101 Tips for the Enlightened Project Manager

Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours at work yet in many cases the experience is anything but positive and rewarding. Most work environments suffer from some degree of dysfunction. There are organizations where, due to the workplace culture, the day is dominated by events that produce a work experience that is mildly annoying and unrewarding. There are other organizations where the level of dysfunction is so extreme that some employees experience an unpleasant physical sensation as they pull into the parking lot. It’s not uncommon for employees who work in these environments to experience a mild depression on Sunday afternoon in anticipation of the beginning of the work week. Characteristics of dysfunctional work environments include, among other things, low trust, low morale, low productivity, and high turnover. Most of us have worked in organizations suffering from varying degrees of dysfunction. The bad news is that this situation is common in organizations around the world. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way and things are changing.

Enlightened Project Management addresses the issues that cause much of the stress and less than optimal performance experienced by project managers and their teams. Most of the pain we experience as project managers is self-inflicted and can be remedied by applying the tools and techniques of Enlightened Project Management™. By becoming an Enlightened Project Manager you will not only significantly improve the performance of your team but you will help to improve the workplace environment making your organization more successful and its employees happier and more productive.

The Enlightened Project Manager has achieved or is striving to achieve the following characteristics:
-A strong understanding of the fundamentals of project management gained through a combination of experience, training, education, and certification. A devotion to understanding and acquiring the interpersonal skills that are critical to successful interaction with team members, customers, management and everyone else with whom we interact in the workplace.
-A commitment to lifelong learning and growth on a professional as well as a personal level.
-An understanding and belief that people truly are the most valuable asset of any organization and that everyone in the organization has an obligation to encourage and provide opportunities, to the greatest extent possible, for growth and development of all employees.
-An ability to distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy workplace culture and a firm belief that a healthy workplace culture is essential for the long term success of an organization. A commitment to always help create and maintain a healthy workplace culture.
-A commitment to be a conscious project manager who practices a stakeholder relationship management (SRM) approach where all decisions are based on creating a win/win for all stakeholders involved with the project and the organization.
-A commitment to make a positive difference in any environment in which you work or live, to “be a contribution.”

101 Tips for the Enlightened Project Manager provides the knowledge, tools, and techniques to start you on the path towards enlightened project management. Applying just some of the tips from the book will significantly improve the performance of you and your team in ways that will be noticed by others in the organization. In addition to improved performance, you and your team will have a much more rewarding and satisfying work experience and will be contributing to the continued success and growth of your organization.