TGIM?

It’s Friday and for the first time since I can remember, I am excited for Monday (like obnoxiously excited) which is odd because I have fun weekend plans ahead. Equally odd, the excitement I am feeling isn't about successfully completing a project but instead the outcome of that project and its bright new beginning. As someone who manages large scale projects that is a very different feeling. I am usually uber focused on getting the delivery "right" (on time, on budget and to the level of quality agreed to in the scope) then handing it over to the delighted (ideally) and often exhausted stakeholder (large websites typically launch overnight so sleep deprivation at the end of the project is real). Instead of celebrating the outcome, it's usually a nap and up at 'em, racing off to the next due date, the next big project, the next….the next…the next.

Wow, what a missed opportunity! Today, I commit to keeping the purpose of all that hard work in sight, the why we are doing it in the first place.

On Monday, I officially launch the PM Mindset Coaching program that I have been working on over the last few months but shaping through my PM practice for the last 21+ years. Of course, in preparing for launch, I did create and execute a project plan (I mean come on, I am project manager) and that is a good feeling to have accomplished that plan but the excitement I feel is completely centered around this program coming to life; its beginning and its purpose.

Here is the lesson in this, to get more fulfillment from your projects, find purpose in what your delivering. Sometimes we will have to look harder to find it than others, but I would guess there is always a purpose to be proud of and maybe even a little bit excited about. So, consider the purpose behind those deliverables and see if it doesn’t just change your outlook a bit. This is actually a perfect exercise to begin building a PM Mindset which is all about leading with vision and evolving our project management practice by getting a little better every day.

If you are interested to hear more about the PM Mindset Program, join me for a coffee break Monday, March 1 at 9:00 a.m. where I will make a live announcement and introduce the program.

I can’t wait!