new team, a track record is not evident which makes it difficult to demonstrate expertise.  

Earning trust through the power of relationships is often the best and quickest way to establish the power you own.  Build your relationship power today:

• Do you validate and respect others' points of view?
• Do you meet, greet, and seek out people you are depending on and people depending on you?
• Are you setting the tone? There is no reason to be mean or angry even in the most difficult situations. Face difficulties with professionalism and dignity.
• Are you building relationships and friendships, being careful about "mixing business with pleasure"?
• Are you listening more, speaking less? Assume the speaker is right when listening; you will learn more and actually hear what they are saying
• Follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

New Year, New Energy

With the new year upon us, now is a great time to get re-grounded in what every project manager should focus on every day.

Take a moment this week to check your focus:

#1 Earn the Trust of Others
Are your relationships solid, spirit positive, people engaged, communication clear?
What value are you creating?

#2 Balance the Three-Legged Stool

What tools do you have in place to balance time, cost, and quality?

#3 Know the Difference

How do you manage and communicate Risks, Issues, Actions?

#4 Get the Right Stuff
How do you define requirements and make decisions?
Do you have a good return on investment in equipment and staff procurement?
Do you have a good decision-making and action-taking team in place?

#5 Don’t Work in a Vacuum

What are you integration points? 

Who do you depend on? 

What scope of work is really needed? 

Do you know when to stop a project that is not creating value?


Refer to the Practical Project Manager's entire blog here.  Have a safe, prosperous, and healthy new year!