The Intangibles of Trust, the Art of Adaptation, and Soft Skills in Team Leadership

One  of my fondest memories is that of my grandmother teaching me how to quilt. I marveled at her ability to create quilts from what, to my untrained eye, looked like a bag of scraps. I tried to emulate her style, but my work always had a forced look to it. Then, one day, she said: “Anyone can follow a pattern; to be an artist you must create. Imagine the sewing machine as a magical harp, and the quilts are music that you can see. Each bright section is a solo, and each stitching style is a chord in  accompaniment. Visualize your work with this in mind and when you pull it all together—that’s where the magic lies!”

Of course, she was right. Each piece was beautiful by itself, but the magic was pulling all the pieces together into something one could consider art. As I sit down to write this article, I can’t help but think that those discussions about fabric pieces, music, and magic were my grandmother’s way of imparting to my young mind some of the larger lessons in life. As it turned out, much of what she taught me remains true in the wider world of IT project management; for example, following a process is a no-brainer. “Anyone can follow a pattern,” but managing and motivating a team is an art you can’t afford to forget. Rigidity will quash your efforts. The magic is in how you pull it all together.…