How To Keep Yourself, and Your Team, Energetic and Engaged
From the Voices on Project Management Blog
by Cameron McGaughy,
Lynda Bourne, Kevin Korterud, Conrado Morlan, Peter Tarhanidis, Mario Trentim, Jen Skrabak, David Wakeman, Wanda Curlee, Christian Bisson, Ramiro Rodrigues, Soma Bhattacharya, Emily Luijbregts, Sree Rao, Yasmina Khelifi, Marat Oyvetsky, Lenka Pincot, Jorge Martin Valdes Garciatorres, cyndee miller
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By Dave Wakeman
One topic we don’t always consider when talking about sustainability—projectmanagement.com’s April theme—is how to sustain our teams and ourselves. Because the truth is, projects can be difficult. Mental burnout can be a factor in your success and that of your team.
Having dealt with some intense stakeholders and projects over the years, I have figured out a few ways to maintain my energy and focus, as well as my team’s. Hopefully one of these can be helpful to you.
1. Plan Out Your Day: As project managers, planning is drilled into us almost constantly. But we also know that in many cases, our best-laid plans are quickly discarded.
I have learned that one way I can control burnout and stress is by planning out my day. I’m old school and do this with paper and pen. You can use your smartphone, tablet or whatever works best for you. I like to write down the five to seven most important things I need to get done each day and schedule time in my calendar for those activities.
This practice may take some time to get used to, and you may have to work with your stakeholders to enforce a daily plan, but the tradeoff in productivity over time is well worth it.
2. Breathe: A lot is made of taking breaks, balance, meditation and other terms that can come off as too “new age” for some. But the benefits of these practices are so powerful that they’re worth investigating.
Here’s how I slow down and reset myself through the power of breath: Take a deep breath for seven seconds, hold the breath for ten seconds, then slowly release the breath for an eight count. After about four or five rounds of that, I find myself having slowed down enough that I can look at my challenges from a fresh standpoint.
3. Communicate Openly and Consistently: If you have been reading my blog posts, you know I am adamant about the idea of communicating openly and consistently. From a team standpoint, having access to information, feedback and ideas can quickly ratchet down the intensity of a project.
You aren’t going to be able to share all the information you have, but if you are open about what you can and can’t share, you won’t encounter any challenges. Just the opportunity to know that their voices are heard and that they have a forum to communicate can do wonders for your team members.
However, as the leader, make sure you don’t allow your communications and sharing to devolve into negative, destructive conversations about all the challenges of the project.
It is important that you make sure that even the negative issues find some sort of positive resolution, even if the only resolution you can muster is, “I understand that this project is tough. If we can just get through this part, things should get better.”
What techniques do you use to prevent burnout?
Posted
by
David Wakeman
on: April 15, 2015 08:02 PM |
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Comments (7)
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Strategic breaks - a must; power naps....
David Wakeman
Principal| Wakeman Consulting Group
Washington, Dc, United States
I wish I could take a power nap...oh, man. That would be awesome.
Would be great to learn to keep up the energy for 10-12 hours without breaks or a "power nap"
Patti Gilchrist
Product Manager| UnitedHealth Group
Bluffton, Sc, United States
Agree Dave, I too plan out my day with a paper & pen -- so glad to hear that, as I am another 'old schooler'! You offered really good tips. I'd like to add another one to keep teams engaged...Have Fun. Don't forget to laugh and have fun with the team. It's a great way to relieve stress, diffuse tension and re-energize the team.
Thilo Wack
Head of Existing Product and Test Lab| optimed
Tholey-Hasborn, Germany
Dave, building on what you wrote I'd like add that the power of beathe is not only in the immediate relaxing effect, but there's also a long-term benefit as you'll make better decisions compared to when you're still under stress. Regarding planning the day, I like to have one item that in any event can be done at the end of the day, so that each working day ends on a positive note.
David Wakeman
Principal| Wakeman Consulting Group
Washington, Dc, United States
Thank you for the comments...
Thilo-
I think if we learn how to use our breathe, it can have very powerful, positive effects on our ability to stay focused and be productive.
Patti-
There is a really powerful connection between writing and your ability to think. So being old school in this case, is not just being old school, it is also scientifically proven as a link to creative thought in many instances.
Rachit-
I think you may be off base with the desire to work for 10-12 hours at a clip. It isn't the amount of work that you put in that is important, but the results that you get. And, the need to rejuvenate your brain is a physiological need as much as it is anything else.
Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear David
Interesting your perspective on: "How To Keep Yourself, and Your Team, Energetic and Engaged"
Thanks for sharing
3 Important tips on how to stay and our team engaged:
- Plan Out Your Day
- Breathe
- Communicate Openly and Consistently
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