The role of a project manager was never something I had learned about or understood prior to being willing to fill this space for the annual stress testing process that I was now assigned to. There had been no degree for it in college and no courses even within the college of business. Where was one to start with learning anything about performing this job?
The beginning was rocky – I’m not gonna lie. The day of my first “big” (relative at the time) meeting in this role felt pretty much like my interview day. I had a chaotic start to the day by losing my cell phone in a taxi cab (not even an Uber) on the way to work, and I spent the early part of the morning trying to contact friends and family that could track my phone, rather than preparing for the meeting. Fortunately, one of my very close friends was somehow able to track it down and brought it to the office for me. Next, the consultants arrived. I had no qualms about introducing myself to essential strangers, and the morning seemed to be back on track.
The entire team gathered in the conference room, and we conducted the meeting (When I say “we”, I mean I pretty much sat there and listened). Later in the day, one of the consultants met with me and asked me when I could deliver a particular process flow to him. I sat there hemming and hawing for longer than I’d like to admit. First of all, I had never drafted a process flow before. You mean the shapes used actually have meaning to them?? Second of all, I had never set my own deadline for any product of work. The gentleman, who would also eventually become a mentor and friend, was patient with me and helped me through the answers to the questions he had posed, offering additional helpful resources.
In a similar fashion, our team and a few consultants gathered on a later occasion for a meeting. Gladys was going to be late due to earlier meetings elsewhere, but we proceeded with the first half of the meeting nonetheless. As alluded to earlier, typically, my participation in meetings had looked like this: find a chair inconspicuously in the middle of the table, keep to myself, and take copious notes. I didn’t treat this meeting any differently. Managers at the meeting kicked things off and began to discuss the agenda at hand. Shortly after the start of the meeting, the group became engrossed in the details of what was being discussed. Progress had come to a screeching halt and debate over the topic at hand dragged on between a few individuals. Soon, Gladys arrived, reined the meeting in, helped the group to table certain finer points, and moved on with the agenda. It hit me several weeks later that typically the project manager would have kept that meeting on track and directed the participants.
After some of these early struggles, I quickly learned that sticking in Gladys’s hip pocket was the key to learning quickly and executing effectively. Shortly after these experiences, I was helping coordinate and conduct meetings (rather than hide in the corner), organize and communicate timelines and activities for the project, and interact with multiple levels of various teams contributing to the project. To get to this point, however, I had to learn a few lessons:
- Messiness is part of learning. It’s expected at the beginning of any new endeavor that there will be bumps in the road and learning experiences.
- Don’t get stuck in your own bubble. The best way to learn is by interacting with and watching others.
- Find others that you’d like to emulate. I quickly came to the realization that Gladys and the aforementioned consultant were extremely effective and experienced in their roles. I used every opportunity to become a sponge and learn their approach to handling various situations.
- Find your self-confidence. Of all people, I know that is a lot easier said than done. It would be great to snap your fingers and have it but, unfortunately, that’s not a reality for most people. In the next article, I’ll describe how I came to find mine.
As I settled into my new role and began to make far more connections with my colleagues than in the first couple months as a model developer, I quickly fell in love with my job. I put in extra hours, took time to do extra reading on the weekends, and could not wait for Monday after each weekend. I could have never planned this transition or have known how much I would love it. It was at this point that I began to believe that maybe having a linear plan wasn’t the answer to career progression.
Have you ever had an experience where you were open to a new opportunity, not knowing what to expect, and it propelled you into the next chapter of your career or life?
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide, professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences for those that may find them relatable and helpful.