Viewing Posts by Yasmina Khelifi
“How to Work With Me” for Dummies
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Click image for larger view By Yasmina Khelifi, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, PMP A few years ago (when virtual meetings were less common for most people), I often presented myself by phone, explaining how I liked to communicate on a project (I admitted that sometimes, I send too many emails!)—but I didn't get into many more details about myself. Lately, I’ve begun to work with a lot of new people. Serendipitously, I read a blog that covered the importance of writing a guide that helps convey how you want people to work with you. Thanks to my volunteer activities as a PMI UAE social media contributor, I've developed graphic design skills: I decided to create a one-page display with some information about myself and send it to 10 trusting colleagues and friends as an experiment. I asked them three questions:
I don’t pretend to be an organizational psychologist, but it elicited some good, surprising responses and enthusiastic thoughts that I’d like to share with you (with humility). 1. Why create a visual self-portrait? Self-introductions are not easy to make when you begin to work with new colleagues. We often mention diplomas, certifications, years of experience and our former activities. But how can we use that information to forge a successful path for collaboration on a project? Visuals transcend hierarchical and geographic boundaries and are easily adaptable to different communication channels; some people like text, others visuals and colors. I came up with a concise graphic about myself. “It is too Yasmina-centric,” one colleague told me. “I’d like to have more advice to work with you.” Added another: “I can understand you beyond just being a colleague.” It’s not about being egoistic or narcissistic; it’s about carving out some time to reflect about yourself beyond tasks, deadlines and emails to elevate your self-awareness. You can keep your feet on the ground by triggering conversations around the visual. Of course, you must have good self-awareness of yourself in the workplace. If I had done this kind of exercise at the beginning of my career, I would have been less precise and honest. Thanks to leadership practice and training, I’ve learnt a lot about myself. With the ongoing pandemic, remote and global work is expanding, this provides a good opportunity to rethink how we introduce ourselves in a more empathetic way to ease future collaboration and avoid some misunderstandings. Beyond a project role, you can share personal things that are important to you and forge deeper bonds with your colleagues. 2. When to use it One colleague told me he would use it as an icebreaker when a new project member comes on board, but you can use it at any time during the project. You’ll have to update it, because you’ll change with work and life experiences. Every human interaction we have helps us know ourselves better, so you’ll discover more about yourself by reviewing it regularly. By sending it to some colleagues, I got insightful feedback. (One colleague I worked with for a long time discovered that I preferred working in the morning.) 3. How to use it As an individual… "When you share negative things about yourself, it seems like you have accepted them and you expect people to work around them," shared another close friend (who does not work in project management). It takes courage to write down some of these things, but talking about my “bad” traits (like tending to interrupt people) doesn’t excuse me from them; I shall improve that through self-management and learning to be more patient. But it can avoid unintentional misunderstanding. It is up to you to keep it as a personal compass for your own awareness, or to share it publicly. As a team… You must talk to the team about the benefits of this kind of visual, along with the categories you can choose to display (without putting too many constraints on it), how often the teams will review them, customize them, etc. It is crucial to highlight that this is not a static view that pigeonholes you into some boxes. This visual has meaning only with added oral explanations and in specific contexts (like how to foster better teamwork and collaboration). What I haven’t displayed is the level of adjustments: Being more productive in the morning doesn't mean I'm sleeping in the afternoon. Lile many of you, I'm flexible and adapt to the circumstances—but it is still important that I know when I'm more productive to organize the workload accordingly if I can. Working as a project manager in a multicultural environment, I know that misunderstandings can happen quickly, suddenly and for minor things. If you make the effort to clarify things from the outset, you’ll be rewarded! By being authentic and transparent, you’ll infuse an honest mindset into the team. How do you get to get to know each other in your project team? Share your comments below. |
How To Establish Your Credibility as a Project Manager in a New Environment
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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, PMP Project management skills are transferable skills you can use in any domain or environment. All of us have heard this, but I didn’t believe it until I realized the power of PM skills in two situations. The first one was in a software project I managed many years ago. More recently, I leveraged my project management practice in a new technical environment. Based on my lessons learned, here are five main ingredients I’d like to share with you in terms of establishing your credibility in a new environment 1. Accept your limits 2. Stay in your lane It's not about foregoing a general understanding of what experts are doing. It's about knowing where to put the bar. The time you will spend learning will translate to less time wasted down the line. 3. Connect and reflect More importantly, think about creating spaces in your clogged calendar to self-reflect. What objectives would you like to achieve in the three coming months? It will help you to not go astray. When you arrive in a new environment, you are also overwhelmed by names, faces, documents and information. I write down the information I get (including personal ones) to jog my memory when I need to. 4. Observe, ask and take notes In my former position, I trained newcomers. I was a reference on the team. In this new environment, I felt like a fresh graduate student with more ego. Thoughts of failure crawled in. It was not easy to accept. In hindsight, it was an incredible lesson in humility to push me to shift my mindset from “knowing it all” to learning. 5. Communicate Drawing on this lesson learned, when I took over the project role on the software team, I explained how I worked, the way I communicated, what I knew (and didn’t know) and the frontiers of my role. In both cases, I set up different communication threads:
These also provided places where I could reward some team players for their contributions. In the beginning, people didn't see the value of these communications; I was accused of sending too many emails. But in the long run, it has held. It fostered team spirit. What are the ingredients of your recipe to thrive in a new environment? Share your comments below. |
4 Signs You’re a Micromanager in Your Projects
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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, PMP Are you a micromanager in your projects? Of course not! (Who would answer “yes” to this question?) However, after 20 years of work experiences with several managers and project managers, I’ve met micromanagers—and I was also one of them. Let’s review some language that reveals repetitive micromanagement behaviors observed during my career… 1. “I want to help you.” A few years ago, I had a micromanager. He was full of good intentions and always wanted to help me. He liked to brainstorm together, whereas I needed to brainstorm alone first and then share with the team. Without knowing it, he was stymying my creativity and motivation. I tried to explain to him I preferred to work independently and that I would come to him when I needed to, but he was offended by that as he wanted to help—and at the same time know it all. Ultimately, although the work was interesting, I left the team. His help was counterproductive. I’ve also proposed (even insisted) offers of my help to colleagues; now I try to refrain from doing that, remembering that manager. 2. “You are responsible for this work package—it would be good to do this…” I worked with a very competent technical project manager who wanted to know the details of the work. He once assigned me the management of a study with external stakeholders. He delegated the work package to comply with good management rules—but couldn't help interfering because he had a precise idea on how to do the work. I asked him if he wanted to manage it himself. My question waked him up, and he was less intrusive. When I managed my first software project, the sponsor wanted to know everything. He asked me questions, which I transmitted to the software engineers. They answered them reluctantly, complaining that we should let them define the way they wanted to implement the product. They considered it a lack of trust, which generated conflict. 3. “Don’t forget to ask her to call us if she needs more information.” Some project managers also told me: “At the end of the email, don’t forget to mention that we can have a conference call if more information is needed.” I thought in silence: “Don't you think a professional who needs more information will call? Do we need to add this sentence?” (Or another sentence about an email sent to a top manager: “Are you sure he transmitted the email we sent to him?”) This excessive control translates into wordy emails that don't bring value—and it increases our stress. 4. “Copy me on all emails.” In the software project mentioned above, I also wanted to be copied to all emails, anxious about missing any information. I didn't read them all, but I didn't ask to be removed from them. It gave me the illusion of knowing all about the project. Getting out of the micromanagement trap
The way to get out of this trap that we can all fall into is to honestly express what you need to work efficiently and healthily—and also express what triggers frustration and stress. You have no guarantee that sharing this will solve the situation, but it will help avoid frustration from building up and bursting out. We want to share our work experiences and help others avoid the traps and mistakes we've gone through, but making mistakes is part of the learning process. In addition, explaining these things to a seasoned project manager may be perceived the wrong way and come across as hurtful. Mastering how to help your team without micromanaging is a top competency in the hybrid world. What other micromanagement behaviors have you observed (or exhibited)? How did you deal with them? Share your comments below. |
The Power of Diverse Project Teams (Part 2): How To Elevate Your Cultural Awareness
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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, PMP As I shared in Part 1 of my look at diverse project teams, global projects have become the norm in many industries, and a rich source of performance. Business is done in global English, so in a certain way, that influences the project’s culture. Fortunately, cultural diversity is still present. How do you become more culturally self-aware without falling on the traps of prejudices or wrong assumptions? Over my career, I’ve been asked the following questions:
These questions may be full of good intentions, but can also sound naïve. How much can we guess from a family name? Family names have histories, and sometimes you inherit a name from past generations with whom you don’t have any links; or you may have typically French names but with foreign origins. For instance, one of my colleagues I've been working with for ages recently told me her mother was Polish. As the last name was French, I wouldn't have guessed it. More importantly, how do the answers to these questions help you to become culturally more self-aware? Don't they reinforce our biases? (For the record, I was born in France and don’t speak Arabic.) Here are four ways I’ve experimented to embrace a learning mindset:
As a global project manager, it is key you discuss the ground rules and values with the team from the onset:
Include snippets of diversity learning in your day-to-day project activities with small actions; this can also be an indirect way to ask people.
Don’t push back if you feel the colleague does not want to talk. Just because the projects are more international doesn’t mean we can ask any question.
For a few years, I’ve taken part in many intercultural courses—although some of my colleagues told me that can be stereotypical. It’s true that if you begin with a course without having had any practice, you might have some prejudices. Going back and forth between practice and theory enables you to take small steps and adjust—and learning will stick. Learning languages is also my passion. Through this, I could discover a lot. Talking to people in their languages (or learning some words) forges stronger connections.
Practice makes perfect. Through working with some of my African colleagues, I discovered how their societies are mixed. They have national holidays for Muslims and Christians. They are also comprised of many different ethnicities. For instance, Côte d'Ivoire is represented by more than 60 ethnics. It gives me humility to face my knowledge gaps. Volunteering is another great way to learn as you go. You can deliver several projects with worldwide peers in a short period. Global teams raise a set of challenges, but also provide a rich human experience. What other ways do you become more culturally self-aware in your project teams? |
5 Ways to Up Your Mentorship Game
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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA Whether it’s for a volunteer association or a corporate organization, mentorship can help you learn and grow as a leader. The topic comes up a lot as I speak to different professionals and here are some of the lessons learned I’ve gained on the subject—both as a mentor and as a mentee: 1. Don’t rely only on corporate programs. A few years ago, I began taking part in a corporate mentoring program. I’d been waiting for it and saw it as a silver bullet—giving me all the answers to my career questions. Going into it with so many expectations, it’s not surprising that I was disappointed. Still, it’s still worth inquiring if corporate programs exist in your firm and exploring how to benefit from them—plus, you can become a mentor yourself. Just don’t make it the only avenue you pursue. 2. Be open to mentorship from unexpected places. When I first began leading projects, a colleague gave me some advice during the meeting: "Perhaps you should have said that instead of this.” At the time, I didn’t understand he was acting as a mentor to me. And in hindsight, I wish I’d been more grateful to him for his advice and that I’d spoken with him more regularly. It was a missed opportunity and a lesson on being open to taking direction. 3. Set the ground rules. This is particularly important if the mentors are in your work environment. Some areas to explore are:
4. Keep your word. At the beginning of this year, a young colleague asked me if I wanted to be her mentor. I admired her courage to ask and I wish I’d done the same at the beginning of my career. So I accepted without hesitation. We talked once a month on the phone and I tried to answer her questions as best I could. I was consistent—and that’s important. As a mentor—and a mentee—you must be reliable: When a meeting is planned, stick to it, remain present and don’t multitask throughout. 5. Don’t give up. In one of my work projects, I talked with a top manager with global experience. When I dared to ask him to become my mentor, I didn’t receive an answer. But that doesn’t mean you should just surrender: You can knock on other doors that will open. And eventually you’ll be part of a community where you can exchange ideas and build bridges to knowledge sharing. How do you encourage mentorship within your project teams?
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