How to be in the Top 10% of Project Managers or Engineers?

Do you feel stuck in a cycle of project despair? Do you struggle to maintain momentum of your projects and your team's morale?

The key to breaking through this emotional cesspit is to target the right source of energy: one that is sustainable, unique, and infinitely accessible.

Now don’t get me wrong.?I am not going to be saying you need to take more exercise and eat more healthily, which you should, or what vitamins and supplements you need to take – but you should consider that too.?We are keeping this strictly workplace related.?On the job, practical application, game changing and life changing ways for more effective application of yourself at work.

10% of Managers are Truly Effective

According to a 10-year research project carried out by Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal, only 10% of managers are truly effective. This statistic can easily be translated to the engineering and construction industry, and these 10% of managers are essentially engineers who stand out for all the right reasons.

They have boundless energy and are high on life. Unfortunately, these individuals are rare in managerial roles, and there simply aren't enough of them in our industry.

Break Through Moment

To become an effective project professional as a manager or engineer, you need to set your sights on something bigger and longer-term than the project itself.

You need a beacon of hope that gives you a reason to show up to work each day.

This breakthrough moment is nicely depicted in a case study about John, a colleague who worked for an organization that was rolling out a new Enterprise Project Management system. Almost all of the enthusiasm for this roll out had fallen out of the bottom of almost all of the employees of this organization.

Seize The Opportunity

Nobody wanted to engage in this new, cumbersome tool that was just being imposed upon everybody. Everyone that is except John. John stepped up and grasped this with both hands.?Most people thought he was crazy, but he voluntarily stood out with more enthusiasm than everybody else. He became the representative, the champion for this roll out.

Energy Applied with Ease and Focus.

His energy levels were visible for anyone to see.?He was tuned in, alert to what people had to say, and he listened intently to the problems. He was literally rocking it and enjoying himself along the way as he managed the transition.

I was looking at him saying to myself, well why? Why does he want to do this? It was a mystery to me, but only a mystery for about six months.?After 6 months, I could see quite clearly why he was enthusiastic about all of this. It became obvious when word got out that he had applied for a new senior management role in that organisation. And low and behold, he got it!?

It goes without any shadow of a doubt, that the work he put into helping to embed the EPM into his group, contributed toward his successful promotion - and he used it as such. It was intentional. He wanted it.

Intrinsic Self Drive

That to me was a clear demonstration of somebody who was willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, with a vision - a specific goal in mind.?John held this goal in mind, long before this opportunity came along. So you can see just how doing work that aligns with someone’s vision or goals is foundational to high performance.

With such a purpose, and a reason for working, John’s energy levels piqued to serve himself through a higher level of performance, productivity and overall effectiveness. He was operating intentionally. He had his sights set higher.?

Not only was this opportunity benefitting himself, but the benefits to the organisation were huge as a consequence.

Do you Get It yet?!

The Desire to Realise a Compelling Vision

It's a lot like Building a Boat. One could look on it as a lot of hard yakka, having to dedicate so much of one’s life showing up to select the right pieces of timber, cut and carve them to the right specifications, sizes and shapes, then piece by piece nailing, bolting, jointing all the different pieces together.?

Doing this day after day, keeping on turning up, struggling through the hard times, and continuing to churn out the work.?The Enthusiasm, the Desire, and the Will (the underlying forces supporting and fuelling one’s work ethic, application, and energy) required to build that vessel, comes with the constant vision of the ultimate goal, the desire to realise a compelling vision, together with why attaining that goal is so meaningful to you personally.

This is the difference between being in the top 10% of managers who are truly effective, and the rest who are just ineffective.

Tell me you thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

All perspectives aligned and challenging are welcome. They are important to me.

Join me in the discussion. Let me know if you want to know more about how you can become one of the 10%ers.