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Module 3: Paper

Charles Porter

Arizona State University

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I found a few things that stuck to me when thinking of being a project manager. The first

piece of information that was enlightening was on page 378 of our PDF file. The quote goes,

"Many companies start applying project management without understanding the fundamental

behavioral differences between the project manager and line managers." (Kerzner, pg.378). I

found this to very true within many companies I have worked for in the past.  I have noticed that

many companies have a confusing line of leadership that need to be defined better.

There is a very distinct difference between the Line Manager and Project Manager. I have

witnessed first-hand project managers trying to take charge of personal on lines or on the floor.

This act causes an issue of who the workers turn to when they need help or questions. Line

managers oversee the personal and the product coming off the machines when a project manager

oversteps their boundaries and tries to implement their structure of discipline or authority to the

workers this action can be very confusing to the workers. Next line manager is the one in charge

of giving the team members feedback and reviews. Project manager oversees the design of the

project and not so much the people side of the project. When a Project manager tries to use their

own authority, it undermines the Line Managers' influence, and employees’ question who they

need to turn to. Project managers have little to no power when it comes to production. The line

manager is the one directly responsible for those employees. 

Lastly, Ben Willmot spoke on his blog, "What are Self-Management Skills?", he pointed

out an essential leadership quality. "Taking responsibility for the outcomes of what you do when

a task hasn't gone as planned. Then learning from the problem, itself so it's not repeated in the

future." (Willmott, pg.2). When a leader stands up and admits wrong and takes the blame for a

failed project, those actions speak volumes to the team members. Also when a leader learns from

their mistake and fixes the situation it speaks volumes to the employees because they see their
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leader righting the wrong. When a leader does not place blame on their team, it shows excellent

leadership qualities because the leader is not trying to cover up and place blame somewhere else.

In our PDF, there was a story of a leader standing up and taking responsibility for a

failed issue. The union was so amazed by this; they worked extra hours without pay to dig

themselves out of the hole and get the project done because they respected their leader's ability

not to blame them but himself. All too often, fingers get pointed at others and team members

when issues arise. The leader needs to understand failure happens under their watch more so than

under the team they are leading.  Your team is only as good as you lead them. People follow by

example, and if you show this kind of characteristic followers will be more willing to ride out a

storm and go beyond the call of duty for their leader.

I agree with what was discussed this week in our readings. I honestly feel that a leader

needs to be the one that takes the burden of blame when things do not go right on a project. It can

be disheartening when the fault is pushed upon the team members. They fell that the leader does

have their backs and will throw them under the bus to save their very own skin. Morale is vital to

a project. If there is poor morale, people do not work as hard and do not give their whole hearts

into the project.   Mistakes happen more often, and people lose interest is they feel their leader

will blame them for all mishaps.

I also agree with the phrase "Demonstrates humility in leadership." (Kerzner, pg. 391). A

leader needs to show humility and vulnerability. When a leader is wrong, they need to admit to it

and move on. There is nothing wrong with admitting to being wrong and showing the

vulnerability behind that. Team members learn to respect a humble leader. A humble leader does

not mean a weak leader and leader that can be walked all over. A humble leader understands that

they were wrong, and they show the team how they are planning on fixing the situation.  When a
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leader can show they are human and can fess up to a mistake the followers will go out of their

way to help their leader get out of hard times more than a leader who is cold and shows no

interest.

Another point that came from Kerzner was om the same page, "avoid arm-length

relationships." (Kerzner, pg. 391). A Leader should get to know their team members. Leaders do

not have to develop friendship but knowing how your members feel under certain situations.

How they react to stress and understanding who they are as a person is vital to have a team that

can sustain hardship and earns respect. To expand on that thought in the blog, Herding Cats,

their quote of the day on May 05 was, "If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts,

feel my feelings, and speak my words." (Camenisch, 2020). I good leader will understand who

his workers are by their actions, words, and feelings. A leader will take the time to get to know

each member of their team and understand how to utilize them for the project. During the

simulation, I started to understand how my team would react to pressure. I learned after a few

attempts that I do not need more people; I need highly skilled people. Even though I was losing

team members, if I trained them right and gave them the tools for success, they could push

through the hardship. I needed to trust their ability and provide them with the space to work. I

felt that after a few attempts, I grew (figuratively speaking) a relationship with my workers. I

understood who they were and what they could accomplish. In the first few weeks, I developed a

relationship with them and figured out how to manage the crunch of losing people. They needed

more help, and I needed to be trust them that they could handle more work. 

In the simulation, I also learned a lot about myself. I thought I had the answers to get the

team through the hardship and the problem of being behind schedule. I learned quickly that how

I handled situations was not the way my team needed me to handle the situation. After a few
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attempts, I took a step back and analyzed what I could do differently to increase morale and

production. I learned (as mentioned previously) that I have a highly/well-trained team, and they

need me to trust their abilities. I do not need to keep communicating and wasting their time with

meetings. They understood that we would eventually get team members back, and right now,

they need to work and focus. I learned less and is more in a situation like this one. I felt that I

frustrated them more with my presence because I was not trusting their abilities. They

appreciated when I outsourced more to take some the work off their plate, but they did not need

more meetings.  My team was happy with having a project update meeting once a week, and they

felt that I was not over communicating anymore.

Even after I was able to add more people to the team, the original members seemed to get

bored quickly. I had to change my outlook in that scenario as well. After week fifteen, I noticed I

needed to decrease the team again, and by week seventeen, I was down to one member. It was a

great feeling seeing that my team was trained enough to work with less personal and still

accomplish the proper timeline. 

In my past, I was not the humblest of leaders. Nor was I a leader that trusted people.

Arrogance can take a toll on a team and destroy morale. I believe my failure from the past comes

from pride and not trusting. I may also come from that I never got to know my team. I knew their

names; I knew if they had kids or not. My interaction with them was surface at best. I know now

that I had the wrong people doing the wrong tasks, and my ego would not tell me otherwise.   

With my failures, I have learned how to approach people. Now I get to know people

often. I go out of my way to greet new people, and the people on my team, I have a deep, lasting

relationship. I am not a leader by any means, but when I do become one, I have established a

rapport with my teammates, and it can (hopefully) sustain when I am leading them on a project. 
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Nowadays, I like to look at the leadership I have at the plant. I notice the good and bad

attributes of my leaders. I see them because I have either I have been the one who has done those

types of failures. Or I watch to see how they can and will handle the situation. It is hard for me to

watch a leader tell someone to do something when they have not gained the respect of their

peers. Some of the new leaders that are in the plant do not understand the personal and just

assume that anyone can do any job. I have learned in this reading alone that it is not the truth.

People are wired differently and can accomplish tasks in different ways. However, some people

should not be asked to do the task because they do not know how to do it or because they are the

wrong person to do it. If the leader would take time to get to know their constituents, I think

more projects would get done. 

Lastly, in the future, I hope I can apply some of the lessons learned from this module. It

is important to remember that as a leader, you are never as good as the people working for you.

If the opportunity ever arises again, I am hopeful that I have learned from my past mistakes and

have learned a great deal about being in college. I know next time I will trust those I have placed

on my team and encourage those who are struggling. Open communication is essential, but in

over-communication can feel like micro-managing. I need to make sure that I have relationships

that are lasting and friendly. I want to make sure that everyone understands their part, and they

know that I have their backs.

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References:

Camenisch, J. (2020, May 05). Quote of the Day. Retrieved June 06, 2020, from

https://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Kerzner, H. (2018). Project management best practices achieving global excellence (2nd

ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Willmott, B. (2020, May 19). What are Self-Management Skills? Retrieved June 02,

2020, from https://pmstudent.com/what-are-self-management-skills/