Your unique set of skills

As I am ready to start a new endeavor, and with it, to establish a new team, I started thinking on what skills I already have. Every person on a team has a particular set of skills that give value to a project. As a Manager, being able to recognize these skills and take advantage of them, will help immensely in delivering the project or process as planned.

But the skill starts with oneself, the ability to recognize our own personal unique skills, and measure them objectively is one of the most valuable trades or a good executive. Know thy self, they say.

At this stage of my life, I am reviewing my past experience, my core values and deciding what are the skills I will develop even further. What is the Project Manager and Executive I am? This is what I have come up with so far:

For good or worst, I am aware of how everybody in a team provides value (or problems) from their own perspective. I have a great difficulty to see people as their titles or status, I see people. Jerarquies mean little to me, in work environment, I see people as their role in the particular project or scenario but have no special distinction on how I treat anybody, according to rank. So I do well in organizations with more horizontal structures, where people speak their mind and a good debate is always welcome, where respect is shown equally to everyone.

I also like to learn and speak other people's language. Even though I have a technical background you will not see me talking in IT technical jargon unless I am sure everyone in the room has also a technical background. I do not assume all people know the same as me and don't expect them to know what I know. I do good in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.

I am an introvert. I am not shy or insecure, just an introvert. I am constantly having so much inner dialogue that I need to spend time with myself just to think. I like having lunch on my own and spend most of the time in a meeting in silence, listening and analyzing. I am bad at small talk and will avoid office parties if I can, but will develop deep connections with each person in the team. I just need to talk to them one at a time, get to know them, really listen.

I am goal oriented. I need to see tasks finished, and even when I take on multiple tasks at the same time, I will naturally use the Kanban approach and stop taking new ones until I have finished the first ones. I like working smart instead of hard, so, eventually will have no problem with canceling a task if it no longer provides value to the project or the organization. The reason to finish the task is to add value, not just mere stubbornness.

I am always thinking of the new product, the new service, the new something. I can´t help imagining new solutions to the problems I see. I am a startup person and will find a way to create a new startup or innovation team in where ever I can. I am also good at the excitement and the risk, the constant moving and adapting, the need to "move fast and break things". I am a specialist in Startup Project Management (yes, this is a thing! check it out: https://www.toptal.com/project-managers/startup)

Many of the projects I have worked on where software development. Software Engineering is probably one of the Engineering disciplines in which you develop more respect for being methodical and keeping best practices in mind at all times. Software projects can go wrong in so many ways, that you do not skip steps on the way. I started my career when RUP was the best thing available, and have seen the Agile take over in many scenarios. Then you complete your view with PMI and, you have a PM Certified Profesional, able to identify what is the best methodology for a particular project and then, using it to produce value.

Having been an Entrepreneur and CEO on medium-sized companies, I am very much aware of how costs and cash flow can affect the results of a project. It's not all technical, or about the quality. Money issues will determine if you survive or not. Keeping a business perspective is as important as finishing the tasks.

Finally, I think I am old enough to not take things personally. Many ways conflict comes from taking too personally things that are not even about you. Took me years to understand it, and embrace it. Wish I knew it when I was younger, but I guess that is how we all feel, as we grow wise.

With this reflection done, I am now ready to take on new challenges. Knowing the unique skills I have already in my team. What are the skills you can bring to the team?


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Role definitions

This post on Quora, which I found by chance yesterday, goes along the lines of the importance of defining objectives very well. I had some experience in being burnt after accepting a role that was not well defined. So believe me, I can´t stress enough how important it is to have a clear view of what is expected from you before accepting a role.

Here it is

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Answer on @Quora by Gil Yehuda to What is the craziest thing you have ever said (or done) at an interview and still… 

In response to a job offer, I said no. As a result, I got the job.

I was interested in a particular job, and read the description carefully. It listed 5 specifications, covering a wide range of skills in my field. They really needed two people to do the job as described. After the phone interviews, I was invited to a full day of on-site interviews. I first met the hiring manager, and then a few people associated with the role. The last interview was with the recruiter.

First interview with the hiring manager (CTO) went well, but ended strangely. He asked if I had questions. I asked about the five items listed in the spec: they were diverse. Which was the most important part of the job? He scanned the job spec sheet and said #5 was most important, the other four were much less relevant. I asked: why is the most important part of the job listed last? Usually a list like this would have the most important item listed first. He seemed annoyed at the question, and reiterated that #5 was the primary job, the rest were not as important. That felt strange.

The next five interviews went smoothly, and things looked promising. Each interviewer asked if I had questions, and I asked each the same question: "If we asked the CTO which of these 5 items are most important for this job, what would he say?" Each one answered #1 is the primary job. Then I said "I actually asked the CTO, he said #5 was the essential part of the job. What do you think that means?" Their reactions were very interesting. One said "No, I meant #5..." Another said "Oh that's not right, I need to meet with him and correct this." Fascinating indeed! I discovered a disconnect between the CTO and the team about the job.

The last interview was with the recruiter. We had a frank conversation about the company and about the issues I uncovered. She told me that feedback from my interviews was positive. But she did not have a good answer about the role clarity. Yet they still wanted to make me an offer. The truth is, I really wanted (needed) this job. But I said: I'm sorry, I don't think I can take the job if the company doesn't know what the job is. You need to figure out what you want before you make an offer. I don't think anyone could succeed in a job where the very role is in dispute.

She responded. The reason they wanted to make me the offer was that I was the only person to see what was going on. It was a new role and they didn't understand what they needed. Apparently I read the situation in a way they were unable to see themselves, and that's what they needed. They want me to take the job in order to help figure out what the job should be. That’s a twist, and a huge opportunity.

She asked me what salary range I was looking for. I thought, this makes no sense. Yes, I want the job, but the risk of failure is high since the job was ill defined. Given the risk, how would I know if they are serious about having me figure this out for them? So I said "If you make me an offer I can't refuse, I won't be able to refuse it." She came back 15 minutes later with an offer I could not, and did not refuse. No regrets either.

 Link to the original post

https://www.quora.com/Experiences-in-Life/What-is-the-craziest-thing-you-have-ever-said-or-done-at-an-interview-and-still-got-the-job/answer/Gil-Yehuda?srid=zA9t&share=b2bc108d

Timeless Principles for Leadership

I read these principles on Linkedin and thought it was really timeless and accurate, so I want to share them with you. This is how I try to manage teams, it just reflects my own views perfectly.

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement – understand who you are, your values, priorities, strengths and weaknesses. Knowing yourself allows you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. Self-improvement is a process of sustaining strengths and overcoming weaknesses, thus increasing competence and the confidence people have in your leadership ability.

2. Be technically and tactically proficient – before leaders can lead effectively, they must have mastered the tasks required by the people they lead. In addition, leaders train their people to do their own jobs while understudying the leader so that they are prepared to replace the leader if necessary. Likewise, leaders must understudy their leader in the event they must assume those duties.

3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions – leading always involves responsibility. Leaders want people who can handle responsibility and help achieve goals. They expect others to take the initiative within their stated intent. When you see a problem or something that needs to be fixed, do not wait to be told to act. Organizational effectiveness depends upon having leaders at all levels that exercise initiative, are resourceful and take opportunities that will lead to goal accomplishment and business success. When leaders make mistakes, they accept just criticism and take corrective action. They do not avoid responsibility by placing the blame on someone else.

4. Set the example – people want and need their leaders to be role models. This is a heavy responsibility, but leaders have no choice. No aspect of leadership is more powerful. If leaders expect courage, responsibility, initiative, competence, commitment and integrity from their direct reports, they must demonstrate them. People will imitate a leader’s behavior. Leaders set high but attainable standards for performance and are willing to do what they require of their people. Leaders share hardships with their people and know that their personal example affects behavior more than any amount of instruction or form of discipline.

5. Know your people and look out for their welfare – it is not enough to know the names and birth dates of your people. You need to understand what motivates them and what is important to them. Commit time and effort to listen to and learn about them. Showing genuine concern for your people builds trust and respect for you as a leader. Telling your people you care about them has no meaning unless they see you demonstrating it. They assume that if you fail to care for them daily, you will fail them when the going gets tough.

6. Keep your people informed – people do best when they know why they are doing something. Individuals affect the bottom line results of companies by using initiative in the absence of instructions. Keeping people informed helps them make decisions and execute plans within your intent, encourages initiative, improves teamwork and enhances morale.

7. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished – your people must understand what you want done, to what standard and by when. They need to know if you want a task accomplished in a specific way or how much leeway is allowed. Supervising lets you know if people understand your instructions; it shows your interest in them and in goal accomplishment. Over-supervision causes resentment while under-supervision causes frustration. When people are learning new tasks tell them what you want done and show them how. Let them try. Observe their performance. Reward performance that exceeds expectations; correct performance that does not. Determine the cause of the poor performance and take appropriate action. When you hold people accountable for their performance, they realize they are responsible for accomplishing goals as individuals and as teams.

8. Develop a sense of responsibility among your people – people feel a sense of pride and responsibility when they successfully accomplish a new task. Delegation indicates trust in people and encourages them to seek responsibility. Develop people by giving them challenges and opportunities that stretch them and more responsibility when they demonstrate they are ready. Their initiative will amaze you.

9. Train your people as a team – teamwork is becoming more and more crucial to achieving goals. Teamwork is possible only when people have trust and respect for their leader and for each other as competent professionals and see the importance of their contributions to the organization. Develop a team spirit among people to motivate them to perform willingly and confidently. Ensure that individuals know their roles and responsibilities within the team framework. Train and cross train people until they are confident in the team’s abilities.

10. Make sound and timely decisions – leaders must assess situations rapidly and make sound decisions. They need to know when to make decisions themselves, when to consult with people before deciding and when to delegate the decision. Leaders must know the factors to consider when deciding how, when and if to make decisions. Good decisions made at the right time are better than the best decisions made too late. Do not delay or try to avoid a decision when one is necessary. Indecisive leaders create hesitancy, loss of confidence and confusion. Leaders must anticipate and reason under the most trying conditions and quickly decide what actions to take. Gather essential information before making decisions. Announce decisions in time for people to react.

11. Employ your work unit in accordance with its capabilities – leaders must know their work unit’s capabilities and limitations. People gain satisfaction from performing tasks that are reasonable and challenging but are frustrated if tasks are too easy, unrealistic or unattainable. If the task assigned is one that people have not been trained to do, failure is very likely to result.

The original link is here, in case you want to take a look at the complete article. 
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140607131713-404673-11-timeless-principles-of-leadership-us-army-1948