Surround yourself with people as you learn.
What do you do if you’re unsure how to approach something? Ask Google, and speak to your friends, family, or colleagues.
As a newly minted project manager in 2005, fresh from the PRINCE2 handwritten Practitioner exam, I had no one to turn to. There was no one to ask for advice, bounce ideas off, and discuss the ups and downs of project life. I would have given so much for a person or community to ask the “silly” questions of and share knowledge and experiences with.
What if a group of people was available to talk to who you could ask for advice? What if these people have been exactly where you are now (or somewhere close) and might have a pearl of wisdom to share with you?
Guess what—there may not have been one back in 2005, but there is now! Hundreds of people have been at the same stage you are in your project, program, portfolio, or career, and more often than not, they are more than willing to share their experiences and help you take that first step.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded people in any situation is a positive thing, but when it comes to our professional lives, why are we so afraid to ask for help? We sign up for courses, spend time immersed in the subject, and come up with exciting new ideas. Then we go back to work, and things are not as they were in the utopia of the classroom. Our ideas are not met with the same enthusiasm, and techniques we were told could help don’t. So, what now?
Well, there are a few options.
Mentoring
First up, there is mentoring. We often hear the phrase mentioned, but what does it mean?
The word mentor comes from the Greek Mentor, the advisor to a young Telemachus in Homer’s Odyssey. A mentor advises and trains someone, often a younger or less experienced colleague. At Wellingtone, we offer mentorship as part of our Project and Program Management solutions. The goal is to help slightly less experienced participants embed what they have learned in the classroom within the context and constraints of their organizations. We understand the importance of having someone with real-world experience managing projects and working in PMOs. These individuals can point you in the right direction and be a critical friend when needed.
Both the Association for Project Management and the Project Management Institute also offer a mentoring program, which allows members to build professional relationships within their member community in a secure online space.
Networking
Next, we have networking. It sounds scary, and with the recent wave of network marketing, it has had bad press. Still, networking is interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts, talking to people, being interested in what they say, and sharing your knowledge and experience. Many online and physical networking events are available, so where to start?
Be prepared if you go to an event like the Wellingtone FuturePMO conference (a perfect place to network as there are NO salespeople). Think about how you want to present yourself, how you want to express your skills, and what you bring to the event. What do you want to achieve as a result of being there? That said, make sure you listen as well as speak. All too often, we think about what we are going to say next instead of listening. Keep a record of who you have spoken to and follow up! Always leave room for further conversation. If you know of someone who may be interested in what the other person does, offer to make referrals.
Strengthening those business connections can lead to fresh ideas, access to new information, a different perspective, and even career advancement!
Online communities
There are also online communities. In the digital age, we have never been more disconnected in some ways. However, platforms such as LinkedIn offer the ability to create communities of like-minded individuals to ask questions and share information, ideas, and knowledge.
Wellingtone’s communities of practice are the perfect place to find your people and connect with peers across the globe in a safe space. Everyone who has attended a course through our Wellingtone Academy, worked with us to implement tooling or frameworks, or attended our FuturePMO conference is invited to join our community and continue the conversation with peers on the same journey—just a different flavor.
In summary
Connecting with peers and learning from each other is more important now than ever. Wellingtone defines a safe space as a non-sales environment where peers can connect with Wellingtone and each other to improve their project management capability—no matter their role, experience, or industry.
