Stay calm and be patient - The inner calm of project & account management

We all need patience in our jobs, but to some it comes naturally and to others it will never come at all. That's just the way it is.

As a project or account manager it comes with the territory that you'll have to learn how to have patience.

You'll be expected to stay calm and to have patience when a client rolls through a whole new round of changes to a website, when you've just finished that last round of changes.

Equally you'll have to be patient when the your production schedule doesn't allow a minor change to be completed until others larger items are finished.

Minor mistakes will be made on all projects by everyone from the project manager, client or production team; some won't be so minor. You'll need to be patient with the person responsible and work to find the best solution, calmly.

Being patient shouldn't be confused with agreeing to changes outside of the original scope of a project. Being patient should just avoid you getting too stressed as you see the final hurdle of a project moving, once more, further away.

Being patient is key to your ability to manage stress when involved in complex projects or projects where elements are seemingly outside of your direct control.

Managing your stress levels is key to delivering projects successfully. There are a number of emotions that I often feel are a waste of energy. Anger, which often stems from stress, is one of them.

If you can feel yourself getting stressed about a particular aspect of a project, try and take a step back, reflect and re-evaluate the issue and try and define a solution.

Allowing yourself to become wound up by an issue will never create an effective production process or allow you to act effectively.

Instead, in the case of a client project change, allow the change to be conveyed, being patient as reasons for the change are explained. Then take some time to step back and review what was proposed rather than responding immediately, tell them you'll call them back in a moment after you've had time to think the change through.

A calm state of mind will allow you to push back on a project scope change far more effectively than trying to do it in the heat of the moment, no matter how alarmed you may feel during the initial conversation.

Taking a break and calling back later also illustrates that you've taken the time to consider the change properly and then considered your response; rather than just the possibly knee jerk response of "no more changes!".

This isn't, I must emphasis, an agreement to accept all changes as that would be foolhardy to say the least and goes against all project and account management principles.

More, just a encouragement to take your time when making decisions about project deviations, production issues, mistakes that are inevitably made by all and other things that can crop up on every project.

Reacting immediately can sometimes cause further stress and issues. Instead, pause, reflect and then respond.


Things that have helped me stay calm:

1. Music - I've always found comfort in music. The right music can encourage my idea generation and problem solving skills and keep me level headed.

2. Fell running/Mountaineering - These past-times have always given me lots of time to reflect in a quiet and inspiring environment.

3. Family - My family and friends I've always found a great point of reference/focus in times of stress, whether that be at work or even when climbing.

4. Honesty - This might seem a strange one to add, but I've found when I'm under pressure being honest can save a lot of time that might otherwise be spent beating around the bush.

5. Humour - Keeping conversation light hearted in the heat of the moment can help others relax. This, however, is a fine line and can annoy some. You need to ensure the humour is combined with a feeling of control at the same time, reassuring others that you aren't belittling the commitment that might be required to resolve an issue.


and breath . . .

Related articles:

Managing expectations - Keep everyone happy - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/06/managing-expectations-keep-everyone.html

Creative thinking needs reflection and time - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/08/creative-thinking-needs-reflection-and.html

Have you got time? - Project managing time - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/04/have-you-got-time-project-managing-time.html

Communicate and define - Basic rules of any project - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/03/communicate-and-define-basic-rules-of.html

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