How can you develop resilience in your Program Management career?

Understanding your purpose in a program begins with reflecting on the impact you want to make. What drives you to lead successful programs and deliver results? Is it the desire to instill positive change, solve complex problems, or create value for your organization and its stakeholders? Purpose helps you maintain perspective when facing setbacks. It allows you to see beyond the immediate challenges and reminds you of the bigger picture. A deeper understanding of your purpose in a program can be a source of resilience that sustains you through the complexities of the role. It can help you stay motivated, maintain a positive mindset, and bounce back from adversity with newfound determination and motivation.

Understand our core motivation for being in this field. Recognize how our work contributes to the organization's goals and the impact on stakeholders. Acknowledge that facing challenges is key to personal and professional growth. This understanding of purpose helps maintain focus and motivation.

Grow Resilience Daily! ???? I'd foster resilience in Program Management by understanding my purpose and aligning it with my career, akin to the guidance in "Grit" by Angela Duckworth. Building a supportive network, learning from each experience, managing emotions effectively, and embracing change as opportunities for growth are essential. These strategies create a strong foundation, allowing me to navigate challenges gracefully and continually evolve into a more robust and adaptive leader.

Understanding my purpose in program management is rooted in aligning values, vision, and mission to drive success. Contributing to organizational triumph and stakeholder benefits is paramount. Leveraging my skills, talents, and passions, I aim to create a positive impact. This alignment empowers me to stay focused, ensuring actions consistently align with overarching goals.

Program management can be fairly generic or highly value added work. It all depends upon as to how you look at it and how do you perform. People doing program and project management remain without any domain expertise most of the time as they keep moving from one program to other with different domains. As we understand that generic skills are easy to replicate and replace. People should develop some domain specific skills which give them edge. They should also keep repurposing their skills so that they remain relevant with changing times and business models. Digital is one skill that they should get expertise as most of the organizations are looking for people and program managers who can consult and implement them on this.

Building your professional network in program management can offer numerous benefits. A strong network provides access to valuable resources, diverse perspectives, and potential collaborators. It opens doors to new opportunities, enhances your knowledge base, and can offer support during challenging times. Networking helps you stay informed about industry trends, gain insights, and build relationships that can contribute to your career growth.

Offering help is as important as seeking help. Offering help to the starters will get you recognized as an expert. Leverage communities like the Project Management Institute to find your peers and understand the new dynamics. True results from networking are always long-term.

A robust professional network is a valuable asset in fostering resilience. Cultivating relationships with mentors, colleagues, and industry experts provides a support system, offering diverse perspectives and advice. In times of adversity, a well-connected network can provide insights, resources, and encouragement.

In program management, develop resilience by: - Cultivating a supportive network of colleagues, mentors, peers, and family. - Utilize their feedback, insights, resources, and opportunities. - Offer and seek emotional support, empathy, and validation. - Be proactive, communicative, and collaborative in networking. A strong network provides diverse perspectives and support, crucial for resilience.

In my Program Management career, building a strong network has been instrumental in developing resilience. Connecting with peers, mentors, and industry experts provides valuable insights and support during challenging times. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and learning from others' resilience stories enhance my ability to navigate complex projects. A robust professional network serves as a source of inspiration, encouragement, and collaborative problem-solving—essential elements for staying resilient in the dynamic field of Program Management.

Learning from experience is invaluable in program management. Each project, success, or setback provides lessons that contribute to your growth. Reflecting on past experiences helps you refine your strategies, improve decision-making, and develop a more nuanced understanding of challenges. This continuous learning process enhances your adaptability and resilience, making you better equipped to handle complex situations in your career.

My tenure at MTA - Long Island Rail Road offered numerous opportunities for this. As a program manager, you'll face various challenges that test your abilities. Mistakes, failures, and criticism are part of the journey. Instead of shying away or fixating on these experiences, they should be viewed as growth opportunities. Reflecting on successes and failures is crucial. For instance, during the Signature Rail – LIRR Centralized Train Scheduling System project, I encountered challenges that were invaluable learning experiences. Applying feedback and best practices to future projects is vital. Continuous learning and applying learned lessons improve performance and build the resilience needed to thrive in program management.

In program management, bolster resilience by: - Embracing experiences as learning opportunities. - Reflecting on successes and failures to understand root causes and lessons. - Applying feedback and best practices to future actions. Learning from experience is key to improving performance and outcomes, enhancing resilience.

Cherish your mistakes. While mistakes are not fun, but they always provide a moment of reflection. Reflect, either alone or with a trusted mentor, on what went well and what could have been done differently.

Resilience, in my role as a program manager, emerges from embracing experiences, including mistakes and criticism, as catalysts for growth. Each challenge serves as a lesson: assessing successes, failures, and feedback. Reflecting on these, I derive insights, understand root causes, and integrate best practices, enhancing my performance and outcomes in future endeavors.

Managing your emotions is indeed important, however recognizing when to be vulnerable and empathetic is important. While we should control our emotions, there are times when sharing frustrations or empathizing with stakeholders can build trust. Behind every project plan, there are people.

Mastering emotional intelligence is a journey crucial for program managers. As emotions, from excitement to frustration, shape decisions and productivity, it's vital to be aware and regulate them effectively. In my role, the Versatility Factor, highlighted in the same book, stands out. Program managers need to adapt swiftly, navigating diverse challenges. Strengthening this versatility not only enhances resilience but also ensures dynamic leadership in the ever-evolving landscape of program management. Emotional intelligence isn't a destination; it's an ongoing journey that fuels success. #ProgramManagement #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipJourney

Effective program managers acknowledge and manage their emotions. In the face of challenges, remaining composed and focused on solutions helps. Developing emotional intelligence enables to navigate stress, conflicts, and uncertainties with resilience, maintaining a constructive and optimistic outlook.

Managing your emotions involves self-awareness, acknowledging feelings without letting them dictate actions. Practice mindfulness to stay present and control reactions. Develop healthy coping mechanisms such as deep breathing or taking short breaks when needed. Communicate effectively, expressing emotions constructively. Seeking support from colleagues or mentors can also provide valuable perspectives and help in managing emotions in a professional context.

Like any other domain, managing emotions are important for a program manager too. No one formula works for all.Figure out what works for you to decompress and avoid knee jerk reactions. For me personally, long walks, music, fast drives and playing with kids works like a charm. Also learn to laugh at yourself and take time reflect before you act.

This happens to be my favorite topic. We teach agile to others but we as program managers need to truly embrace agility in our daily lives. To eximplfy, let's say you are in middle of economic downturn and don't see any new programs kicking off in near future, what program would you manage? We faced something similar too and that was the necessity for us to look into adjacecies. I am proud to share we have been very successful at it over the 4 years of journey. However job description, relationships, roles and everything else had to evolve in the process!!

Embracing change is crucial for professional growth. It cultivates adaptability, a key skill in dynamic work environments. By viewing change as an opportunity for learning and improvement, you position yourself to thrive amid evolving circumstances. It fosters innovation, resilience, and a proactive mindset, enabling you to navigate uncertainties and contribute positively to your career and the organizations you work with.

Embracing change is crucial for resilience in program management. My experience with the Trapeze/Signature Rail system at MTA - Long Island Rail Road, where we adopted an Agile approach, is a prime example. This project involved consistent changes, requiring flexibility, open-mindedness, and a proactive stance. Anticipating and preparing for changes, effective communication, and collaboration were vital to keeping stakeholders informed and satisfied. Adapting to shifting priorities and requirements while leading my team through these transitions was essential for the project's success, demonstrating the importance of agility and resilience in managing dynamic projects.

100% agree. As the saying goes….”the best laid plans…often go awry”. Change happens, expected or not, it will happen and should be anticipated. But navigating change effectively is critical to the success of the program. Assess the change’s impact to the program…determine short term or long term impact, or workarounds. Can one part of the program continue while absorbing the change’s impact to another portion of the program? Keep the program moving forward where possible, and make stakeholders aware of the change and any delays to any prior expectations or deliverables. Although change may be a non-controllable, successful program leaders must focus on controlling the controllable and stay focused on the program’s success.

Resilience comes with knowledge, experience and hunger to achieve. In my view, we should be clear on purpose of our role and align our deliverable to organisation goal. This would at least give some directions to look for an opportunity in various ways of strategies. Moreover resilience should be built with the team as well. More importantly your should be upgrading or sharpening your knowledge which would definitely help to overcome the tough time.

Engaging strategic thinking in your Program Management career involves a dual focus on short-term goals and long-term aspirations. When you make thoughtful choices and match your actions with your work goals, it's like creating a roadmap for lasting success. Also, having different skills helps you be flexible. It's like being ready for different jobs, industries, or surprises. This way, you not only get better at adapting but also build a strong foundation for a successful career in the long run.

Embracing failure in program management builds resilience. By viewing setbacks as learning opportunities, program managers can cultivate emotional resilience and develop an innovative mindset. They take calculated risks and maintain composure in high-stakes situations. This approach contributes to effective leadership, with each failure becoming a reason for refining strategies and improving decision-making. Also, this develops a culture of continuous improvement, where open communication about setbacks accelerates collective learning.

Find a Mentor! Look for kind professionals willing to share experience and knowledge via a mentoring process. Create a strong mentoring bound by showing commitment and readiness to grow and learn.

Using many key approaches can boost program management resilience. Growth-minded: See issues as learning opportunities. Accept feedback and accept setbacks as transitory issues. Improve Relationships: Build a support network of coworkers, mentors, and peers for tough times. For balance, prioritize self-care like exercise, meditation, and hobbies. Learn problem-solving: Increase your critical and creative thinking in complex situations. Train to solve problems. Be adaptable: Change your strategies as circumstances change. Be flexible and accept unpredictability. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize your minor achievements. Realizing progress improves confidence and drive.