Usually, in the first encounter with entrepreneurs/customers, we meet motivated individuals who repeatedly emphasize to us that they have significant control over the project and that it is important for us to understand that it should remain that way. From our side, we stopped trying to persuade them to relinquish control long ago because we have witnessed that once trust is established between the entrepreneur/customer and the project manager at DVIEWSION Company, the entrepreneur feels that control has returned to them, largely!
If you find yourself under an increasing number of projects, the only way to regain a sense of control is paradoxically to relinquish it: to allow other people to step in.
Often, I encounter project managers who want to be in control and are hesitant to seek assistance from project management partners, and frankly, I understand them. It's very difficult to live with the feeling that the ground is slipping from under you and that you are no longer in control of the small details as you once were.
Indeed, it requires confronting fears such as, "Perhaps things won't be handled the way I would have done it" or "Maybe I'll need to let someone else answer questions at their own pace instead of providing the answer immediately." It also requires a redefined definition of control from "knowing every detail of the project" to "being in the right place at the right time and making decisions with a broader perspective" and it requires a redefinition of the ability to "help others do better work," instead of "doing better work alone."
Here are four steps I recommend to initiate change in order to achieve a greater sense of security and control and to empower those around you:
1. When responsibility grows and you start feeling overwhelmed, it's time to ask yourself 4 questions:
- Can someone else complete the work to the accepted standard in the market?
- Can someone else execute part of this project?
- Can someone else prepare the initial draft so I only need to proofread?
- Is this work preventing me from bringing my added value to project management?
2. Delegate responsibility and activities to the appropriate person before they are added to my task list. This requires random task assignment that truly needs to fall within someone else's professional domain. For example, if someone asks you an IT question when there is a full-time IT department, or if you are invited to attend a meeting where you may offer some insights but other participants could probably offer something similar, consider not going.
3. Create simple tracking systems and rely on them. Even if you delegate a project or tasks, you still have responsibility for the outcomes, so monitoring and control systems play a critical and important role in your ability to ensure that the work gets done (and it doesn't matter if it's an Excel spreadsheet, a project management system, or just an organized notebook). Establish a consistent routine for tracking and control, and make sure you maintain effective forums and statuses for reviewing the results.
4. Resist taking back control. Once you start relinquishing control, there will inevitably be times when something isn't done the way you would have preferred. Your gut reaction might lead you to blame yourself... "Why did I ever let someone else do this?" It usually manifests on the surface as anger towards others or frustration with others. But instead of immediately taking back the work to your daily routine, turn this situation into a learning opportunity. Firstly, see if there's something different you can do in the future. Secondly, help the people who did the work understand what they need to know to successfully complete the work next time. Often, you don't know what really went wrong until you investigate. Ultimately, remember to focus on the work that provides the highest value - instead of letting fear prevent you from making the greatest contribution to your organization.
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