Kolme Group aired our first episode of the EmPOWer your PMO Series titled – “Crushing Conversations with your C-Suite.” This webinar focuses on tough C-Suite conversations Project Managers often have to have and how to best prepare for them.
If you’ve finished binge-watching the Netflix show Tiger King during social distancing (vendetta against who??), you can catch Chapter 1 on our Kolme YouTube channel now. Be sure to download our Crushing Conversations Cheat Sheet or read on for a quick recap.
PMO PowerHouse (Our PMO Leader)
During the webinar, Kim Essendrup – our real-life project management superhero, led us through a PM packed adventure where our PMO Lead Character, PMO Powerhouse, discovers some important lessons to level-up her projects. For instance:
- The sponsor support you get (or lack thereof) can make or break the project – so we need to Crush these conversations!
- Your PPM (project portfolio management) utility-belt is your secret weapon – it can provide data insights which help your C-Suite make well-informed business decisions.
And something we all need to hear:
- The superpowers that got us to where we are today, are not necessarily the ones that will continue to fuel our career trajectory – there is an opportunity to level up!
League of Leaders (C-Suite)
As PMs and PMO leaders, we often need to communicate with various leaders within the organization to gain important decisions and move our initiatives forward. As PMs, sometimes we tend to get lost in the details of our project – RAG (Red Amber Green) indicators, issue & risk logs, status reports, etc. But as Kim mentions during the webinar, it is important to take a step back and think of the information the Executive wants to hear. This includes reliable and meaningful information that will help keep them informed to drive action and awareness from their strategic perspective.
In addition to what information you deliver, it is also important to understand how to deliver it. By recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of how each leadership personality will process the information, you can craft the message in a way that helps them consume the information more efficiently and effectively. This helps your leadership team make better decisions, faster. Now that’s a superpower!
During the webinar, Kim introduced us to an exciting cast of leadership characters that spanned the full spectrum of personality types inhabiting the C-Suite. These included Mr. Factual, Gut Check, Rising Star, and the 5-Headed Beast… (I know we are all picturing a previous leader who fits at least one of those descriptions).
Each member of the League of Leaders has their Modus Operandi (their MO), for how they make decisions. For example, Mr. Factual is very direct and wants the bottom-line up front; he doesn’t have time for big reports or fancy tools, but he still craves facts and data. Playing counterpoint to Mr. Factual, Gut Check relies more on intuition and experience; she needs the data to resonate for her to make a decision.
The journey continues as PMO Powerhouse goes into each new Boss-Battle! Kim describes how to prepare for these skirmishes and which tools to choose from your PPM Utility Belt so you can Crush your conversations and best deliver the data to the C-Suite elite.
Knowing how to support and prepare them for decision-making, whether by teaching the narrative or helping them “Say No” to themselves, can set you on a greater, and quicker path for decision success. You might not only be the superhero they deserve, you’re also the one they need!
Next Time On…
We bring you the next chapter of our “EmPOWer your PMO Series titled – “Change Management Powers – Activate!” Join Kim and Kelly as they discuss how Change Management skills can be another great resource to have in your Utility Tool Belt. Who knows, we may even meet a new character. 😉
We’re Here To Help
Contact Us to find out more about our Project and Change Management Services or email us at PPManswers@KolmeGroup.com.
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