Mentoring Project Managers. Chris Arricale, PMP, CPHIMS Director, Business Operations PMO WellMed Medical Management

Transcription

1 Mentoring Project Managers Chris Arricale, PMP, CPHIMS Director, Business Operations PMO WellMed Medical Management

2 Famous Mentor-Mentee Relationships

3 Who Said It? Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin Show me a successful individual and I ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don t care what you do for a living if you do it well I m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor. Denzel Washington No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it. Peter F. Drucker The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves. Steven Spielberg

4 Why Should I Be A Mentor? By acting as a mentor, you set the tone of your profession to those just entering it. It will help you stay informed on new trends and keep up with the times. It will get you to stop thinking about yourself all the time. You have the potential to change a young person s life. The life you end up changing could be your own. Strengthen the lessons you ve already learned.

5 Mentoring Decisions are Often Resource-Dependent Mentoring is often planned for and resourced in large PMO s..but that s not helpful for small PM teams with no PMO!

6 So What About Those of Us With No PMO Resources?? Do We Have To Sacrifice One Of These Thingies To Make Time For Mentoring?

7 NO!! (At least not if we do it correctly..)

8 OK, So I Didn t Think Of All This Stuff Myself. Much of the information on the following slides comes from a blog published on InLoox.com, a Project Management resource and discussion website Blog Title: Seven Tips for Mentoring in Project Management Author: Linh Tran Blog published: June 2015 Disclaimer: This presentation is not an endorsement of InLoox or any of their products; I am not affiliated with them in any way I just read the blogs baby!

9 So Where Do You Start? (Hint If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail!!) A mentoring plan maximizes your effectiveness as a mentor, improves PM and leadership skills, and can even help you prevent project failures The stress here is on PLAN.if done on the fly without much forethought, mentoring can cause stress and even be a waste of valuable time If we plan ahead we can leverage the ebb and flow pace that occurs in most projects Be ready for the slow downs; make them the time for mentoring Effective mentoring sessions come in all sizes: five minute chats to multi-day sessions Have a plan to accommodate whatever time the project allows Stress quality versus quantity in your plan Some things to consider when making your mentoring plan..

10 Answer Some Elemental Questions What do you want to achieve in your mentoring relationship? Define success How often will you meet? Remember to keep the schedule flexible so you can plug in meetings/sessions as time permits (go with tempo of project) What will you do during these meetings? Base your plan on your audience; is your mentee a visual learner, a scholarly learner, a see-one/do-one/teach-one learner, etc.? Communicate the goal/purpose of each session to your mentee ahead of time; keeps you both focused on matter at hand TIP: Document your progress from the start Keep a record of what worked, what didn t, and any adjustments you make along the way This record will make a great reference guide for you AND your mentee

11 Remember. It s a Two-Way Street You might be the elder in this relationship, but you can still learn a great deal from your younger protégé Mentoring is a relationship of two equals check your ego at the door before holding any mentoring sessions If you are also the mentee s boss, remove your boss hat before your mentoring sessions; confirm that your mentee understands the non-attribution nature of your sessions to maximize their participation and put them at ease** **NOTE: If your supervision relationship with the proposed mentee is just getting started, it may be wise to hold off on the mentoring plan until you feel the new employee understands your expectations as a boss and can distinguish between the mentor/mentee relationship and the boss/employee relationship

12 Advise..But Don t Become A Back Seat Driver You bring a wealth of experience and sound advice to this relationship; think about the things you wish you knew early in your PM career and share them Dealing with stakeholders (without losing your mind) Turning around a failing project (without losing your mind) You will provide your mentee with plenty of sage advice, but don t expect them to always follow it This is not about you telling them what to do.more like making suggestions and then letting them drive their own way TIP: If necessary, let them make their own mistakes Mistakes are sometimes the most effective teachers Remember some of yours?

13 Let s Be Honest.. Honesty from the both of you is a requirement if your mentoring relationship is going to be effective Use tough love when appropriate Using kid gloves to avoid hurt feelings might be easier on you, but this isn t about you...remember that Don t be afraid to give or receive honest, constructive feedback Mentees should not take personal offense.nor should the mentor Honesty is another two-way street in this deal; you have to be ready to accept honest feedback without getting defensive You need to set the honesty standard early The mentor should clearly express to the mentee the feeling that they can and should be open and honest without negative consequences

14 I Mean This in The Nicest Possible Way Shut Up Once In A While!! Mentors should not just give out advice and keep talking about their experiences A significant portion of your time as the mentor should be spent listening to the mentee s wishes and concerns.that s how you learn what they really need to know and understand Active listening and asking tough questions can help the both of you grow personally and professionally Instead of offering solutions on a silver platter, ask the right questions to make the mentee think and come up with a solution themselves

15 Don t Be Afraid To Commit Even with careful planning, your schedule and to-do lists are going to be filled to the brink sometimes It can be hard to juggle your workload with mentoring It may be tempting to postpone or put off a mentoring meeting or two until the dust settles don t For the mentoring to be effective, the mentor as well as the mentee need to be committed to it Meet at least monthly without fail Even between meetings, the mentor should be available to address spontaneous questions or concerns Use the open door versus closed door policy to let your mentee know it is OK to ask a quick question on the fly Maintaining contact and communicating regularly will facilitate the relationship between mentor and mentee developing into more than just an obligation

16 Loose Lips Sink Ships (And Kill Mentoring Relationships) A mentoring relationship should be confidential Unless either party specifically agrees to share it with others, everything said between mentor and mentee should stay between the two If this trust is betrayed by either party, the mentoring relationship will start to take on water and sink Building this trust (and not betraying it) is important because you might have to discuss office politics or the mentee might need advice on how to deal with a difficult supervisor These topics are obviously delicate The mentee will only be able to open up and discuss these things if they feel comfortable enough and trusts the mentor

17 Putting It All Together Mentoring is personally and professionally very rewarding.so go ahead, be selfish and just do it!! Mentoring takes time but does NOT have to negatively impact project time (or scope.or cost.or quality) if you plan ahead Define success Plan your meetings (frequency/location/duration/topics.) Plan to take advantage of the ebb and flow nature of projects Ensure your mentee understands the difference between your role as their boss and your role as their mentor Your advice may not always be followed, and that s OK! Let them drive and make some of their own mistakes Honesty is critical..tough love and constructive critiques should be part of your toolkit Don t sugarcoat your observations; they will appreciate your

18 Putting It All Together Never pass up an opportunity to be quiet and listen Your war stories are fascinating, but save them for Happy Hour, OK? Your mentee can tell you exactly what their weak areas are if you observe and listen Both of you must be committed to the mentoring relationship for it to be effective Meet at least monthly without fail Don t cancel/postpone mentoring sessions (if at all possible) Your mentoring relationship should be considered confidential Don t betray their trust by discussing your sessions with others AND FINALLY: If anyone out there still feels like they don t need to be a mentor (or will not ever need one), just remember.

19 Even these two fellas. THANK YOU!!