For a group of highly technical people in a very technical discipline, the message of this years Gartner PPM Summit was, "It’s all about people." It’s all about the people who work on project teams and how we interact with them.
These few quotes are from my notes and represent only a taste of what was said over the last three days. I hope you’ll forgive any slight inaccuracies:
"Build a culture where you can have hearts and minds, not reports." —Donna Fitzgerald, Gartner
"Social tools allow us to capture all our intellectual property and share it throughout the organization." —David Held, Yum! Brands
"We wanted to share ideas more organically…" Michael Stratton, Boeing
"Those closest to the work should be allowed to make decisions." —Matt Light, Gartner
"All the employees need to know their priorities and how their contributions contribute to the strategy." —Matt Light, Gartner
"All projects are not the same and all work is not a project." —Audrey Apfel, Gartner
"The younger generation doesn’t use email—it’s all about texting and mobile technology." —Mark Langley, PMI
"All project management is people management." —Tom Peters
I have come home with an even greater appreciation for the importance of the role people play within our project teams. As important as process and method is to ensuring that projects are successful, it’s the people who do the work—it isn’t the process. As project leaders, our role is to successfully lead the members of our project teams as we manage the process. Quoting Lou Gerstner, Tom Peters suggests that the culture we create on our teams "isn’t just part of the game, it is the game." And he takes it one step further and suggests, if you don’t like it, you need to find something else to do.
When leading people, he suggests "…personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all success comes."
I have to agree. I imagine as I go through my notes and think about the things I have learned over the last couple of weeks in London and San Diego I will write more about these concepts.
What are you doing to improve your ability to work with the people on your project teams?
The ‘people’ point cuts through so many barriers that we, as project managers, may face. Underneath it all, everyone wants to feel valued and respected. Those leaders who offer that (with authenticity) can gain loyalty and a following that will lead to success.
It’s All About The Latest Trend… I devote a fair chunk of my time educating myself by reading the enlightened opinions of my betters, and even when I find something that I consider dodgy or unpractical, I usually give the benefit of the doubt to those who have been in the business longer than me. That being said, I simply cannot (well, I could, but I won’t) leave this article alone, when all these high-profile people, who are otherwise probaly smart, lose all sense of reason from the adrenaline rush of being behind a podium and spout nonsense with unwavering faith. Now the show’s over, oratory and sleight of hand are no longer effective, so let’s have a look at these quotes with level heads: “Build a culture where you can have hearts and minds, not reports.” I’ve never worked for a charity, so I don’t know how well this advice would work in that context. I -have- worked for businesses whose survival depend on making money however, and I remember one of the 10 Principles of Quality Management: decision-making based on factual data. I will gladly listen to my project managers’ opinions, sure, but when the time comes to take a decision, I -will- have a look at those reports, thankyouverymuch. You don’t run a healthy business based on your warm fuzzy feelings. “We wanted to share ideas more organically…” I’ll admit it bluntly, I don’t know what an organic idea is. I’ve never seen one before. But I’ve been around long enough to know that it sounds just like something coined by an expensive consultant. Call me a cynic. “Those closest to the work should be allowed to make decisions.” Good grief, no. Those closest to the work should be allowed, even encouraged, to provide the data that will enable decision-makers to choose the right course – no more and no less. Companies are not democracies, decisions aren’t taken by a show of hands, and information is held (usually for good reason) on a need-to-know basis. How could your average worker possibly be given the responsibility of making decisions when they most likely aren’t aware of the strategic orientations the company is considering? Without the bigger picture, this is the kind of suggestion that would throw any company head-first into the wall. “The younger generation doesn’t use email_
Julien, Thanks for your comments. Although I disagree with you, I understand your perspective_