4) Make sure everyone knows their role

The roles on American Idol are clearly defined in advance and have been practiced quite nicely. The judges allow their unique personalities to contribute, but the chemistry of the three is central to the success of the show. Simon Cowell has the courage to face reality, even though it is sometimes harsh. Randy Jackson is the industry expert. He knows the talk (“hey dog”), understands the business, and has the connections. Paula Abdul is the nurturing, supportive, enthusiastic compassionate element of the team. If any of the judges steps out of his/her role, the audience is jolted. In order to avoid having your project team jolted, or worse, make sure that everyone knows their role. When teams begin to work outside of their roles your project will begin to run off course, over budget, and may incur overtime to complete your deliverables. By managing the team members to work within their roles, the project can stay focused on its goal, and the project manager can rest assured that each department is working on the tasks given to them.

5) Be mindful of the soft skills

Managers often overlook soft skills. Soft skills are not a physical deliverable; they are intangible and their results are immeasurable. Despite that, soft skills are incredibly important to the success of the project. In American Idol, Paula Abdul often fills the “soft skills role.” Abdul focuses on creating an environment of acceptance and support. She is willing to challenge Cowell’s directness and provides the necessary balance to his “driven to the end goal” aspect of the show. While the project manager needs to be mindful of the goals of the project, those goals will never be reached if the manager cannot keep the staff focused. That’s where soft skills are important. The project team needs to be encouraged, reminded of their importance, and rewarded for meeting the milestones of the project. Without soft skills, a project will never be as successful as it could be.

6) Even adversaries can work together

American Idol demonstrates that conflict can be beneficial as long as it is managed. The conflict between the judges could easily get out of hand, but the management of it is done so as not to truly offend. The conflict between the contestants adds an element of drama to the show, but in the end, they support each other. When a contestant is placed “in the bottom three” or when one is voted off the show, the others offer their support. Adversaries exist in the world of project management as well, but just like in American Idol, adversaries can contribute to the success of the project. The conflict caused by adversaries can result in the generation of different ideas and perspectives and reduce the possibility of the project’s stagnation. If managed appropriately, adversaries can help move the project forward.

7) Competition can be healthy

Competition and conflict is beneficial when managing a project. Pitting teams against each other in competition can help to improve the project. Like the Idol singers that push themselves to improve and step-up to the competition, you can use incentives to drive teams forward. Competition can be used to motivate teams and celebrate milestones throughout the project. Be cautious, though, that competition stays positive. Competition should be kept continually positive so that your staff does not have the outlook that something bad will happen if we don’t “win.” If one team becomes a winner, and another a loser, the “losing” team will not perform at its highest potential. By working positive competition into the project, your teams will be more motivated to perform at their highest level.

continue>>

<<back