Your 20 Seconds of Courage. Help a Project Manager Out! (#HAPMO, February 2020)
Andy Kaufman
Project Management & Leadership Keynote Speaker, Author, & Coach, Podcast Host. We help you learn how to lead & deliver.
LinkedIn is a community that allows unparalleled access to each other for learning, inspiration, and help. I am continually inspired by those of us who regularly engage here. I learn on a daily basis, which makes me want to give back even more. And I know many of you feel the same way.
Help a Project Manager Out! (#HAPMO) is a pro bono initiative designed to help everyone who has an interest or passion for delivering projects. It doesn't matter what your title or industry is. It doesn't matter if you are currently leading projects or hope to do so someday.
There's a community of professionals here who want to help.
Here's How It Works
On a regular basis, I post an article that looks very similar to this. Typically it is mid-month or start of a new month.
Start Here
???????? Include the hashtag #hapmo on your posts that are relevant to people leading and directing projects. Our global following will see your posts in their feed, which can lead to more engagement with your posts.
???????? Follow the #hapmo hashtag on LinkedIn. Instead of relying on LinkedIn’s algorithm, you can make sure that helpful PM-related posts are included in your feed. Comment on posts to share your insights, which will Help a Project Manager Out!
Are you leading a project and looking for some insights? Leave a comment with your question or situation. Some of the top project thinkers from around the world might just share their thoughts.
Are you a hiring manager or recruiter looking for project-related pros? Keep an eye on the comments. The person you're looking for might just be there.
Want to expand your network? Watch for the people who engage here and reach out to them. Connect and start engaging with them. If you and I are not already connected, let's fix that! Connect with me here: Andy Kaufman. And connect with others you see who interact in the comments.
Sometimes All You Need Is 20 Seconds of Courage
What’s one of the scariest things you’ve done?
In May 1994 I was invited to give a short client presentation as part of a keynote at Microsoft TechEd. My contact at Microsoft said they were estimating 7,500 participants.
The problem? At that time, if I had to present to 10 people I would be a mess--I’d have trouble sleeping the night before.
7,500 people?
Before I could say, “Are you kidding?”, for some unknown reason I said “Sure.” (Then I wondered to myself, “Are you kidding?”)
The presentation went not bad. In fact, Microsoft asked me to present a longer version of it at a different conference. Fast forward to 2001 and I started a company where I’m speaking full-time.
What was once my single biggest fear is now my profession. Over 3,000 keynotes and presentations later, I can point back to a short burst of unexplained courage that said Yes when everything inside of me wanted to say No.
There’s a scene in the movie We Bought A Zoo where the dad shares a lesson about courage with his son:
Here’s why I share this. I’ve had over 250 executive coaching clients and a common theme I see is that most of us need to “plus one” our assertiveness.
There are times we need to speak up but we don’t. Make an ask, but we don’t.
Ask for the sale. For the job. For the raise. For the date! For the opportunity.
But we don’t.
But you did! There’s a time that comes to mind right now when you went way beyond your comfort zone and demonstrated what felt like insane courage.
In this edition of Help a Project Manager Out! (#HAPMO), I’m inviting you to share your examples of insane courage.
???????? Leave a comment ????????
What’s an example of when you lived out your 20 seconds of courage? Maybe in retrospect, it doesn’t seem like insane courage, but at the time, it felt crazy! Leave a comment with your insights.
???????? Come on, folks. Let's Help a Project Manager Out! ???????? Post your responses in the comments below to inspire your colleagues.
And help get the word out by giving this a Like and sharing this with your colleagues. Thanks!
P.S. Here’s one of my favorite scenes from the movie, with Matt Damon’s character explaining how he exercised his 20 seconds of courage…
Disaster Recovery Operations and IT Project Management specialist. Investor, Humanitarian
4 年This is a great concept and an inspiring thread.? I have had several "20 second moments" in my life, but perhaps one of the most significant was when with my wife back in the UK we sat on a park bench and decided we would just "go for it" no matter what.? I had just finished a long-term IT PM contract and while looking for a new position, we decided to take a year out and have our 'mid-life crisis' by attempting to ride horses in every State in the USA!? I was a novice rider by the way and had only visited the East coast on a short vacation the previous year - it was totally crazy! In the end we managed to visit over 40 States (sadly rode in only 35 of them though), trailered ourselves and a couple of horses some 30,000 miles around the country (north-south and east-coast to west-coast a few times), met a ton of wonderful people along the way, and saw some of the most beautiful country ever.?? That was back in 2007 (bad timing with the start of the great recession!), when we only intended to do our trip for a year at most, return the UK and then maybe live in France thereafter.? Turns out we never did go back permanently and have been here ever since, finally becoming Naturalized Citizens in the fall of 2018.? So, that 20 seconds of courage (some might say insanity), turned our lives around completely and we now live as Americans on a small, but beautiful soon to be lavender farm in central Virginia (our latest project!). Oh, and as history repeats itself, I am now looking for a new IT PM/Disaster Recovery role. If anyone knows of anything, please get in touch before I succumb to another "20 seconds of courage"? :-)
Accomplished Project Manager with over 3-decades of robust work experience, accomplishing prestigious projects
4 年Awesome
Managing Director - RegretShield Consulting
5 年Andy Kaufman, PMP, PMI-ACP I remember when I was considering leaving my FTE role to start my own company. I was halfway through my MBA, had a 6 month old son, and not a lot in savings. I received a call from a former client asking if I would help them deliver a capital project and this is while I was driving into work. I hung up from that call and called my wife. She said I trust you, do what you think is best for us. I got to work, asked to meet with our VP of professional services and resigned. The most terrifying decision I have ever made.
Bold, Daring, Brave. I made ALL the mistakes. Learn from me. #GangstaMentor
5 年Courage “Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible.” —Aristotle People will wait to see if a leader is courageous before they’re willing to follow his or her lead. People need courage in their leaders. They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the good of the group. They need a leader who will stay the course when things get tough. People are far more likely to show courage themselves when their leaders do the same. For the courageous leader adversity is a welcome test. Like a blacksmith’s molding of a red-hot iron, adversity is a trial by fire that refines leaders and sharpens their game. Adversity emboldens courageous leaders and leaves them more committed to their strategic direction. Leaders who lack courage simply toe the company line. They follow the safest path—the path of least resistance—because they’d rather cover their backside than lead. Something to think about..... #transformationalmentor? #changemanagement? #riseabove? #makeadifference?
Technical Support Coordinator at Verizon Wireless
5 年I am currently part of a project that focuses around develop a pathing for customers to be able to access online tools with greater ease and minimal hassle. The project lead had mentioned that if we have any ideas for logos or a concept we can put on a shirt at our next major company wide meeting. I decided to take the extra initiative and get one shirt made with an idea I came up with. I spoke with my project lead for no more then 30 seconds about it. I showed her the shirt. She really appreciated the fact that I did this for her. I ultimately gave her the shirt and said that she can use this as a foundation to build upon. Before I presented her with the shirt I was not sure how she would react. But I was able to muster up enough confidence and courage to present my idea and it struck a chord with her train of thought. #hapmo