Project Leadership works best when we think as Artists – working with words and actions to craft a vision and shape our communication, leading to real, authentic, emotional connections with our stakeholders.

Image source: Tulips.yuriyandinna.com

I love the idea that the best Project Leaders are artists.

Yes, snigger if you will, but far from the drab “tick-box” stereotype that is so often put forward (“So…what do YOU do for a living?” “I’m a Project Manager.” “Oh…wow”), I see project management as a medium through which we create living, breathing art.

We see a picture of what the future can hold; we take our audiences, our teams and customers on a journey towards that future <= Tweet this. We craft a vision and bring it to life – we use colour, language, sound and context to create an emotional connection with our audience, to bring them along a journey and to help them see the possible and embrace new and often transformational ways of living and working.

My favorite Leaders do this in spades; they act as Change Agents, sharing a wonderful ability to paint a picture, connect with their audiences and bring them willingly along the journey as the picture comes to life. They help others to see things in a different light, to imagine a future in which they have a sense of emotional connection and ownership.

When you put it that way, Project Leaders are, in a very real sense, artists.

My favorite Leaders, the ones that truly inspire me, all do this in spades.

To me, this is the true beauty of project management – it’s NOT the nuts and bolts task lists, the black and white decisions, the interminable tradeoffs between cost, schedule and scope, the arguments with delivery teams, the endless reporting; it is in fact, the connections with people, the personal engagement, the crafting of an outcome in which everyone has a sense of ownership and can see a little of themselves <= Tweet this.

So what does the artistic Leader do to stand out, to have their voice heard from amongst the maddening crowd?

1. Paint a totemic vision

   The great artists connect with us by presenting a single, totemic vision around which we can all gather. Even where we have different points of view or different perceptions, the vision unites us; it cuts through the differences and gives us a common point of connection.

   The medium becomes irrelevant – it may be a phrase, a lyric, a tune, a movement, a sculpture or an image; whatever it may be, that piece of art is able to reach out, cut through and connect with the audience somehow, bringing people together around a single, totemic vision.

   Michelangelo’s David is a great example – while 100 people may approach this sculpture from 100 different points of view, I suspect all will be drawn in by the artist’s central vision of the strong, vibrant Warrior-Prince, poised for greatness albeit blighted with human frailties.

   The artistic Leader recognizes at the outset that with a broad and disparate audience, the critical ingredient that will help above all else to bind the team and stakeholders together is that single, all-embracing vision of the end-state, presented in such a way that everyone can see their role and connect instantly.

   The vision is the glue that binds the team together. It provides a rallying point, it helps focus conversation, set expectations and shape all the activities and outcomes that follow.

2. Craft communications around the vision

   The unique power of the vision is that it brings a group of people around a single, binding image. This is really useful – it means that we can put out a consistent message, grounded in that singular vision, but pitched in a way that each audience member sees it in a way that meets their needs.

   Different versions of the same message, or different messages crafted around a common central theme.

   This is where the artist shines, by crafting a single, totemic message in different colours, with light and shade, so that different users find intrinsic value for themselves in it. I’m not talking spin here, that would trivialize my point. I’m talking about playing back that common, central theme or message to each audience in a way that makes sense to them, that triggers an emotional response.

   The artistic Leader crafts messages for each audience, all grounded in the totem. As Project Leaders, this is really important – it means we need to get into the minds of our audiences and understand their motivations, what they are looking for, how we can help them get engaged and excited.

   Work your Communication strategy, hard and often. Let it live and breathe, make it central to everything that your Project team produces. The artistic Project Managers don’t just throw together a spreadsheet Communication Plan listing their meetings and reporting requirements. They build a Communication and Engagement Strategy and understand their stakeholders:

   • They think about their salience – influence, urgency and legitimacy
   • They capture the audience’s drivers – motivations, dependencies, expectations
   • They understand what the audience is looking for at the journey’s end

   They craft their communications around that single, central message, but in a way that meets their stakeholders’ individual needs.

3. Connect with people as individuals

   The power of great communication is that it allows us to connect with each person in a way that makes sense to them. It doesn’t treat everyone the same, push them into boxes and seek to force a preconfigured message onto them. Instead, it engages with people, it understands what makes them excited and plugs them into the conversation, actively seeking their response.

   Artistic Leaders understand this – they know that each audience member, each stakeholder will have different expectations and will want to engage with the team in a different way. So they seek to understand those people as individuals. They invest the time and effort in getting to know their stakeholders and team members, they look for their input and they respond respectfully and openly.

   That’s such an important difference between the artistic Project Leader and others – they look for audience connection and engagement, they seek out their input and they know that by engaging as individuals rather than as an homogenous blob, they stand to get a much richer, more textured outcome and a far higher level of emotional engagement.

4. Bring people into the fold

   Every project has conflicting priorities – different stakeholders who see their needs as the most important. All too often, it seems like we spend our time constantly juggling balls, trying to keep everyone happy but in the end, falling short. It just seems so easy to slip into the trap of running from one person to the next, putting out fires and in the end, losing sight of the vision.

   How often do you see this? The team becomes disenfranchised, we lose focus and the early promise of the project beginning seems to fade away.

   Artistic Leaders shine where they create a sense that their audiences’ voices have been heard, that they have actively engaged and brought into the fold.

   This is not about making sure that everyones’ needs are met every time; there will often be times where that is just not possible. It’s about creating engagement – giving everyone a sense that they have participated in the dialogue and that regardless of the outcome, they have a sense of ownership and participation.

   Life is easy when you have delivered the perfect solution and everyone is full of good cheer. But what about those times where you need to compromise, where you deliver a part-solution or need to change your approach? The artistic Project Leader will help the audience see that they still have a stake in the outcome, that although they may not achieve everything they want, there will be something in the outcome that can be flagged as targeting their specific needs.

   There is no quick and easy solution here – bringing people into the fold requires a long term effort; a concerted effort to continually engage your stakeholders early, bring them along the journey, involve them in the key discussions and actively seek their input, let them know soon as possible if a need cannot be fully met – work with them to find a way forward by engaging with them and expressing the outcome in terms that mean something to them.

Pulling it all together

Project Leadership is about more than completing tasks and delivering to time, cost and scope measures. It’s about making connections with people – real, authentic connections that help them embrace change and see things around themselves in a different way.

Artistic Project Leaders understand this – they stand apart from their peers because creating that authentic, emotional connection with their stakeholders is at the heart of what they do. They understand that we can engage our stakeholders, really lock them in heart and soul, by using words and actions to create an all-inclusive, totemic vision – one that helps everyone see the future state in terms that mean something to them.

Stakeholder engagement – active, dynamic, personal engagement is at the core of the artistic PL’s toolkit.

So how do you engage with your stakeholders? Do you have an artistic flair? Do you see any difference in the way people connect with you, if you focus on personal engagement? As always, please share your stories and ideas. All are welcome!

 

The post Project Leadership – “Let Your Artist Shine” appeared first on Tony Adams - Project Manager.