MEMORABLE ADVENTURE and Project Management

Dear Luis,

It is what you define as a project at the time. As you reference Steve Jobs, his mantra was "love what you do". So for him a project was only an adventure if it truly interested him and held his attention and was a project that truly would make a difference. For most of us project managers a lot of projects that we undertake on a daily basis, somebody has done them before. Finding a environment that continuously is fun, exciting and a constant adventure is an adventure in itself. Maybe the old saying 'its the journey not the destination' that should be the ultimate adventure.

Daire

Dear Luis,

It would all depend on the people around you and if they are of a similar ilk to you. Generally people of a similar ilk attract other people of a similar ilk whether its for positive and constructive adventures or negative and destructive objectives. So this is where emotional intelligence comes into play and having the ability to read people. That does not mean analysing them and trying to second guess everything they do, but having the ability to see if they are on the same wavelength as you and have the same motivations, ethics, morals and goals that you have and want to share the adventure with you. It would be an interesting exercise to see if you could build up a mental picture of the a person having never met them before solely based on the interactions on this forum.

Daire

Luis, You are 100% on target (there, I said it :).

This one strikes a chord with me as it is one of my cornerstone principles, that is, creating a “shared vision” that can be viewed as a journey or a great adventure. Your wording, “confront the status quo,” is also in alignment with one of my premised statements for teams, “To be successful, one must walk the untraveled path and challenge the status quo.”

Project managers are, in essence, “expedition leaders,” in that they often lead teams into unfamiliar domains (i.e., the unknown) where one can easily stumble on the rocky and narrow paths. This is why motivation is a key soft skill for project managers, as it’s difficult for anyone to continue down a path where they know the next stumble may only be a few steps away. However, a leader who speaks motivation through their actions and not just their words, will be followed “all the way” to their objective regardless of the obstacles encountered.

Dear Luis,

It would all depend on the people around you and if they are of a similar ilk to you. Generally people of a similar ilk attract other people of a similar ilk whether its for positive and constructive adventures or negative and destructive objectives. So this is where emotional intelligence comes into play and having the ability to read people. That does not mean analysing them and trying to second guess everything they do, but having the ability to see if they are on the same wavelength as you and have the same motivations, ethics, morals and goals that you have and want to share the adventure with you. It would be an interesting exercise to see if you could build up a mental picture of the a person having never met them before solely based on the interactions on this forum.

Daire

Dear Luis,

Normally its people of a similar interest meet on similar grounds whether its a football pitch, conference or sociable. In the workplace, its about creating a constructive environment that people can feel comfortable being themselves. Quite often in the workplace we are not ourselves. I find being brutal honest with people lets people know were they stand with you and with everybody else on the team.

Daire

Dear Daire
Thanks for your feedback

Very interesting what you wrote:
"In the workplace, it's about creating a constructive environment where people can feel comfortable being themselves."

It will be enough to mobilize different stakeholders for the project ...
... to be FABULOUS, FANTASTIC, SPECTACULAR, EXCITING?

Dear Luis,

At the end of the day you are hiring people for their skills and experience and the best way to 'get the most out of them' is to provide an environment that is conducive to creativity, innovation and hard work. By breaking down the social barriers and some of the hierarchy of a workplace you can be on the road to the FFSE experience.

Daire