I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
PM skills for December
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Hello Reader, I can’t believe that we are already on the countdown to the end of the year! There is still so much I want to do and so few weeks to achieve it in. Here are 3 things that I’m going to focus on next month, and I thought you might like to join me: 1. Hosting better meetings Recently I’ve had a few meetings with poor attendance and a couple where I took ages to get the minutes out. I know that’s bad practice, it’s just to do with having more priority things to do instead (for the minutes, anyway. I don’t control other people’s choice to drop out of the meeting at the last moment although that’s to do with their priorities). I wrote an article about Meeting Management Techniques. The People domain is 42% of the (current) PMP® exam, so I think that shows how important it is to sort this stuff out. Now all I have to do is start focusing on them! (Copilot is your friend.) Coursera is running it's annual 40% discount, so if you're looking to build your skills in any domain, this is the time! They have loads of in-demand skills training from top university and industry partners including Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM. I've used their certificate courses myself and I highly recommend it.
2. Being more centred I think my team would say I’m pretty laid back, but recently I have been worried about work more than usual. Underneath, though, I know I’m doing the best job I can. Being centred is one of the attributes of a good project manager. Read about that and the other attributes in this article. 3. Reflecting Just this week I gave an important presentation (important in my mind, anyway), using tips from Leigh Espy in this article about presenting to senior managers. Now I need to take the time to reflect on how that went, the feedback about the content about next steps for my project. Making the time to reflect on your performance, outcomes, approaches, feelings (everything, really) is important because it helps you do better next time and deal with things in a more resilient way. What are your big challenges at the moment? Will any of these ideas help you? Have a lovely week, Elizabeth Watch the replay of my webinar with NimbleWork on how to make AI your productivity partner and tame the overwhelm in a multi-project world. |
Calling all Rebel Project Managers!
I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
Hello Reader, People often ask me how project managers can be evaluated, or what targets should be set for people in project roles. And at this time of year as leaders think about annual reviews, it seems to be even more of a conversation topic. It’s a bit tricky to provide a one-size-fits-all answer, but I have come up with some Key Performance Indicators for project managers, that you can use as a starting point for your own team. There are so many ways you could track how well a project...
Hello Reader, You know when you meet someone and they’ve got the same approach to work as you and you just click? That’s me and Elise Stevens. We don’t catch up often because of the time difference between the UK and Australia, but we have spoken a few times and the last time… well, we recorded it for her podcast, Futureproof Your Career. We talk all about... How a “two-week look ahead” can help you plan the rest of your life around when you will be most busy Why it’s important to adjust your...
Hello Reader, I can’t believe that we are already on the countdown to the end of the year! There is still so much I want to do and so few weeks to achieve it in. Here are 3 things that I’m going to focus on next month, and I thought you might like to join me: 1. Hosting better meetings Recently I’ve had a few meetings with poor attendance and a couple where I took ages to get the minutes out. I know that’s bad practice, it’s just to do with having more priority things to do instead (for the...