Together in isolation – Reading and the Future of PM Work

 

It was late June 2020,  the great lockdown quarantine isolation have been imposed for sometime now,  to slow down the transmission. News and information on digital media has been disheartening and stressful.  It has been impossible to relax.

We definitely needed an antidote for these physcological toll that humanity was going through.

Can reading be that antidote I thought  ? Can reading bring us together even in isolation ?

And thus the Reader’s book club was introduced as an offering from our #PMIChapterXchange program. June 25, 2020, we launched the “Reader’s book club” – a digital platform for readers to interact with their favourite authors, or simply readers interacting with each other and discussing their favorite books – being togther in isolation. Our first digital reader’s club saw

Seema Giri who revealed her secret to happiness- Rebound, Reset and Realign. her book “Break Free to Stand in Your Power” and tips to be empowered in life and business.

Dr. Lynn Keeys provided insights into the Cambridge Handbook of Organizational Project Management  providing a view of organizations as a network of projects, integrated by the more permanent organization, and to move away from a focus on individual projects.

Lenka Pincot took us through a cultural journey across continents through takeaways from the Culture Map book by Erin Meyer

With the nuggets of wisdom from these authors and an avid reader, I pondered as a project manager should we consider “reading” as a competency for the teams of tomorrow ? Here is why

Progression of life: To grow, we need to learn, what other way to grow than by reading.

Improved resiliency: Reading stories of trauma, challenges brings in hope and positivity. This influences our mindset shift that enables us to keep going, thereby improving resiliency.

Better decision making: Reading exposes a reader to experiences of how others approach a problem.  This helps us to widen our perspectives and thereby make better decisions.

What ways can we as project managers leverage these digital book clubs in #futureofPMWork.

Team bonding: In the age of dispersed team, consider reading a book in a same virtual background. This gives us a sense of togetherness in spite being apart from each other.

Reinforcement of learning: Augmented / Virtual Reality book clubs, where the reader is transmitted to the plot setting can help in bringing about an immersive experience and reinforcement of learning

Increased Innovation: Digital book club can span across geographies and across demographics. Engaged in community reading with a diverse team can widen our perspectives challenging us to think differently and understand diverse perspectives. This enables a team to be more creative and innovative.

How do you think reading as a competency will evolve in the #futureofPMWork. How else do you think we can augment our team’s learning in the #futureofPMWork ? Do let me know your thoughts.

If you want to know more about the #PMIChapterXchange program comment below or connect with Priya, Lenka or Dr.Lynn

If you want to join our community on the PMI Chapter collaboration platform. Request membership here.

https://ccp.pmi.org/#/community/view/5ef874bd7db4c80069a50e75/stream

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