Reading Time: 3 minutes.
After many successful Project implementations, I believed that I am on my way to becoming a good project manager. However, I realized that I need to change a few habits to transition from an effective project manager to a Leader! Inspired by Dr. Todd Dewett’s training, below are my takeaways.
Reasons I gave myself for being that way:
1- I know I am an overachiever and I knew how to get things done.
2- I was promoted from Individual Contributor to a leader (PM) and I had this great responsibility on myself to ensure their work meets my so-called “high standards”
As a Project Manager, Micromanaging would:
1 – Damage team rapport and culture. (Without the intent of sending those signals out, micromanaging does exactly this !! )
2 – Signals my team – That I don’t trust them, they are not competent and I need to watch them!!!
My Goal :
A. To focus on the outcome more than the process.
B. I need to focus on the WHAT and let the team figure out the HOW !!
Solutions I tried:
1. Make sure that you give clear instructions and set expectations upfront! : Example-suppose I need a team member to build an API , I would explain to them what is the purpose of the API, what are the fields I would like them to include as the attributes, what should be the source from where they need to pull the information and finally by when do I expect them to hand it over to me! So, If I Clearly explain the requirement, in the beginning, I will be less compelled to micromanage. Also, I ask questions to verify they clearly understood my expectations.
2. Made a deal to check In: I controlled my urge to check on my team on their progress. It was tough to begin with and I used to check status even when 40% of the allotted time had passed, I was worried they would miss the deadline or it would impact my overall release. We follow an agile development model, I am part of the scrum calls where we discuss progress on regular basis and any impediments that are stopping the team from progressing. This gives me great visibility on the project execution and helps me update my schedule without having to question each member of the team.
But after some time I was able to control my urge and started checking in only after 70% of the allotted time had passed. This helped me in 2 ways.
– I was able to focus better on my work as it gave me additional time.
– It sent out a message to my team on how much I trust them. In the start, they were worried about why I wasn’t asking them the status, but gradually they understood and appreciated this gesture.
3. Change the Type of check-ins: Not just the count of check in but also the type. So instead of asking, let me see what you have completed, or is it done yet? moving To are you good? Are you on track? Or is there something I can help you with? Made a lot of difference.
Conclusion: Although I have seen occasions when my advice/ involvement has helped the team improve the pace of the task/ project, now I choose to give them space and autonomy which has made my team feel competent and confident and has improved the quality of the work. Just by letting go a little, I was able to see a great change in the work that was delivered.
I would strongly recommend you to add, The making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo to your reading list. You can find this book on Amazon here.
Also, checkout my other posts on similar topic in this site here.