Congratulations on your new project manager job! Your resume, project management portfolio, and engaging conversation during the interview did the trick. You said all the right things and asked all the right questions. In just a matter of days, you heard back from the company that your start date would be the end of the month. You can’t wait to get started and put your best foot forward. To make a solid first impression, DO NOT DO the following during your first month or so. These are lessons learned from my recollections of Steve’s behavior, a project manager that had been brought on board with our company a number of years ago. Where’s Steve now? I have no idea. I just know that he’s no longer with us. His tenure at our company lasted just under two months before he found himself pursuing other career opportunities. What Not To Do on a New PM Job Don’t Show Up Late – Duh. Yes, that’s an obvious one, but whatdo not be late I really mean is, don’t show up on time. In other words, get there early. For example, I remember one particular all-hands-on-deck meeting at a nice conference center. The purpose was for the project management team to discuss lessons learned, new ways of doing things, and ways we could run projects more efficiently. The meeting started at 9:00 a.m. sharp, but we were served a light breakfast just prior.Well, Steve arrived at 9:00 sharp. Technically, he was there on time, but fundamentally it was a big miss for his first all-hands-on-deck meeting. He should have been there at least 30 minutes earlier, as that’s when it actually started. It would have given him some time to meet his peers and colleagues, settle in nicely, have a conversation or three, and start the day off on the right foot.Not Steve. Every else was already in their seat and ready to go at 9:00 a.m., but Steve had to find an empty chair, make a big commotion as he walked to the other side of the room, and settle in to his day…his second day on the job, that is. Don’t Take a Single Note – I guess Steve was a genius with a photographic memory and could remember everything that everyone discussed at the conference that day. Why do I say that? Because Steve didn’t come with a single stitch of paper…not even a napkin to blow his nose on. He had to borrow a Kleenex from the lady sitting next to him! Steve sat there all day long without taking one single, solitary note. Slides were presented, ideas were batted around, and activities were listed for follow-up. Steve appeared to enjoy the slides, listen to the ideas, and watch the list of activities grow…all while he blew his nose on the Kleenex provided by his neighbor. Don’t Ask A Single Question – Another thing Stevekeep it zipped did very well during that meeting (as well as his first few weeks on the job) was to not ask a single question. He sat there without pen and paper and with a glazed look in his eyes. His head moved in the general direction of where the sound was coming from (his boss), but you could tell he really wasn’t listening. Steve should have asked TONS of questions. He should have been asking so many questions that he felt the need to apologize for the number of questions he was asking. “I’m sorry, but I’d like to understand this a bit better” should have been uttered by him every other time he opened his mouth. Everyone in the room knew Steve was new; they would have understood his curiosity and need for information. Not only would they have understood, but they would have been glad to help answer his questions. They expected him to take work off their plate and make their load just a little bit lighter.But, Steve chose to sit there tight-lipped and not ask one single question! Don’t Pay Attention – Smart phones are great, except when they are used in not-so-smart ways. Steve’s head must have weighed a million pounds, because he couldn’t lift it up from looking down at his phone to even see who was talking. While he gave the impression he was following the conversation, one only had to watch him for a few minutes to see that his attention remained elsewhere. He would nod his head in in feigned agreement with what was being said and lift an eyebrow every now and then to pretend like he was interested. Did I mention that this was only his second day with the company? That’s right. This was his behavior on day two of his employment. Clearly, it had all the makings of a bad project management hire. But, wait, there’s more. Plenty of people at the meeting were doubtful that the new guy was going to make it, but everyone agreed to give him the benefit of the doubt. It took just a few weeks for him to remove all doubt… Don’t Say Anything New – Steve had nothing new or concrete to say at our weekly project management staff meetings. He never raised an issue or pointed out a risk. His action items always ended with –ing, as if he was still going to get around to them. For example, he was always reaching out to this guy, or emailing this lady, or researching this topic, or working on this plan. Nothing was ever brought to closure for two to three weeks out and it was the exact same update week after week. Don’t Defend Your Executives, Especially Your Boss – In Steve’s fourth week, sad and shocked bossthis was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was at lunch with a client he was supposed to be managing, when he took it upon himself to volunteer that his boss, a company executive, really didn’t know what he was talking about, and would fall into the category of being a jerk. Yep, you can’t make this stuff up. Here’s the problem (besides the obvious taboo of talking trash about your boss)…the client didn’t agree with Steve’s assessment. As a matter of fact, he had worked closely with Steve’s boss for quite a few years and they had accomplished a lot of good things together. The client made a phone call that afternoon to ‘the jerk’ and this was the beginning of the end for Steve. Is Steve an extreme example of what not to do when starting a new job as a project manager? Yes, he is. I’ve only come across two or three people like him throughout my career. However, his example is a good reminder of what to keep in mind as we move past our first months with a new company. Don’t get so comfortable that you stop asking questions, show up on time, or heaven forbid, start talking trash about your boss!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:05:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015