Fortunately, most of us will never be in a situation where we are in a minefield. One wrong step spells disaster. For those that are in combat zones, attention to your surroundings is vital, as is the ability to take action. Those of us in civilian life could learn a lesson or two from this career path. Our “minefields” include timely delivery of projects, client satisfaction (including executives and your boss), vendors and unforeseen meltdowns.
How to learn to cut through these traps?
1. Take Action
Be mindful of what you do. Base your actions in reason and understanding. Dare I show my inner-geek: use logic. As you develop your skills, or if you’ve been in the trenches for years, use your gut instinct.
2. Understand your surroundings
Too many people that work in an area and have little knowledge of how it works. Project managers that have no concept of technology are my favorite, but this also extends to other groups in the Web space <cough>designers</cough>.
If you want to be effective, learn your surroundings. Understand the constraints and pitfalls that surround your work. Otherwise, you might as well lace up and take a run through that open field.
3. Stay calm in a crisis
Regardless if you’re in-house or at an agency, fires happen. Here, a pearl of wisdom from my father rings true: ACT, DON’T REACT. So a server just tanked, a client is yelling or your boss is freaking out. An emotional reaction will only compound the situation and could even cloud your judgment. Don’t engage at this level. Identify the problem, find a solution and execute. Stem the losses and stabilize the situation, so if there are serious concerns that need client or executive buy-in, you’ll have a moment to calm them down and think.
4. Use the right tools
I have seen too many people in business use the wrong tools for a job. The best one was a project manager at one job who had never seen Microsoft Project (or any other project management software). Word is a not an acceptable alternative. Find out how to maximize the time spent on a project whether you’re a developer, PM, designer or executive. A change in your behavior may be necessary, but there’s a reason why “standards” and practices are followed.
One final note: nothing in this post is new; it’s been said many times before. In writing it here, I hope others can learn.
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