The curious case of the project manager who turned a weakness into his greatest strength
On his first day as a project manager at an IT company, Steve had a serious case of nerves. He was starting the job with a little secret — a secret that everyone has at certain points in their career.
Steve spent his first week filling out paperwork, meeting new co-workers, and settling into his office. Piece of cake.
Then came the second week. Assigned to lead a troubled project, Steve asked the team members for a briefing. They went on and on, expounding on their technical woes in ways that far exceeded Steve’s IT know-how.
He did his best to maintain a mask of understanding, but he could sense that some in the room were uncovering his secret. They were figuring out that their brand-new project manager knew way too little about all things technical.
Steve pointed to the clock, ended the meeting, and raced to his office — where he closed the door, fell into his chair, and began to panic.
If you could meet Steve, you’d have trouble picturing him in panic mode. He has a laid-back manner, an easy smile, and an entertainer’s ability to put people at ease. He also has superb guitar skills and an easy-listening voice that goes great with ballads.
After college, Steve worked for an environmental firm. That’s where he learned project management. Then he signed on with a telecommunications company, where he became the resident expert and go-to guy on a key software product.
It was there that overloaded project managers began asking Steve to fill in for them at meetings. He happily obliged, exuding charm while effectively facilitating the teams. He often knew less about the technical details than anyone else in the room, but no one caught on or seemed to care. Steve began thinking that his technical deficits were actually a strength — because they kept him from getting sucked into arcane project details and allowed him to focus on process issues and interpersonal dynamics.
Steve soon became an official project manager, and largely through his facilitative guidance, his teams always got the job done.
But two weeks into his new job at the IT company, while sitting behind his closed door, Steve faced a moment of truth. This good musician had achieved success as a project manager largely through improvisation. With the stakes now higher and the technical issues more complex, he would have to be more composed, more thoughtful, more strategic.
What did he do? Five things, all of which you can do too, especially when you’re in over your head.
1. Take copious notes. During team meetings, Steve wrote down key points, themes, and terms. He still does, taking time afterward to study the notes, make connections, and figure things out. This speeds up his learning process.
2. Build a network of trusted explainers. As Steve grew familiar with the technical details, he began to learn just how much he still had to learn. So he built a bond with several trusted colleagues who would take his questions outside of regular team meetings. He’d scribble their answers in his notebook, making sure never to ask the same question twice.
3. Make connections with people on their terms. When Steve needed information from the one person in the company who knew all about a particular operating system, he approached thoughtfully. The man was widely known as a brilliant yet prickly problem-solver who associated with very few people. Steve had heard that the guy was interested in all things automotive. So instead of launching into his computer questions, he started a casual conversation about his recent struggle with a bad transmission. The man’s problem-solving gears began turning, and they talked cars for 30 minutes. Mr. Touchy morphed into Mr. Niceguy and answered Steve’s questions.
4. Pose key questions to help teams get smarter. Every once in a while, Steve would ask a “dumb” question at a project meeting. These were summary-type questions aimed at getting team members to question their assumptions, see the big picture, and reboot their thinking. For instance: “Let’s step back and take a look at the overall flow here. What does the user enter, how long should it take, and how again does this information get processed?”
5. Earn respect the old-fashioned way. As the weeks unfolded, Steve followed his three rules for earning respect: always put in a full week of work, always give an above-average performance, and make lots of friends. It’s common sense that’s all too uncommon. If you can exert your work ethic and your emotional intelligence on a regular basis, Steve says, “it’s just a matter of time before you’re a necessity.”
Steve’s first-day jitters and second-week panic are distant memories. He’s currently managing several project teams, and all are rolling along on schedule.
The next time you’re similarly overwhelmed, feel free to disappear for your own five minutes of private panic. Then take a deep breath, grab a notepad, and start following Steve’s advice.
Boy have I been there and wished I had some of Steve’s good skills. He is a real problem solver.
Wonderful story! I think it’s very common for people to feel like a “fraud” sooner or later. And often we encounter this situation because we got an assignment where we had to stretch. So it’s nice to have some strategies! Thank you!