. Cheryl Crumb & Associates .

People Project Leadership

Background Situation

The central focus for this engineering division was product development and cost reduction in meeting commitments with the fastest cycle time. The strength of the engineering team was in their technical expertise; their weakness was their lack of knowledge on how to manage the human aspect of project leadership which resulted in project delays and the application of extraordinary, heroic effort to meet commitment.

Content

Lead and manage projects effectively through influencing others and increasing the buy-in of team members and stakeholders (internal and external)
Converse in the language of power rather than the language of weakness
Utilize behavioural style strengths to improve working relationships
Learn more from customers and colleagues by asking high value questions to flesh out vague customer wishes
Gain customer information beyond technical requirements
Understand the importance that vocal and non-verbal communication play in conveying messages powerfully and shift speaking to increase the level of buy-in and commitment
Improve listening skills since assumptive listening had caused project leaders to make assumptions
Confront conflict situations positively for resolution (vs. an avoidance tendency)
Gain a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of a project manager
Apply the four stages and activities of project management (definition, planning, execution and closure) to an ongoing project

Learning Process

Awareness takes place in the classroom, but learning occurs in action. The following process was followed over a six month period:

One-on-one pre-session interviews with participants to identify problem areas and individual concerns
Participation in a 360 degree survey instrument entitled Project Leadership Practices which provided feedback and insight into a range of observable, relevant and trainable behaviours related to project management. The survey provided a blueprint for development of project management and leadership skills and prioritized areas of strength and weakness according to what is referred to as the “Task Cycle”. The elements of the Task Cycle were Leadership, Directing the Effort, Managing Stakeholder Relations, Drive and Reinforcing Performance.
Two-hour introductory session where the instrumentation results were explained, feedback was presented, and the course layout was examined.
Five days of training held monthly
Selection of a work-related leadership project
Eight individual telephone coaching sessions (20 minutes) between formal classes to help them through the fumbles and breakdowns of trying out new interpersonal skills and project management behaviours. Each individual received an emailed report following each coaching session.
Presentation of the leadership project results to management and colleagues

Length

6 months




		People Project Leadership Background Situation The central focus for this engineering division was product development and cost reduction in meeting commitments with the fastest cycle time. The strength of the engineering team was in their technical expertise; their weakness was their lack of knowledge on how to manage the human aspect of project leadership which resulted in project delays and the application of extraordinary, heroic effort to meet commitment. Content Lead and manage projects effectively through influencing others and increasing the buy-in of team members and stakeholders (internal and external) Converse in the language of power rather than the language of weakness Utilize behavioural style strengths to improve working relationships Learn more from customers and colleagues by asking high value questions to flesh out vague customer wishes Gain customer information beyond technical requirements Understand the importance that vocal and non-verbal communication play in conveying messages powerfully and shift speaking to increase the level of buy-in and commitment Improve listening skills since assumptive listening had caused project leaders to make assumptions Confront conflict situations positively for resolution (vs. an avoidance tendency) Gain a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of a project manager Apply the four stages and activities of project management (definition, planning, execution and closure) to an ongoing project Learning Process Awareness takes place in the classroom, but learning occurs in action. The following process was followed over a six month period: One-on-one pre-session interviews with participants to identify problem areas and individual concerns Participation in a 360 degree survey instrument entitled Project Leadership Practices which provided feedback and insight into a range of observable, relevant and trainable behaviours related to project management. The survey provided a blueprint for development of project management and leadership skills and prioritized areas of strength and weakness according to what is referred to as the “Task Cycle”. The elements of the Task Cycle were Leadership, Directing the Effort, Managing Stakeholder Relations, Drive and Reinforcing Performance. Two-hour introductory session where the instrumentation results were explained, feedback was presented, and the course layout was examined. Five days of training held monthly Selection of a work-related leadership project Eight individual telephone coaching sessions (20 minutes) between formal classes to help them through the fumbles and breakdowns of trying out new interpersonal skills and project management behaviours. Each individual received an emailed report following each coaching session. Presentation of the leadership project results to management and colleagues Length 6 months