I am new to my role as a project coordinator, but so far have not been enjoying it. I was excited to get into project management (from a career in a different industry) and am very eager to learn, as I had studied project management and made a purposeful career change. So the work is not the problem. Rather the problem is several other factors. It has been 2.5 months, and I am not sure if what I'm experiencing is typical new-hire stuff and it will get better/smooth out over time. Or if these are red flags I should take seriously. Some unbiased advice from those in the project management world would be very helpful. Here are some of the issues I've been experiencing:
1. I'm not meshing well with my supervisor. I went into this role thinking that he would be a mentor (that's what he alluded to in the interview) and that I would learn from him, but he so far has not been that person for me. He has a wealth of experience but he doesn't seem to want to engage in a mentorship/teaching role. I am often the one steering our 1-1 meetings, which feels weird since he's the leader, and when I ask questions he usually misunderstands what I am asking.
2. I'm working remotely and the company culture is such that it makes me feel very isolated; people don't have cameras on in meetings and there are not staff virtual happy hours or the like, so I have yet to make any real connections. Any team engagement has been at my request. The company plans on going back to the office in a hybrid model in September.
3. The project management program is very new, less than 3 years old, and beyond schedule and resource management I am not doing any other project management work. The company doesn't have project documentation, outside of schedules, so no project charters, SOWs, communication plans, project management plans, etc. There's no change management process in place. So I don't feel like I am really learning best practices when it comes to project management, and since I don't have formal project management experience, I'm lacking confidence to formalize the project management processes. This is the biggest thing for me; I'm very eager to get into the hard stuff, learn, and grow in my career.
Any advice on if I should stick it out (and if so, how long?) or what I can do to make the situation better? Saving Changes...
Challenging situation but by no means unique, especially in organizations whose project management maturity level is low.
I'd suggest having a candid but professional conversation about these topics with your manager first as he is best positioned to support you in addressing them.
With regards to #3, it would be interesting to understand what the impacts of what you are perceiving as limitations are. Is there a tangible downside they are experiencing due to the lack of fulsome project management and if not, why should they want to change what they are doing?
Kiron
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1 reply by anonymous
Jun 30, 2021 10:24 AM
anonymous
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Hi Kiron, thanks for your reply. I've been pondering your question, and yes, there have already been several instances where we are pushing out new products, but too hastily. For example, we've completed full development on one product, but don't yet have a name or price for the product; leadership also reviewed the product and want to make changes/add additional features. All these factors are pushing back our product release and affects other departments in our company, which makes those working relationships strained. From what I've observed, we go from an idea, straight into executing, without fully planning and thinking through the consumer side, and this seems to be a recurring issue so far. While I can identify the problem here, I feel at a loss about what to do with it. I don't think fixing a major process/planning problem like this is something I should be doing at my experience level.
Don't be afraid to take the initiative in your mentorship relationship, especially when your mentor is your immediate supervisor. Schedule time. Go to mentor meetings prepared with questions, goals, blockers, status, etc. Given your description of project management at your company, your mentor may feel that you're doing everything you should be. With your mentor being your immediate supervisor, it wouldn't surprise me if that is the case, but you can't make that assumption. Being someone's supervisor doesn't make you a good mentor. Your supervisor may be expecting you to ask questions, gladly assuming that if you don't have questions, everything is okay, because your supervisor has a lot of work to do, on top of mentoring you.
I've been on both sides of the mentoring relationship. Usually, the mentor is someone you don't report to who is an expert in the area you want to grow. My best mentor/mentee relationships were when the mentee (sometimes me) at least had an idea what he wanted and the mentor guided the mentee through some discovery, provided perspective on goals to set, and held the mentee accountable for achieving the goals.
Your supervisor may be more supervisor than mentor. By this, I mean that your supervisor may be more focused on you accomplishing what the company needs as opposed to growing as a project coordinator. This is one of the challenges of your supervisor being your mentor, and why I suggest that you should identify your goals for growth and then take them to your supervisor/mentor. As your supervisor, he should be able to tell you if they are goals that will help you at the company, and he will hopefully be glad for you taking the initiative. As your mentor, he should be able to tell you if they are goals that will help you grow. In both roles, he should be able to hold you accountable for achieving your goals, and support you as you work on them. Saving Changes...
I know the feeling and you really are in a tough spot, but I'd encourage you to try and use it as a growth opportunity for a while. I have had several positions that weren't the most rewarding at first, but in some cases I figured out how to at least use them to my best advantage.
The cold hard fact is that may have experience in X, but you are now an entry level in a different job classification in a different field. I have a lot of experience in both my technical domain, and in PM, and when I take on a new job where nobody knows me, it is always a tough transition and it takes more than 3 months before I’m “comfortable”. At your level, they aren't looking for you to tell them how to restructure the organization.
So what do you do? Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Figure out how you can take advantage of it. You can play with the tools you use and figure out good ways to optimize them, then show your better solution to others in your org. You can build people skills by continually trying to figure out how to connect in your virtual environment. You're not going to be everyone's best friend, but you can consciously focus on how to build effective working relationships.
Personal story: I recently joined a new team. We are all virtual and that's a bit new to me despite working mostly virtual before. As I've had to build my personal credibility with the team, I've made it clear that I'm going to keep trying new things and new angles to get the engagement I need until something works. Sometimes people will be uncomfortable with that, but we will work through it.
You really have 2 choices: A) Accept defeat and start figuring out your next assignment. or B) Milk it for all the growth opportunity you can get, and maybe things will improve. If you pick B you gained skills along the way you can use for your next job, even if your current gig doesn't pan out. Saving Changes...
Some great answers and guidance above, so I will just add a couple of thoughts that I don't see mentioned, and a couple that have helped me in both mentor and mentee situations. 1 - In light of the fact that it seems your manager may not be a "natural" mentor, let him know that you would like to discuss your issues in the meetings and get his guidance. Then, if you have a problem to discuss in your meetings with him, be sure to approach your meetings with with a problem and a proposed solution. This will show him that you're thinking on your feet and that you really want to grow. If he's too busy to meet in a given week, send him an update on what you've been up to so he's current on what you have going on, and you can get into things the next time you meet. 2 - Don't allow his lack of mentoring to make you feel hesitant to share what's going on. If you have a problem brewing on your project, you need to get ahead of it and take it to him with a proposed solution. You didn't say you were hesitant to go to him, but I thought I should mention this. 3 - Consider asking him if you can 'trail' or 'shadow' him in meetings, or if there is another PM you can trail or shadow. This may have to be done on your own time if you have a billable 40 hrs of work on your project, but seeing how other PMs work will give you great perspective, and will also help you to form bonds with other PMs within the organization. You may just find a more suitable, albeit informal, mentor relationship in the process. 4 - Returning to the office in September should make a world of difference for you. As some of the PMs mentioned above, giving a new job more than 3 months before you judge whether it's for you is a good practice, but I'd say 6, and it might be a good idea to restart the clock in September when you can start to get a really good feel for the environment and your manager's in-person presence. I'd also suggest that you may want to be in the office more than the suggested number of days if they'll allow it, because you will likely benefit more, the more you are there. 5 - If, after next March (6 mos from Sept), you still feel the same way about your relationship with your manager, and you don't feel this is the role for you, I'd say it's time to make your next move.
I hope this helps! Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Remember that the 'job' of a mentor is not to keep on asking people if they want to be mentored. Sure some people just have that inviting nature that makes it easy for others to approach them with issues but in a mentee/mentor relationship it is your job to speak up if you need help.
Every company has its own idea of what is right but that does not mean there is no room for improvement. Again, speak up and make suggestions but be respectful i.e. do not approach it with an I know better attitude but rather with a maybe we can try this. You never know there might be many that crave a virtual water cooler. Oh and remember to have possible solutions before raising the problem. Saving Changes...
I am sharing some of the ways I have tried.
1. There is a technique used in problem solving called CROSS roads decision making (Look it up). Applying 'O =Options' to your situation you might need to think what other options do you have?
- Plan a learning path/ upskilling path with the help of your supervisor - ensure both of you are accountable to achieve it (he- as an enabler, and you-as a doer)
- Look for Mentorship programs in the org. Take help from the Learning or Employee development department to find out such programs or find out about PM circles within the org.
- Seek a different mentor. I agree with Aaron - it is recommended to have mentors who you don't report to.
- Seek Mentors outside of your org- try reaching out to different PM communities or PM groups on linkedin. Participate in PM volunteer assignments - experience is a good teacher !
On the misunderstanding part, One trick I am learning is to 'keep things as simple as possible'. When asking questions - be direct, keep it short and simple. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't assume. Paraphrase when required, and summarize at the end of the call. In case you feel the other person's explanation is too complex for you to understand, request them to explain as if you are a 5 year old. Always works for me!
2. Kudos if you are taking initiatives to drive engagement !!Try building rapport with the colleagues whenever you get a chance. It's a slow process but make an attempt and you will see the difference in 6 months.
3. Refer to my answer(1)
I'd say 2.5 months is too early to call it quits. Hang in there for 6 months - that's when the changes become obvious (my personal belief) Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Jun 23, 2021 7:17 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Challenging situation but by no means unique, especially in organizations whose project management maturity level is low.
I'd suggest having a candid but professional conversation about these topics with your manager first as he is best positioned to support you in addressing them.
With regards to #3, it would be interesting to understand what the impacts of what you are perceiving as limitations are. Is there a tangible downside they are experiencing due to the lack of fulsome project management and if not, why should they want to change what they are doing?
Kiron
Hi Kiron, thanks for your reply. I've been pondering your question, and yes, there have already been several instances where we are pushing out new products, but too hastily. For example, we've completed full development on one product, but don't yet have a name or price for the product; leadership also reviewed the product and want to make changes/add additional features. All these factors are pushing back our product release and affects other departments in our company, which makes those working relationships strained. From what I've observed, we go from an idea, straight into executing, without fully planning and thinking through the consumer side, and this seems to be a recurring issue so far. While I can identify the problem here, I feel at a loss about what to do with it. I don't think fixing a major process/planning problem like this is something I should be doing at my experience level. Saving Changes...
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