You’re in Charge

You’ve earned your first leadership role in project management—but do you have what it takes to be the in charge?

Ah, the thrill of a big promotion.

You’ve proven your project management prowess and now you’ve been rewarded with your first role in charge. But as the rookie in command, you need to define your role.

And that often means leaving the nitty-gritty minutiae behind. When tech giant Google researched what traits make for a better boss in 2009, it discovered technical expertise was far less important than accessibility.

“New leaders really need to be the manager of the project. They can’t continue to work as if they are still working on the technical side of the project,” says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, author of “Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around.”

Right from the start, you need to position yourself as the supervisor, she explains. “Have conversations with the team about what your expectations are. This is your job now — you need to start acting like it.”

New leaders must establish what kind of authority they actually have and what their stakeholders expect from them, says Thomas Juli, PhD, PMP, founder of Thomas Juli Empowerment Partners, Heidelberg, Germany.

Then they can figure out what motivates their new team and build up a rapport, he says. “What makes the team work for you, with you and against you? You need your team. You can’t do this by yourself.”

In many cases, though, your new team members were your peers not so long ago. So, how can you earn their respect?

If a team member doesn’t fulfill his or her responsibilities, you must address the issue. “Doing nothing will mean you lose respect,” says Ms. Matuson, also president of Human Resource Solutions, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.

The same can be said when someone goes above and beyond to get the job done. Acknowledging the effort will show team members you appreciate them, she says.

“New leaders don’t always realize that if their people shine, they shine,” Ms. Matuson adds. “You are being evaluated on how well your people do.”

And new or not, the supervisor sets the tone. The Google research revealed that the company’s managers had a much greater impact on employee performance and how people felt about their jobs than any other factor.

As you settle into your role, try to keep your ultimate goal as a project manager top of mind. “Never forget what you are measured against: managing a project to success,” says Dr. Juli, also author of “Leadership Principles for Project Success.”

Being a leader doesn’t come naturally for many project managers. Seek out mentors to help guide the way. Also ask your boss and even some team members to evaluate your performance. “It’s just another way of learning,” Dr. Juli says.

Ultimately, project managers in new leadership roles must acknowledge that not everything will be perfect.

“Expect to make mistakes — and learn from them,” says Dr. Juli. “Don’t try to apply everything you know at once, it’s not necessary. We are project managers, not superheroes.”

Figuring out exactly what you’re doing in your new role in charge can be the most daunting part of your career transition. But armed with the right knowledge, your new responsibilities will eventually fall into place.

PMI

You’re in Charge

You’ve earned your first leadership role in project management—but do you have what it takes to be the in charge?

Ah, the thrill of a big promotion.
You’ve proven your project management prowess and now you’ve been rewarded with your first role in charge. But as the rookie in command, you need to define your role.
And that often means leaving the nitty-gritty minutiae behind. When tech giant Google researched what traits make for a better boss in 2009, it discovered technical expertise was far less important than accessibility.
“New leaders really need to be the manager of the project. They can’t continue to work as if they are still working on the technical side of the project,” says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, author of “Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around.”
Right from the start, you need to position yourself as the supervisor, she explains. “Have conversations with the team about what your expectations are. This is your job now — you need to start acting like it.”
New leaders must establish what kind of authority they actually have and what their stakeholders expect from them, says Thomas Juli, PhD, PMP, founder of Thomas Juli Empowerment Partners, Heidelberg, Germany.
Then they can figure out what motivates their new team and build up a rapport, he says. “What makes the team work for you, with you and against you? You need your team. You can’t do this by yourself.”
In many cases, though, your new team members were your peers not so long ago. So, how can you earn their respect?
If a team member doesn’t fulfill his or her responsibilities, you must address the issue. “Doing nothing will mean you lose respect,” says Ms. Matuson, also president of Human Resource Solutions, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.
The same can be said when someone goes above and beyond to get the job done. Acknowledging the effort will show team members you appreciate them, she says.
“New leaders don’t always realize that if their people shine, they shine,” Ms. Matuson adds. “You are being evaluated on how well your people do.”
And new or not, the supervisor sets the tone. The Google research revealed that the company’s managers had a much greater impact on employee performance and how people felt about their jobs than any other factor.
As you settle into your role, try to keep your ultimate goal as a project manager top of mind. “Never forget what you are measured against: managing a project to success,” says Dr. Juli, also author of “Leadership Principles for Project Success.”
Being a leader doesn’t come naturally for many project managers. Seek out mentors to help guide the way. Also ask your boss and even some team members to evaluate your performance. “It’s just another way of learning,” Dr. Juli says.
Ultimately, project managers in new leadership roles must acknowledge that not everything will be perfect.
“Expect to make mistakes — and learn from them,” says Dr. Juli. “Don’t try to apply everything you know at once, it’s not necessary. We are project managers, not superheroes.”
Figuring out exactly what you’re doing in your new role in charge can be the most daunting part of your career transition. But armed with the right knowledge, your new responsibilities will eventually fall into place.
PMI

Firms must engage more with employees

Corporations large and small, which wish to succeed in the years ahead, will have to engage more with their employees and the community around them as part of efforts to develop their presence beyond just profits.

Speakers at the StarBiz ICRM Corporate Responsibility Awards 2010, who presented a dialogue at Menara Star yesterday on CR in the Workplace: Issues & Best Practice, said engaging with employees included cultivating their talent, making sure the workplace was safe and healthy as well as encouraging work-life balance.

Leaderonomics Sdn Bhd founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Roshan Thiran said companies needed to have a social purpose in order to attract or retain talent, especially among younger employees.

Star Publications (M) Bhd, the publisher of The Star, has a 51% stake in Leaderonomics.

From left: Bi Yong Chungunco, Star Publications group MD and CEO Datin Linda Ngiam, R. Sujitha Rajaratnam, Price WaterhouseCoopers senior executive director Chin Suit Fang and Roshan Thiran at the StarBiz-ICR Malaysia CR Exchange on Tuesday.

“Organisations that don't have a social mission will not be around long-term, as corporate responsibility (CR) creates shareholder value and makes business sense,” Roshan said.

He said examples of companies which have integrated their businesses with this “social mission” were AirAsia Bhd, whose tagline of “Now everyone can fly” underscored the company's mission of opening up opportunities for air travel to more people.

Roshan pointed out that other firms which have made commitments to engage with the communities around them included the General Electric Co with their “ecomagination challenge” and PepsiCo Inc, a maker of soft-drinks now moving towards providing more health-based drinks.

“Companies that want to win need to start engaging with the communities around them, this is a win-win situation as when communities thrive then businesses will also thrive,” he added.

Roshan said many might view such corporate exercises as marketing gimmicks but the companies' leadership must believe it and be seen taking proactive steps, even if it meant short-term losses for the businesses.

Predicting that in 20 to 30 years all businesses would have a “social mission” with a profit motive for sustainability, he said senior management must be seen to not only talk about CR but must be seen to actively take part in it to show colleagues of their commitment. Roshan predicted that over the next 20 to 30 years, all businesses would be social business with a profit.

Meanwhile, Lafarge Malayan Cement Bhd president and CEO Bi Yong Chungunco said one area in which the company promoted CR in the workplace was via the health and safety aspects. She said logistics safety was one area of importance for Lafarge as the company transported almost all the cement it sold in the peninsula with the mileage for one year equivalent to rounding the globe three times.

Chungunco believed companies cannot achieve “excellence in business if they cannot achieve excellence in safety”.

This was the reason why the safety and health aspect was emphasised by Lafarge. “We've a health and safety engagement every year where we revisit and re-state the policy and commit ourselves by signing that policy in every country where we've a presence,” she said.

Chungunco said the company used the spouses of the predominantly male truck drivers to appeal to their sense of responsibility on the road, where they were often driving alone.

“We ask the wives to tell their husbands to come home safe, that their families needed them, in fact we make them hold hands at our Transporters' Safety Day and make that commitment,” she said.

Besides this commitment, Chungunco said the company has equipped reflector safety belts as well as GPS systems in the trucks in order to better monitor the drivers.

Fellow speaker Guinness Anchor Bhd human resources director R. Sujitha Rajaratnam emphasised how the company engaged employees by giving them opportunities to reach their full potential.

Describing it as part of the company's human resources vision, she said “each employee will have a career development plan encompassing training and development, to encourage and enable their growth”.

Other initiatives included a responsible drinking policy, healthy living and encouraging work-life balance where the company practiced flexi-time which in future would also include a “home early” programme.

Sujitha said the investment in people was paying off. “We've delivered nine consecutive years of growth in revenue, profit and market share,” she added.