Project Management: Establishing Common Ground

Before I could successfully lead an enterprise-wide project at a communications company, as an industry outsider, I first had to hold my version of the common-ground barbeque.

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I was suspect among the people with whom I needed to forge relationships to meet an aggressive project completion timeline. I could feel the speculation like chicken wings under a buffet lamp: She’s a covert hatchet woman;, if not to replace someone directly, then to help senior management “reorganize.”

Common Sense Dictates…

…that people who feel threatened by you are disinclined to help you. If I need productive exchange on project history and requisites to achieve project goals, I’m unlikely to get it from people who are girding their loins.

At an open meeting, in-my-face dissent followed. “She doesn’t have industry experience,” rang the chorus. “Precisely,” agreed the executive sponsor and hiring party. “One of the many reasons this project has stalled for three years is because too much industry experience is attached to how the project ‘should’ work. We need an objective view.”

He reminded dissenters that I had successfully managed projects in other companies across different industries. The senior veep closed with, “She doesn’t need technical skills in this industry. That’s what you provide. She needs to know who does what and how to get what to whom to make it happen.”

Getting to Know You

• Before I sent my barbeque invites, I wanted to get to know neighborhood folks one-on-one.

• You get nothing useful in a group setting where people feel threatened.

• Let them meet the “interloper” up close. Give her the sniff test.

• Establishing professional intimacy with team members is, for me, the most fun in project management.

• Despite the weird press introverts routinely receive in American culture, we like people and shine in one-on-one interaction.

One of the reasons this project has stalled for three years is because too much industry experience is attached to how the project ‘should’ work.

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Eat that Frog

I began with the person I perceived to be the hardest sell. If he was down with the metaphorical barbeque, it would be easy to coax the rest of the “neighborhood” to show up at the grill – potato salad, chips and six packs in hand.

Behind his thick director desk he looked guarded. A demeanor that announced, only playing along because the higher ups told me to. Oh, he’d take my meeting and provide just enough intel to say with a straight face that he helped.

Big smile, “Hello” then all about him: How long had he been with the company? Professional background. Native to the city we worked in? Me either. Next: I shared thoughts on the project as I knew of it to date. He was pleasantly surprised how much and to what depth I’d gleaned info in such a short period. Another introvert strength: empathy. I love this moment. The dynamics shift from “Who the hell are you?” to “Huh, this could be good news.”

This senior director visibly relaxed. His jaw released its clench, he smiled then leaned toward me across his desk. His administrative assistant had booked us for half an hour. That’s all I request for a first howdy-do. Long enough for both parties to learn something of value, short enough to snag a near-term slot on a business calendar. When the director’s admin buzzed to remind him of his next meeting, he told her to convey that he would reschedule. He and I were entering the second half of an unscheduled hour.  

The dynamics shift from “Who the hell are you?” to “Huh, this could be good news.”

Give Them Something to Talk About

• Word spread quickly. With each one-on-one I conducted, a picture of the project and its organically-forming solution emerged.

• Though I had yet to construct and document a formal strategy, during each interview I tested cumulative hypotheses on how to move the project forward.

• These initial meet-and-greets morphed into casual, though productive, working sessions.  

Professional and personal connections bloomed. One project partner and I shared in common expat experience in Asia. On behalf of an employer, I had lived in Singapore for a year. He had lived in China and was fluent in Mandarin. “Wow,” I said in awe, having studied the language with enormous difficulty only to emerge with “Ni Hao Ma?” Next thing I know, he’s giving me an impromptu Mandarin lesson.

And I was just warming up.

Fire Up That Grill

By the time I was ready to “barbeque” – lay out my strategy, create a management infrastructure and form a project team – everyone was planning to show up, contributions in hand.