This is something that I've been trying throughout the month of April. Every day, I'll try to do/read/learn something that makes me a better project manager /leader. So far, I've done:
- written blog articles
- spoken at an event /answered questions
- attended an online conference to learn more about a specific topic I'm interested in pursuing
- read a few leadership articles
- did a mentoring session and had some advice on a current issue I have in my project.
What are some things you'd consider? Saving Changes...
Karen HaefnerSenior Manager, Marketing Communications Program Management| K&L GatesBethel Park, Pa, United States
Hi Emily. Kudos for accomplishing so much in such a short time! All of the activities you mention are repeatable, but if you're looking for additional activities to compliment what you've accomplished so far, you might consider:
- Attending webinars (I always seem to walk a away from the hour with at least one new idea to try)
- Create/deliver a PM training course (having to explain PM in a simple, easy-to-understand way offers a unique perspective)
- Schedule a PM workshop (presenting one or more problems/challenges to a group of PMs to discuss how they've handled in the past or what approach they would take)
As someone obsessed with learning and professional development, I'll be interested to see what others might suggest and would love to know what you tackle next! Saving Changes...
Mary Ann DavilaProject Manager | Tourism Sales and Marketing | Sustainable Tourism | Recreation Program ManagerSan Diego, United States
Hi Emily and Karen. Thanks for sharing. I'm attending webinars and reading PM and leadership articles. I think volunteering is a great way to apply PM skills for a cause you are passionate about. Saving Changes...
some insights from me:
- enrolling to the mentoring program for women leaders as a mentee
- moving out from PM role to another role within the same company (job rotation)
- allowing myself a time to reflect what has gone fine and not fine last year
- being good for myself
- having a pro bono mentor for PMP exam re-take Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Understanding that "better" is a concept that has to be defined into a context. But in general I spend my time here and into linkedin to learn from people comments. Saving Changes...
If you want to improve your ability to reflect on your career, how you can improve, and think on your feet, start applying for other jobs, even if you aren't interested in changing.
I can't speak for the rest of you, but I don't hold formal lessons learned sessions for my life experiences. Maybe I should start. That way, I might have something to write in the empty journal that has been sitting on my shelf for the past couple of years. Saving Changes...
Well, so far, I've been looking at a variety of case studies across industries to see how challenges are addressed in various industries that I don't know. I also reach out to people via LinkedIn to understand how their day to day jobs and responsibilities look like, managerial structures are also an area that I find intriguing. With a large number of startups and small to mid level businesses focusing on core technology or a niche problem, I'd like to understand how people go about problem solving. Saving Changes...
Michelle JohnsonFounder and Principal Coach| CS SolutionsSeattle, Wa, United States
I have a week-end process where I review my actual activities/results for the week against my planned activities/results and ask myself three questions:
- What worked well?
- What didn't work well?
-What do I want to do differently next week as a result?
I try to keep it quick 15 minutes or so and I only come up with 1 or 2 small things to do differently next week. Not reinventing the wheel every week, just incremental, doable changes that have me be a little more on-task, a little less procrastinating, a little more doing activities that align with my top priorities. This has made a big change in my productivity and satisfaction since I've been doing this. Saving Changes...
I tried Webinars and reading online articles. It worked well. However, due to increased number of work hours in changed environments lead to limited learning activities.
Most of the travel time consumed in extra meetings and discussions. Saving Changes...
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