There comes a point in almost any project professional’s career when they are faced with the realities of project delivery and managing stakeholders. As project leaders, we have to know just how capable we are of influencing both upwards and outwards.
In the fast-paced, dynamic environment that so many of us work in today, the ability of a project professional to use their skill and experience to influence positive outcomes is directly linked to how well they are able to engage and influence others within an organisation.
A lot has been written about the typical stakeholder avatars that project teams are likely to encounter, the traits they exhibit depending how mature their experience is in delivering projects, and of course, how they should be engaged. However, there is a question that many project professionals need to ask of themselves, which is this: “How influential am I—or can I be—in this organisation?”
It’s a question that was explored recently at a Quay breakfast roundtable for senior project leaders, as SBS Head of PMO, Andy Almenara, led a discussion about the perceived value of the PMO whilst zeroing in on how to develop influence as a critical enabler of being able to speak truth to stakeholders leading projects within their organisation.
The ability to be influential at both an individual and group level is a critical part of either delivering successful projects or leading wayward ones out of the wilderness.
Perception is reality. Aspiration is not.
One of the key points from the discussion was that if PMO leaders aren’t at the steerco, there may well be a perception at C-level about its ability to be effective. If the executive believes that the PMO has become a gatekeeper rather than an enabler, it’s time for a hip check about just how influential its leaders actually are within an organisation.
There’s a truth for project leaders that requires ego to be set aside: In projects, perception is reality. A project management office, for example, will only remain valued and valuable when it is perceived by stakeholders to be a safe pair of hands that are contributing to the business’s ability to deliver successful projects. The same holds true for project managers.
Whether we like it or not, perception is more important than aspiration here.
Conversations in peacetime … And war
Being able to influence outcomes requires strong relationships with stakeholders and people within the organisation so that when the need for robust and straight-talking conversations come—and it invariably will in project delivery—the foundation exists for those tough, brave-smart conversations.
Don’t wait until a project has started to seek out conversations with stakeholders … and don’t be afraid to seek out the opportunity to connect and build a working relationship with people who will be owning the work.
It’s not enough to aspire to be influential; building relationships takes time and effort to get to know the stakeholders, what drives them, and what matters to them. Being able to engage and communicate becomes much easier after that. This is insight that becomes incredibly valuable when things are going well and critical when things start to go awry.
Minimising the gap between the desire to be influential and the stakeholder’s perceptions should be the goal before the project gets going. There is little value for anyone trying to influence a stakeholder in the heat of battle when a poor perception of what project leaders bring to the table already exists—whether it’s right or wrong.
