THE SIX-STEP JOURNEY

The workbook is organized into six steps. The steps are based on a coaching model of identifying what your goal is; understanding what your current situation and capabilities are; seeking feedback from others; taking action; learning more; and reviewing your progress and taking more action.

If you work through all six steps and spend the necessary time on the exercises, you will actively learn new behaviors, habits, and techniques that will set you up for a fulfilling career as a project manager.

STEP 1: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? CREATE YOUR VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT

In Step 1, we will look at what project management is and what kind of project manager and leader you want to become. Who has inspired you in your career, and how can you start inspiring others in a similar way? Having a clear understanding of what you want to achieve is important, as your chances of becoming successful are much greater when you know what you are aiming for. We will look at your strengths, weaknesses, self-image, and aspirations, and I will ask you to write a vision and mission statement to encapsulate the essence of your ambitions and intentions. The vision and mission statement becomes your beacon of inspiration and summarizes what you want to achieve and how you want to carry yourself as a project manager.

STEP 2: SELF-ASSESSMENT: CREATE A BENCHMARK OF YOUR CURRENT SKILL SET

In Step 2, you will be presented with a comprehensive self-assessment to evaluate your project management skills, knowledge, attributes, and capabilities. The aim is to help you reflect upon your current skill set and to generate a personal performance benchmark, which is a summarized view of your strongest and weakest points. Step 2 concludes with a gap analysis, where you will capture the main competencies you need to develop in order to fulfill your goals as a project manager and leader.

STEP 3: 360° FEEDBACK: SEEK FEEDBACK FROM MANAGERS, PEERS, AND CUSTOMERS

To counterbalance the subjective nature of the self-assessment, I will ask you to seek feedback from your managers, peers, and customers in Step 3. Asking others for feedback can be daunting and will require courage, strength, and determination. It may, however, be one of the most determining actions you take and is certain to add further weight to your self-assessment. The 360° review can lead to remarkable results and breakthroughs, as it highlights any discrepancies between how others perceive your capabilities and performance and how you perceive them. Step 3 concludes with a review of your gap analysis.

STEP 4: ACTION: CREATE AN ACTION PLAN AND MOVE FORWARD

In Step 4 you will create a plan of action so that you can start holding yourself accountable, actively moving forward, and becoming a highly valued and truly successful project management leader. When you write down what you will do, not only do you create a written record of your intentions, but you are also much more likely to follow through with these intentions. You will start to change undesired behavior and try out new techniques to address a shortcoming or leverage a strength. It is by taking action that real results are created.

STEP 5: GUIDING PRACTICES: LEARN MORE ABOUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP TECHNIQUES

To accelerate your development, add to your knowledge base, and inspire you, Step 5 offers a number of guiding practices and exercises relating to project management and personal leadership. Focus on the topics and areas you most need to develop. The guiding practices cover topics such as project initiation, risk and issue management, team management, and stakeholder management. Compare these practices with how you manage yourself and your projects today, and decide which new techniques you want to incorporate into the way you work.

STEP 6: PROGRESS REVIEW: EXAMINE YOUR PROGRESS AND DETERMINE NEXT STEPS

In the last step of the workbook, we will review the progress you are making and determine what your next action steps should be. Carry out the review four to eight weeks after finalizing your action plan so that you have had time to implement your initial actions and work on certain behaviors. It is important to regularly review your progress, actions, goals, and capabilities, because huge changes happen when you start to work on yourself and your professional development. You can go through the review several times, until you have established a good routine for setting and achieving your goals.