It’s Your Project!

By Dr. Gerald Mulenburg, PMP:

A book that I read recently keeps coming to mind when I think about project management. The name of the book is It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques From the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Naval Captain Michael Abrashoff, (May 2002) Warner Books, Inc. New York. The author describes how he took command of one of the Navy’s worst ships at the time (for morale, effectiveness and efficiency) and helped to turn it into the best performing ship of its class. I emphasize the word “helped” as he is quick to say that the ideas for what and how to improve things were often not his, but came from his officers and crew members.

Abrashoff says, “Leaders must free their subordinates to fulfill their talents to the utmost…most obstacles that limit people’s potential are set in motion by the leader and are rooted in his or her own fears, ego needs, and unproductive habits.” His guide to achieve this includes:

– generate unity
– lead by example
– create a climate of trust
– communicate purpose and meaning
– listen aggressively
– build up your people’s confidence
– look for results not salutes
– go beyond standard procedure
– take calculated risks
– improve your people’s quality of life as much as possible

Applying the above to projects seems like a logical approach because who knows best what is not working well, and how best to fix it, than the people who are doing the work? Captain Abrashoff took the time when people came to him with problems, or for those problems he identified on his own, to ask from those involved what should be done to solve them?

So, if you’re the project manager, or even a team lead or a team member, you can make it “Your Project.” Take the time to ask what the problems are and what they think is needed to solve them. You may be surprised at both what others see as their problems and how easy it is to implement their solutions. We know that not all project problems are easy to identify and solve, but if people on the team know that their ideas will be considered and valued, they are much more likely to participate in the process.

What worked for Captain Abrashoff is not anything really new in leadership, but it was new to him, and putting these practices in place soon helped move his crew toward the goal he wanted them to achieve. I am sure they will help you to do the same.

Full Course:  Developing High‐Performing Teams (1 day)

Click here for our full list of available courses!