Side of Panache – Hold the Fear

Craig Brown in his Monday comment professes that project management panache requires presenting information with no fear. When the news is bad; it takes pluck and power and prowess.

What is pluck? It is passion, grits and guts for a subject. For me; project performance improvement is my passion. I, like Craig, talked about the Chaos Study this week. I use a sense of humor to challenge people to think how to not be in the failed project category.

What is prowess? It is adeptness and aptitude for managing project work. For me; it is flexibly responding to project characteristics rather than pugnaciously insisting on doing the project the same way we did it last time or perilously ignoring lessons learned from last time. Adept project managers know the difference.

What is power? This is the capability to influence project outcomes. Managing external circumstances requires managing self first. What is the first thing to manage in self first? Fear! Lack of fear is confidence. Confidence in your qualifications, experiences and ability to contribute ideas and craft solutions. Change your self-talk. Change your outcomes.

Panache and power go hand-in-hand.

Thanks Craig for this insight.