Jaeger Consultants Ltd

How do I find the right job for me? Everyone seems to be looking for that ever elusive dream job. I think there a few things we need to think about before we embark on a job search.

1. The perfect job does not exist
2. Money is not as important as job satisfaction – you will spend most of your waking hours in your new job. Yes you want to earn enough to meet your needs and see some room for growth, but is a well paying job with a boss from hell really worth it? You go home frustrated every day and it is scientifically proven that this affects your health. It will also affect your family and friends, because of your reaction to the daily frustrations.
3. Office Location does play a role.
4. If you apply for a job, try and talk to people who work in the company to find out if they like it or not. Also ask about working hours, Saturday work, Leave days etc.

The best job opportunities are not found on Job websites or job adverts, they are actually found through networking. Hence a very important part of your job hunt is networking.

Actually in many of the jobs I have applied for it turned out that they recruited a lower skilled and lower qualified person, who just knew the right Manager.

How do I start?

• You need to attend relevant events – find your professional association, organization, prof. body etc and check out their events. Yes they may cost money to attend. But you will learn something new and build your network. Get to know people, but do not put them off by asking for a job immediately. Instead make comments about the days topic or the presentation content. Discuss with them, then exchange business cards and contact them the next day. Also connect on LinkedIn.
• Get active in your relevant professional online circles. For example get active on www.projectmanagement.com by commenting on articles, blogs, discussions etc. Or do the same on LinkedIn. Join groups or communities on LinkedIn.
• Use Hashtags effectively, so that others outside your inner circle get to see your comments.
• Contribute content on the different social media. That way you establish yourself as a specialist in your field.
• Start a blog and share it on LinkedIn when you post an entry
• When you go to project meetings talk to colleagues from other companies. Get to know them. Discuss issues of the project with them
• When you are out socially, let people know what you are doing. Carry your business cards with you. When you travel talk to the one sitting next to you.
• Attend other networking opportunities like LunchIn, BNA, Rotary, Lions etc During these events you get to know people and if your conduct and contributions impress them, they will contact you when they need your expertise.

You will be surprised how from these often casual seeming events and encounters you can get amazing opportunities. As long as you play your cards well. Nothing is as off putting as someone introducing him / herself “Hi I am Stephanie, I am looking for a job”.

Another big NoNo (You should never do that if you want to be taken serious) is asking clients from your current company for a job. You will only come as unethical and not committed to your work. I do not know a single last good job opportunity that has come from such behavior. Those who got jobs that way, never were happy in their new jobs and did not stay long. But they are also few and far between. Believe me: Networking works better in the long run.

Read up on effective networking and have fun with it. Networking is enriching, gives you an enormous circle of friends, mentors and future business.

This Blog was previously published on www.projectmanagement.com. It summarizes my lessons learned as Community Correspondent at the PMI EMEA Cngress 2019 in Dublin.

Hi everyone, thanks for following me all through the Congress and reading my blogs and Tweets about the Congress. It really has been a privilege to be Community Correspondent for the #PMIEMEA19.

It is a lot of fun, but also hard work. During all sessions you attend, you listen, take notes, tweet and keep your Social Media Updates going. That takes a lot of concentration. Even during the Networking events, you take notes and keep track of who you meet and what you do. Then in the evening when everyone orders their second beer in the Pub of choice for the day, you go back to your hotel room to write a blog about your day.

What an experience! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially tweeting on Twitter was a new experience for me. I only opened an account successfully about 1 month ago.

What an eventful few days it has been!

I was privileged to listen to Jamil Qureshi twice, once during the PMI LIMC Alumni Workshop on Sunday and then on Monday again during the Keynote. So much information in such a short time! Then during the Opening Session to hear from Jim Snyder, that his best memories are all about the people. Not the Mega Milestones and achievements, no, the people! Yes his best memories are about you and me. I actually agree with him. Yes in PMI events I have always learned a lot, but the best has always been the people. And you keep meeting again at events. For me they are also the go to Network when I need advice or help.

Meeting Sunil Pashara and seeing him attending sessions, mingling with people and freely networking with delegates was special. Knowing that he is a true citizen of the world, born & raised in Kenya, worked in almost every continent, living in London, working in Philadelphia. When we talk to him, he can relate.

Every session I attended, even then one I felt lost in, since the discussions used a Scrum Vocabulary, that is Greek to me, I took important lessons from. They are all in my notebook, but if I share them all, this will be a book.

So what are my 3 biggest lessons:

1. We need to identify and dismantle belief systems that hold us back. Jamil Qureshi talked about it, but it came up in several other sessions as well. What really hampers innovation and progress is belief systems. Things like “It can not be done”, “It has never been done”, “this is not how we do it here” and “It will never work” to name just a few, is often what holds us back. We need to figure out what our own belief systems are and those in our team. Then we need to identify the rogue monkey, whose urge to succeed is bigger than the belief system and is willing to try. If we work together with the rogue monkey and achieve even only this 1 degree change, we will succeed.

• The future in Project Management in my eyes lies in hybrid projects and virtual teams. We will all handle be involved in hybrid projects and projects with virtual teams at one point or another. When I reflected on it some time back, I realized a lot of my projects ended up using agile elements due to the unique project needs. Often we had at least one Technical Expert who was not in the country (see the virtual team right there). Volunteering with PMI you often end up in a virtual team.

For both hybrid projects & virtual teams you need to scale your communication up a notch. Hence I will concentrate on improving my communication skills and my EQ skills, both will come in handy for both environments. I want to become a Project Motivator and of course I bought the book by Ruth Pearce during the Congress.

• There is evidence of successful project management everywhere, just look for it. The seeming side shows of the Congress, like Networking events, including the tours through the host city and off site learning sessions, as well as your own trips exploring the city and surroundings are full of successful projects, with lessons for us to learn.
  • During Networking Sessions you get to know new people and make new friends. In your exchange with them you hear about their project successes, but also the failures. And you learn right there
  • Think about the Host Chapter together with the Congress Organizing Team and the PMI Staff involved. Think about how much work they put into the Congress Project. Finding and recruiting the right entertainers, finding and recruiting the right caterers etc, all that are major deliverables in this project. Recruiting and organizing all the volunteers who worked so hard in making us feel welcome, takes a lot of PM skills.

Hat’s off to the Host Chapter, the PMI Ireland Chapter for a job well done.

• When we were taking the Teeling Distillery Tour and heard how the Teeling Family, after selling off their old distillery, that had moved out of town, worked on building a new – but old style – distillery in Dublin, I was thinking about the enormity of the project they were undertaking. While the guide was telling us about the history, he did touch on a lot of points from their project planning and some of the risks they encountered. What a project!
  • Dublin is full of successful projects. Look at Christ Church Catherdral, which dates back to the time of the Vikings. Look at Guiness Brewery, but also look at the City’s history, where the different centuries can be seen in the different parts of town. Look at the history of the Irish people – in Epic Center you could find more of it, see where Irish Emigrants settled, what they achieved and you could also trace your family if you have Irish roots. Look at the successful city expansion in Dublin into the docklands & quays – recovering land, that was previously thought of as not inhabitable. Look at the Famine Boats – that helped evacuate thousands of starving Irish people into other countries for a better future. There are museums and statues that remind of it everywhere. Imagine the logistical nightmare. And did you know that Landlords paid for their starving squatters to emigrate?

Next time you go through your city look for the historical epic projects and think about the risks and unknown unknowns they faced. That puts your own projects in perspective.

It was also very exciting to see and be inspired by live TED Talks. I am looking forward to seeing more of the new engagement between PMI & TED. Karthik had shared the links to all the original TED Talks, so you can watch them yourself.

This was for me the first time attending the PMI EMEA Congress. I had previously only attended PMI Africa Conferences, the first day of 2 PMI Global Conferences and a host of Leadership Institute Meetings (LIM, RLIM). What they said is true. Each Conference / Congress has its own character. In Africa it is all about Networking and the social events are attended by all, it is like a big carnival with learning sessions. In the US it is more about Business, and the Conference is so big (up to 5000 people), that you are happy to see your Network Friends. However it is fun, and somehow you do meet your friends. The EMEA Congress I had been told is all about the Learning and the PDUs. But in Dublin I saw that the fun counts as well in Europe and the parties were great. I think each has its big positive sites and I will definitely attend any of them again.

Have you ever attended a conference and felt overwhelmed? The first time I attended a conference with over 3000 delegates for the first part and over 5000 for the second part I was totally overwhelmed. Yes they gave you an app, but the sheer volume of presentations, talks & workshops was just too much. I had to take some hours both with the app, that allowed you to chose a topic and then pointed you to the right sessions, and the printed timetable. Many times there were several sessions at the same time that I wanted to attend.

The question whether I am following what I want to listen to, or what I should listen to, or what would help my team the most came to mind. I decided at that time, to go with what will help the team the most.

Here are a few tips how I approach it:

1. As soon as you know you are attending the conference, go to the website and look at the program. I usually print it out. Mark all the session you would like to attend, regardless whether they are at the same time or not.
2. Go back to the program several time and start narrowing it down, until you have prioritized, one session in each time slot
3. I always use tea breaks, lunch breaks for networking. Get talking to people and get their contacts. Then write to them either the same day or immediately after the conference.
4. If there is a sponsor exhibition, then schedule time slots to visit. Tea breaks are too short and over lunch time you might want to network. I usually just look at the session time slots and identify one, that has sessions that are not top priority. Then I go to the exhibition during that time
5. Remember there is Conference Fatigue. I usually start feeling “all conferenced out” by the third day. To prevent that I schedule down time in between. You often get access to all the presentations after the conference. Hence you do not need to attend all.
6. Go with your own notebook. Some conferences give you limited space for taking notes and you will run out of space. Take notes by hand, not on your gizmo or by taking pictures. It is medically proven, that you will remember more, if you take notes by hand.
7. Try out the most comfortable shoes. They should have a good footbed, that supports your arch. If your shoes do not have a good footbed your ankles and knees might swell and hurt by the end of day 2, because you will walk and stand a lot, and then sit the rest of the time. It is NOT like in the office. I have a pair of neutral black Sketchers, that I use and a number of Clark’s Shoes with footbed. These are my go-to shoes for conferences and for when I do whole day training.
8. Have fun, take advantage of the extra activities, you will only once have the time to meet with that particular crowd. Yes they might cost a bit, but it is worth it. For example attending the Award Gala Dinner at the PMI Global Conference is very inspiring and also provides good entertainment.
9. Don’t stay at the venue. Look for cheaper Hotels in walking distance. I usually look at all Hotels within 1km distance. Look on Airbnb, Booking.com or other Hotel booking websites, you will find deals.
10. Spend at least 2 days extra. You might not go to that town again soon, so explore the town. Use hop-on-hop-off buses to explore, check if there are visitor passes. Those usually give discounted rates.

We even use this to link up with old friends. We agree to meet 2 days earlier and do a few things together.

Prepare well for a conference, to get the most out of it. Take ample notes and make sure you network. Don’t runaround throwing cards at people and telling them you are looking for a job. No start a conversation and discuss the last session you went to, or the key note. Then as you get to know each other, hand over your card and say you would love to stay in touch. Then write and follow up. As you get to know each other, you can indicate you are looking for new opportunities.

Look up your new contacts on LinkedIn and connect with them there.

Have fun and make the most of the trip. Those who reach a conference town on the day the conference starts and leave before it even ends, do not get much out of it, since they are too tired. I always plan for a couple of extra days.

We all go to networking events at times, but how effective is it? And can you only network in networking events, or does it happen elsewhere as well?

Here are my thoughts about it.

1. Every encounter is a chance to network, whether it is with new people you just met, or old acquaintances. Any chance encounter can lead to a lasting discussion and professional relationship. The other day I heard a guy on the next table in a relaxed restaurant talk about project management. That peaked my curiosity. I talked to him after he finished his phone call, apologized for intruding and told him that him talking about project management intrigued me and I would like to know more about his way of doing project management. Even though I actually ambushed him, I did manage to do it in a gentle enough way and we did have a 1 hr discussion about project management and what we are doing in consulting. We are continuing our discussion and are now looking at where we can collaborate in future.
2. You need to be smart about it and patient. Avoid annoying people at any cost. Build a relationship first, before you ask for business or a job…… This takes time and requires you to put yourself into it. Here are 2 examples of how not to do it:
   1. We have all met this person who during a networking event will force a business card on everyone, even interrupting conversations. Not a good idea, these cards will most likely end in a dust bin
   1. We have all met the young (in experience) overeager Networker, who introduces him / herself and in the second sentence says that s/he wants a job or business from you. How do you feel when ambushed like that? Not good isn’t it? Well others feel the same.

What can you do instead?

1. Have business cards with you. Also ask people you meet for business cards. Then follow up the next day and write to those, whose business cards you received. Tell them where you met and thank them for connecting with you. Then talk about, what you would like to discuss with them further. Again, this is too early to ask for business or a job. But you can introduce a topic and suggest that you meet to discuss it further.
2. Connect with your new contacts on LinkedIn
3. During Networking events or Conferences I often sit at an empty table and just simply chance who comes to sit with me. That way you get to know new people and since you are in the same event or conference, you already have a topic to talk about.
4. If you are in a Networking event, discuss with new people about the event topic. Discuss the presentation and add your own experience and points of view. However you need to avoid being negative or rubbishing what was said.
5. Show yourself as knowledgeable and caring about the topic
6. On a second meeting you can talk about your interests and usually you will find common interests or points of interaction. If your new contact is a golf player and you are too, agree for a round of golf. Then you’ll have them for up to 4 hours for more discussions.

If they share the same interest in wildlife you have, then see if you have some common contacts, or are in the same group.

• Most importantly be yourself, do not pretend! So that you do not come across as fake.
• If someone is not interested in talking to you, let them be. You have introduced yourself, that’s enough for now.

Building relationships is work, but in the end it is rewarding work. You will make new friends and often connect deeply with them. Things like jobs or business opportunities will come automatically later. I got invited to co-author a book with someone who coached me during the Leadership Institute Master Class. We did talk deeply during the coaching sessions and we connected on LinkedIn. I wrote her a recommendation, she did the same for me. Then we started following each other. She liked the articles I am writing and thought they touched the topic of the book she is writing. She needed help, so she contacted me.

You see the thread here: I did not ask her for business or for co-authoring with her. We did connect professionally, learned to respect each other. She had a need and she approached me.

Networking is an art, that we all need to learn.

As much as we try to avoid or prevent it, there is always of some conflict emerging in your team or between you and your subcontractor or dependent contractor. As project managers we need to keep an eye open for any emerging conflict. Look out for people rubbing each other wrongly, so that you can douse any conflict before it erupts. If you note one team member keeps contradicting a certain other person, or everyone, sit them down separately and find out what is going on. This is a brewing conflict. Either the person has problems with himself, or serious stress in his life and the behavior is just a symptom. However a symptom, which can cause serious conflict, if the other person gets offended. Or the person is in actual conflict with another. Then you need to drill down into it and convince the person to sort this out. Many insecure people will refuse and claim there is no conflict or no issue. But if the symptoms / the behavior say there is one, then there is a conflict and you better sort it out.

If 2 parties are involved start by encouraging them to sort it out between themselves. However those in denial or with insecurities will often refuse. Then you, as the leader, need to guide. Sometimes it is enough to allocate them to some work together, but supervising closely. Best some work that will force them to talk to each other. But at times you have to sit them down in front of yourself and open the discussion. Ensure that both know that what is to be discussed will stay in the room, but no one will leave until it is resolved. This is not easy, but it is very important!

If you see several people ganging up against one person, or people refusing to work with one particular person, talk to each separately. Get all their views first, and remain neutral. It is essential you remain neutral, just as much as it is essential that you LISTEN to each first without interrupting. Let them have their say. Depending on the situation, you can then either explain to each individually what is going on, where they are going wrong, or you need to sit different groups around a table to discuss and sort their differences out.

Conflict management is very much the responsibility of the project manager and if you fail to do it, your project outcome is at risk. You may also risk shouting matches in front of clients.

If you see tempers rising during a meeting, try and smoothen the situation, change the topic and make sure that everyone knows the issue will be discussed afterwards outside of the meeting. Let tempers cool first, including your own if necessary.

Read up on common conflict management techniques like:

• Collaborating
• Compromising
• Smoothing / Accommodating
• Withdrawal / Avoiding
• Forcing
• Confronting & Problem solving

You will need them and at that point there will be no chance to read up on it.

You also need to know that in the 3 stages of conflict everyone, changes their behavior. However every individual has their own behavior pattern. The 3 stages of conflict are:

Stage 1:There is conflict, but it is not personal

Stage 2:It is now becoming personal, but you can still reason

Stage 3: You are feeling personally attacked, pushed against the wall and only getting out of this counts.

And you need to learn to read the early warning signs and try and arrest any conflict situation in stage 1, while people can still reason. However since every person has their own sequence of behavior it is difficult to analyze.

We all fall into one of the following 7 motivational groups:

• Red – people who are primarily goal oriented – assertive directing
• Blue – people who are primarily people oriented – altruistic nurturing
• Green – people who are primarily process oriented – analytical autonomizing
• Red-blue – assertive nurturing
• Red-green – judicious competing
• Blue-green – cautious supporting
• Hubs – flexible cohering

However we still have elements of the other groups, and even people in the same group have these motivational focus in varying degrees. When we go into conflict, we all show the 3 primary groups in varying degrees. The order and severity in which we experience them may vary as well. For example, someone who usually falls in the blue spectrum will at one conflict stage be red, another more blue and another green. I myself am usually at the border of hub and green-blue, however in conflict I go blue first, then red and finally green. When you hear me insisting on processes and not talking about anything else anymore, be careful, I am in stage 3 of conflict. For someone else the stage 3 will be red or blue.

If you want to learn more about this, check out Total SDI. It is essential to know your own color and the conflict sequence, since you need to know when you are going into conflict. At that point you need to remove yourself from the situation and think it through, before you take any action.