• Be authentic (don’t be afraid to show your vulnerabilities or ask for help)
• Connect with others dreams
• See in others the abilities & talents they don’t see in themselves (notice it, name it and nurture it – often we’re oblivious to our greatest gifts because they’re so close to us!)
• Speak and live with credibility (such an important point – you must lead with moral authority and walk your talk or you’ll lose respect faster than Homer Simpson!)
• Inspire with great stories (not about yourself, but about people who have overcome great challenges such as famous mountain climbers or a true rags to riches story)
• Help people to live for a purpose (there’s more to life than work; we each have, or can have, a purpose – when it’s crystal clear to us it guides us like a lighthouse. Our work can contribute or be the vehicle to achieving that purpose.)
• Create a culture of inspiration (be committed to excellence and character development, not blinkered to only look at and make decisions based on the bottom line. Chasing numbers tends to make us reactive and impulsive)

When I think of the inspirational leaders and managers that I’ve worked with over the years, they certainly tick all of these boxes. If you’re a leader, or want to be, I think one of the great challenges is that the old style of ‘command and control’ leadership just doesn’t work any more.  If you use that approach (and I know plenty of people who still do!) you may get compliance, you may get performance. But you won’t get respect, you won’t get loyalty and it’s unlikley you’ll get trust.

In these challenging economic times many corporate managers are under pressure to increase performance with less resource - that’s a conundrum that only inspirational leadership can solve.

Inspirational leadership is a core part of my Project Manager Masterclass Series, or to get beyond the theory and into how YOU can tweak your own style of leadership and management to be more inspirational please book a free Strategy Session with me. I’d love to help.

Coaching is a real buzz word at the moment, what is all the fuss about?

Coaching is an incredibly powerful process. Skilled, focussed coaching helps clients create results that matter – to the individual and the organisation.

It can cover a broad spectrum of issues from interpersonal skills, confidence and presentation skills to networking, work-life balance and management issues.  The topics vary widely from client to client, the key part is that the measures of success are agreed at the beginning of the coaching relationship, that they have meaning for the client and kept in close focus throughout.

That’s all very well but really, how does it work?

Imagine having a confidential space in which to explore your ideas, having a sounding board for issues you are facing and having someone who absolutely believes in your potential.  It’s your time for focussing on what really matters and you’ve got someone who wants to facilitate your progress.

They have a toolkit of processes and models that can illuminate your awareness, open up your  thinking and challenge you.  The coaching relationship is an intimate space, a challenging space and one where you are held accountable to your own great potential. It’s not for the faint-hearted!

What sort of people do you coach?

What drew me into coaching was, and still is, a great desire to assist people in achieving their potential. This is what drives me to coach managers, executives and project managers, to create a step-change in performance and help them achieve their potential.

There’s a simple equation that I love:

• Performance = Potential – Interference.

Great coaching helps remove interference such as limiting beliefs, lack of skill or clarity in certain areas; then people can perform at their peak.  It creates results that matter.

What’s different about you?

As a director of my own company and associate of several leading learning and development consultancies, I bring over ten years experience as a project management consultant and exposure to a wide range of sectors. I have led and managed projects for companies from sectors as diverse as financial services, energy, culture and construction in the UK and New Zealand.  I’ve coached project managers, senior managers, project directors and middle managers in financial services, manufacturing, professional services, public services and beyond.

But it’s not about that really, it’s about people. Whatever the sector I have a deep understanding of the management issues facing my clients, I have empathy with their situations and I love using my facilitation and coaching skills to assist them in making impactful changes.

Some six or seven years ago I cemented my instinctive style of coaching with the achievement of the prestigious Institute of Leadership and Management Level 7 Diploma in Executive coaching and Leadership Coaching. I guess I’m biased, but I really think this is the Gold Standard of Executive Coaching!  It was an extensive program that really forced me to dig deep, to go far beyond the theories and techniques of coaching, and right to the heart of what I could offer my clients.

When I coach clients, it’s about creating performance improvement with tangible results – results that matter to both the individual and the organisation.  That’s what drives me, I love seeing them get great results, overcoming obstacles that scared the heck out of them previously!

Beyond that, I think one of the things my clients appreciate about me is that I help them get calm and focussed – even it times of huge upheaval and pressure.  This is just something that I’ve always done, even from childhood, it’s part of who I am.

If you’d like to explore whether my coaching might help you, please get in touch by booking a complementary Personal Strategy session and we can have a confidential discussion.

So if you’ve got all of those skills, and you have sufficient experience to give you credibility in your chosen sector – how do you set yourself apart?

What really makes the difference is how you manage the people side of project management.  This goes beyond the basics of communication management and stakeholder management and into the more personal realms of how you build relationships with people; strong relationships based on mutual trust and respect.

I’ve seen project managers who think they can motivate people by fear, by micro-managing them and manipulating them emotionally.  It can even work for a little while – until you realise: people are hiding information from you, fearing your reaction; they are complying with your games and doing their jobs, but beyond that you’ve inspired very little loyalty; they are probably bad-mouthing you around the organisation, and may event be looking elsewhere for opportunities and doing their best to get away.

Not the sign of an engaged, motivated high-performing team I’m sure you’ll agree!

Contrast that with the project manager who consistently exhibits strong integrity, treats people fairly and takes time to listen when they need him / her. People know they won’t be criticised or ostracized for raising problems, so the project manager has a wonderful early warning system of any project problems or risks.  The project team pull out all the stops to meet the deadlines, knowing they’ll be appropriately acknowledged and thanked. They sing your praises around the organisation and are keen to perform at their best for you, appreciating all that they are learning from you.

Can you see how this spirit of trust builds success?

Your growth in this area is reflected back to you in the performance and results you receive from people, building project and personal success.  They also become more confident through this success, and you’re helping them build their own integrity and authenticity by demonstrating it so well.  Which then helps them build greater trust in their relationships, leading to stronger levels of success for them too.

Leadership isn’t about a set of external, technical skills – it’s something that starts on the inside.

If you want a step change in your success, I invite you to go below the surface. Technical & professional qualifications are great, and I have the utmost respect for them after working hard to receive many of them myself, but they only take you so far.  If you want to leverage your success more effectively, you’ll need to go a bit deeper.

A great starting point for this is my Project Manager Masterclass Series, or if you want maximum leverage then I do have a Mentoring Program where we work 1:1 on the areas that are going to give you the greatest leverage.  It’s not for everyone, and I do have an application process to ensure I only work with people who are truly committed to their success.  

If you want to go deeper to transform your relationships and success, and you’d like to find out how I may be able to support you, please book a Personal Strategy Session using the link below:

Book Personal Stratregy Session

Start your change today, and ensure your future is even more successful than you can imagine!

Someone once said to me ‘If you’re never having any conflict, you’re probably not communicating openly’. It’s very true. Certainly as teams go through the famous ‘storming’ phase of development, there will be conflicts brewing all over the place.

If you’re the project manager, it’s vital to nip these in the bud before emotion takes over from logic (as per diagram below). I’ll be covering exactly how to do this, and how to build win-win, synergistic outcomes in my upcoming Project Managers Masterclass Series, I do hope you’ll join me!

Managing Conflict

I’ve created a fabulous new program aimed at ambitious project managers who want to really set themselves apart from the crowd.  I help them do this through coaching them on their leadership skills, personal communication style, team motivation skills, conflict management techniques, stakeholder relationship building abilities and change management skills.

My question is … what’s the better name for the program:

1. Project Manager Fundamentals

2. Project Manager Differentiator

Or if you have any other ideas feel free to offer them!

Let me know your preference via a comment below or a tweet to @pm_coach , I’ve got a free place up for grabs for the most helpful & prompt response!

Thanks,

Joanne 

What humbled me going round the displays were two things.  Firstly how they would wreak every last bit of use out of every little thing – stockings could be ‘re-footed’; Dad’s old coat could be taken apart and made into a warm shirt for a child; food scraps were collected by volunteers to help feed pigs on local farms and so many other examples. That humbled me to think how wasteful we really are nowadays – throwing away food or clothes that aren’t perfect to make room for nice new things. 

The second aspect that really humbled me was the indomitable spirit that people had. Against these incredible odds they remained upbeat and cheerful. Not complaining, just getting on with it and doing their bit to help the country.  Wow.

We saw a display of gas-masks, along with examples of the information people were given about how to use them. At the bottom of the display cabinet was a doll inside what looked like an olde worlde divers mask – illustrating how fit a gas mask to a small baby. What must it have been like to have to put your new-born baby into one of those as you took cover from an air raid?! As a mother, that just sends a shiver down my spine.

Although we are facing major economic challenges at the moment, with industrial restructures and cuts almost everywhere we look, I can’t help thinking how easy we have it really. 

Sometimes when we’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed it can be hard to take a step back and look at our problems from another perspective. But taking a moment to consider the dreadful experiences that others have survived can help us see all that we have to be grateful for.

My challenge to you, and to myself, is to take 5 minutes every day to simply notice what you’re grateful for, find areas where you’re lucky and look for the upside.

Oh, and ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’!

(Eden Camp is in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom)

It can be so daunting can’t it?! I help people in this position to hit the ground running. Ten years as a project manager have helped me figure out how to get some quick wins up on the board a.s.a.p

Nowadays I work with clients on a one-to-one basis to help them settle in quickly and perform well. I’ve taken the common areas that we tend to work on and turned them into a teleseminar that other people may find useful. It’s called:

Fast Start to Project Success

Here’s a secret to get you started…:

Secret 2: Hidden Energy

Have you ever noticed how when you’re really interested in something, time just seems to fly? You get absorbed in the report you’re writing and suddenly realise it’s 3pm and you’ve completely forgotten about lunch?

That state is called flow, and we effortlessly perform at our best when we’re in flow. We have reserves of energy and plenty of ideas, we intuitively know what to do and when to do it. We are engaged enough to be working hard, yet not so stressed that we become unproductive.

It can be hard to get into flow, especially when you’re feeling stressed or worried. Yet with some positive self-talk you can help yourself get into flow and enjoy the benefits of working at your best. The most effective way is to ask yourself some effective questions.

Imagine your brain is like a computer, you ask it a question and out pops the answer. Your brain doesn’t censor whether it is a useful question or not – so if you ask it a question like ‘Why do I always forget things I need to bring to meetings?’ it will give you an answer, probably not a very kind one!

Whereas if you ask it a question like ‘How can I make sure I remember things better?’ it will spurt out a more useful answer such as ‘I could prepare a forward file for each month, putting agendas/minutes/notes in for the relevant days when I have meetings’.

Much more productive, I’m sure you’ll agree.

In fact, avoiding ‘Why’ questions are one of the key topics we cover. Try it for a day yourself – instead of asking yourself and others a question beginning with ‘Why’, change it around so that it begins with ‘What’ or ‘How’. Let me know what you notice.

Below are some positively framed questions, to you key in to the aspects of your role that you’re excited about and give you some hidden energy to cope with some of the other aspects that you may not be feeling quite so relaxed about. Good luck!

1. In what way does this role contribute to your personal goals and values?

2. What interests you about your new role?

3. What excites you about your new role?
(Or What could excite you about your new role?)

4. What challenges do you foresee?

5. What resources do you need to help you overcome those challenges?

6. What strengths or skills do you already have that will help you?

For the full details of how to start your new project successfully and grow your career, please register for my exclusive free teleseminar series – Fast Start to Project Success

TA can make pretty dry reading at times, I must admit, yet the theory behind it is powerful. So here’s a quick overview to improve your communication and relationships significantly.

A short study of TA  illuminates certain behaviours that frustrate you in other people, and reveals more productive ways to deal with them.

But .. but… I don’t WANNA!

Then afterwards you wonder why you feel put upon, or maybe even disappointed that you didn’t stick to you guns a bit more?

It’s your child ego state at work. All those comments you heard and learned as a child, it’s like an old crackly audio tape that sets off playing every now and again.

There are times when it is really healthy to tune in to your inner child – this is often where we are when we are being creative, having fun and being spontaneous.

Then there are other times when it’s not so healthy… I’ve got a 5 year-old who pouts and dramatises so much it’s hilarious – yet I’ve seen not dissimilar behaviour in many a boardroom! Perhaps there’s a very paternalistic boss who likes to speak over people and uses lots of words like ‘should’ and ‘must’; in a subtle shift, we find ourselves prickling at his/her approach and feeling rebellious. If he’s being the parent, we’re going to be the children. Sound familiar?

I remember a wonderful example from a training course I gave many years ago in New Zealand. I had a great relationship with the client, who happened to be the manager of the group I was to train as project managers. On the day of the course he joined the group as ‘one of them’ and proceeded to rebel against me. He was like a naughty schoolboy, rebelling against his perception of my perceived authority. It was crazy! Quite hilarious in hindsight. His behaviour was really out of character, because he was used to being the leader. (in fact I think he relished the opportunity to be just part of the group for once and hand over the reins to me for the day!)

There was something strange at play, and in recent years I’ve come to understand what it was. This is the depth and power of transactional analysis. We get into subtle, generally unconscious, games with people. If I’m the parent, you’ll either pair up with me as another critical parent (oh, isn’t the weather awful? gosh, I can’t believe Jim still hasn’t got that report finished …)or perhaps you’ll rebel against me using your child ego.

The adult ego state is the cool voice of reason. Logic, analysis, information and calm decision-making. I’ll let you into a secret – if someone is trying to bash you (figuratively!) with their parent ego, just stick to your adult ego and eventually they’ll give up their game and join you. It’s irresistible (Unless you’re my 5 year old…)

Are you new to project management? I’d love to help you hit the ground running!

Let me help you set yourself up for success.  Join me on this unique two-part teleseminar series to help you:

* Understand the fundamentals of project management – I mean real life PM rather than PMBOK or PRINCE2.  I’ll let you in on tips and techniques that you won’t find anywhere else – this is from over a decade’s experience in managing major projects.

* Know the essentials so you hit the ground running when you start your next project. Learn what rookie mistakes to avoid and how to really set yourself and your project up for success.

* Gain insights into building strong relationships with your client and stakeholders right from the start

* Learn how to manage yourself so you stay proactive and positive (calm under fire!)

* Understand all the fundamentals of project control systems so that you stay on track and deliver your project successfully and delight your client

Simply register via this link and you will get access to the two-part teleseminar series (worth over $197) absolutely free.  It’s filled with real life examples and tips you won’t find anywhere else – some things I learned the hard way… but you don’t have to!

I look forward to ‘meeting’ you on the call!  Register now whilst the teleseminar series is still free:

Fast Start to Project Success

Joanne