Becoming Recognized as a Strong Project Leader: Context shifting story-lines create a leadership...

Becoming Recognized as a Strong Project Leader:

Context shifting story-lines create a leadership legacy and enhances team performance

Paul Schmitz, PhD PMPLeaders Forum LLC

PMI – Montgomery County, MD – 6/1/2011


PMI – Montgomery County, MD – 6/1/2011

Leaders Forum

“Relationships Create Team Results”

My PMI commitment

Leaders Forum LLC - 301-335-7479

In this session you will:

• Understand the social contexts of project teams

• Become aware of the interaction between the team social context and story-lines that can block or produce success

• Learn to identify red story-lines that escalate conflict and how to create and use green story-lines for success

• Learn how to change the story-line to shift the social context for project success

• Be able to use these ideas tomorrow at work, and

• Lead managing the team social context and be a “Great Project Leader”

1 PMI PDU


Puzzle


If you get relationships with people right…


…the money is easy!

Key to Team Performance

Get the relationships right between people...and

the results will take care of themselves



-

BACKGROUND OF METHODOLOGY

The “hard-side” -- technical work and traditional

risk management.

The“soft-side” which we

name “team social

contexts.”

Which side is more likely to cause team performance shortfalls and project failure?

Project managers need to manage “soft-side” risk.

Project risk has two sides


Team social contexts is invisible

• Context is an invisible “field,” like a magnetic field.

• You measure by observing magnetic materials.

• You measure your team’s social context by observing a team’s behavioral norms.


Four team context behavioral norms

“Cultivating” - Our need to feel appreciated

(Growing “Green”)

“Visioning” - Our need a hopeful future

(Blue Sky “Blue”)

“Directing” - Our need to meet others’ expectations

(Our Sun “Orange”)

“Including” - Our need to feel we “belong”

(Attractors “Yellow”)


Identify your challenging social contexts


From your perspective as a project team leader:

• Mark an “X” in the quadrant that is the most challenging team social context for you.

• Share with group why the quadrant team social context is most difficult for you? (3 reasons)

• PMI Montgomery County discussion


CULTURE AFFECTS MINDSETS THAT SHAPE STORY-LINES

Team’s mindset in context affects “story-lines” and truth

Context affects everyday “story-lines,” which are truth for us but may, or may not, be truth for others.

Context affects everyday “story-lines,” which are truth for us but may, or may not, be truth for others.

“Story-lines” are thoughts and expressions that seem true but are not the truth because they are arguable.


Your story-lines about other people’s motivations are wrong 95% of the time. (Robert Cooper)

Your story-lines about other people’s motivations are wrong 95% of the time. (Robert Cooper)

Project contexts form mindsets

“Cost” driven by a community concerned about budget or

schedule overruns.

Stakeholders

“Performance” driven by a community invested in maximizing knowledge.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders


Project management reality

“Orange”Cost

“Orange”Schedule

“Blue”Performance

Risk

Triple Constraint


Time / Schedule

Scope / Quality

Cost / Resources

The “Blue” story-line mindset

Schedule

Risk

Cost

Performance

Story-lines for who is in charge?


Cost / Resources

Time / Schedule

The “Orange” story-line mindset

Risk

Performance

Cost Schedule

Story-lines for who is in charge?


Cost / Resources

Time / Schedule

Our Team Our Sponsor Our Stakeholders

Performance

Cost

Tool: What are your team’s story-lines

Have your project team fill out a card like the image below and place an “X” in the boxes of their choice. Tally results and discuss.

Great Legacy Builder!

Stakeholders



CONTEXT SHIFTING STORY-LINES AFFECTS SUCCESS

The 4 D Assessment Process BehaviorsContext shifting story-line

Willing & Energizing

Collaboration

AddressingShared

Interests

Sustained, Effective Creativity

ExpressingReality-based

Optimism

Perceiving “Magical”Solutions

Being 100%

Committed

Outcome Focuswith no Blamers

or Victims

ResistingBlaming &

Complaining

Clear and Achievable

Expectations

Clarifying Roles, Accountability

& Authority

ExpressingAuthentic

Appreciation

Mutual Respect &

Enjoyable Work

Appropriately Including

Others

Mutual Respect &

Enjoyable Work

Authenticity& Aligned,

Efficient Action

High Trustworthiness

& Efficiency

Keeping AllYour

Agreements

Contexts

Cultivate

Include Direct

Vision

AMBR makes story-lines shift context


Attention: Awareness of people’s values and needs

Mindset: “Way of thinking” that we must be stewards too if we intend to advance our work

Behavior: Supporting others is a success strategy to get your results

Results: Team success

Your story-line shifting


Specify an “AS IS Situation” that is not working in a relationship and you want to resolve it: ____________________________________

Create an Outcome “TO BE” reality outcome you are committed to realizing and valuable to: ______________________________________________________

Identify your “Red” limiting storyline in current situation: ______________________________________________________

Develop a “Green” story-line of value for other party that you can authentically say and do: ______________________________________________________

Tool to shift context: Adopt Green to “Lubricate,” then Vision and Request

“When dimensions are omitted, people under stress will fill them with their most toxic emotions and most

pathological RED story-lines.”

“When dimensions are omitted, people under stress will fill them with their most toxic emotions and most

pathological RED story-lines.”

Request/ Direct

Attractive Future

Include/Collaborate

Appreciate



Get the relationships with people right…

the results will take care of themselves

And the project results will follow!



• Understand social contexts (culture) influences mindsets and story-lines affect project success

• Learn to identify red story-lines that escalate conflict and create green story-lines to achieve success

• Learn how to change the story-line to shift the team social context for project success

• Lead managing the social context to be a “Great Project Leadership”

• Lubricate communications – Appreciate, Include, Vision then Request or Direct

Leadership legacy review

Becoming Recognized as a Strong Project Leader:

Context shifting story-lines create a leadership legacy and enhanced team performance


PMI – Montgomery County- 6/1/2011301-335-7479 ● [email protected]


PMI – Montgomery County- 6/1/2011301-335-7479 ● [email protected]

Leaders Forum

“Relationships Create Team Results”

Becoming Recognized as a Strong Project Leader: Context shifting story-lines create a leadership...

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