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Specific phrases and expressions can be difficult for project managers to say as they could leave us feeling weak, vulnerable or not trustworthy as it makes it look like we do not know what we are doing. Pride can usually get the best of us and leads to jeopardising our careers. This post will discuss those expressions and why it is okay to use them sometimes.
Pride gets into us when we feel that nothing can get in our way while we do our daily business. Pride becomes our enemy when we act as being superior to others. It can bring results in the short term. However, overconfidence can make us blind and destroy our careers and professional relationships as people no longer enjoy working with us.
Project managers have a complicated job where we manage people to ensure that the project is executed correctly on time and within the budget. These are The Project Manager’s Responsibilities, yet the work pressure can get to us by manifesting pride. Excellent project management starts by practising our tasks responsibly and humbly without letting our pride get the best of us.
Read Tips For Excellent Project Management to see how best practice by project managers has nothing to do with pride. Instead, It has to do with communication and understanding.
The following are phrases that we take for granted and shy from saying in the workplace. Yet those phrases help break the ice, make a strong relationship, and help further develop your career.
1- Admitting You Do Not Know
It is okay for a project manager to say, “I do not know”, but you rarely see a project manager say that. How often have you seen a project manager try to mumble their way through an answer and get off-topic instead of saying I do not know? Unfortunately, a lot. Is it better to make up the answer than say I do not know? After all, isn’t it the project manager’s responsibility to know it all? Yes, but it is impossible to know it all.
The project has many variables, and many people work on one project, which makes it impossible to know everything, but we feel embarrassed to say we do not know in front of the client or someone from the public. You do not have to know the A-Z of every project to run it, but you need to be able to find the answer to a question when you have to. Start with I do not know and then find the answer.
Giving false information is how we let pride get the best of us. Be honest, when someone asks the project manager in a meeting, “What will this change have on the project schedule?” It is perfectly okay to say, “I do not know”, but you will dig in and find the answer. This shows credibility that you are not just some know-it-all project manager. You are more likely to find a better answer later than giving false hope or wrong information that can ruin your career.
2- Not showing Gratitude
An expression that is not used a lot these days is “Thank You” why should we have to express gratitude? Someone has done something for you as they should, and we all get paid in the end, so why would you thank them? Unfortunately, some might act this way when pride gets their best. This is not okay at all.
Sadly the more people move up in the corporate hierarchy, they less inclined to say “Thank you”. A report was delivered to you by someone who stayed late the night before to get it done, met with a cold head nod and “Put it on my desk”. Now imagine if you are the person who stayed late for that report, you might feel that your work is not appreciated as much, many feel that way, yet a simple gesture of gratitude might make a huge difference.
Expressing gratitude is a way of recognising someone else’s hard work; it shows respect, builds trust and makes people happy working with you. Learn to say them often for small and big favours. It makes people happy to do things for you, especially if you are genuine about it and not saying it because it is customary.
3- Not apologising when you should
When you did something wrong, and someone brought it to your attention, it can be difficult for anyone to say “I am sorry”, no matter who you are. Why? Because it means that you made a mistake. I am sorry means that you did not know what you were doing, which made you make a wrong judgement call.
Making mistakes might affect the project schedule, budget and the people who work on it. It is no surprise that many project managers would rather deny, point fingers or justify their mistakes rather than simply admit the fault. Not admitting the guilt makes people more inclined to throw accusations as they try to find the truth. If you have been in this situation, you might realise saying Sorry; I made a mistake, is much easier.
Typical situations go in a few directions: deny, point fingers, justify your actions, or say I am sorry, I made a mistake. The whole conversation will dramatically change as people move on from who is to blame to accepting that a mistake has been made and time to work together to find a solution.
4- Not Admitting Your Fault Early
This Expression is also difficult to say: “I was wrong”. Admitting your fault early shows that you are willing to step in and own up to your mistakes, you care about your job, and you are willing to do what it takes to find a solution.
Sometimes we can mistreat others or say things we should not say or are inappropriate in the workplace that offend others. We all can fall into such mistakes. However, we all have two choices we can either continue to be the bullies by not acknowledging our fault or simply coming forward and saying, “I was wrong, I am sorry”.
So what if you do not apologise, and what if we do not come clean about how bad we treat each other? Well, you will be destroying those relationships. The cost is reduced productivity, lower work quality, and missed deadlines. Finally, you can make others resent you and make work not fun. There is nothing worse than pretending that nothing is wrong while working with people you wronged.
Finally, in a big corporation, the truth usually comes out eventually. It is much better to come out from you than from your colleagues. It gives you more creditability that you are willing to own up to the mistake rather than ignore the problem until those rotten eggs’ smell reaches your managers.
5- Not asking nicely
Also known as the magic word “Please”. Have you ever worked in an environment where you felt being bossed around? Well, because people forgot to put “Please” at the end of their sentences. “Please” make a lot of difference; you are still asking them a favour, and you know they will do it for you because that is their job, but putting “Please” in the end shows that they are humans too; you respect them and their part in this organisation.
No matter how big or small the favour, the results will be different if you ask nicely. People feel appreciated and do not feel they are bossed into doing things for you. It is more likely that they will put more care into the job you trusted them with.
Finally, by asking nicely, people are more likely, to be honest with you than give you false promises. In many organisations, things will be different if requests are asked nicely, as people will more likely find it easier to break the ice and say their opinion honestly, what they can do and do not and how long it will take them to do the job when asked nicely.
The Bottom Line
Being a project manager is not an easy job. Just because it is a management position does not mean that we should be arrogant, unthankful, and not ask nicely. Leaders are the ones who communicate effectively with others and admit their mistakes early. It has to do with human psychology more than the technical aspect of the job. Not letting your pride get the best of you is a way of breaking through to human trust.
- For more supplementary readings on this topic, read Top 7 Personality Traits Of Project Manager For Immediate Success.
- Learn about the 5 phrases that you should avoid saying in the workplace.
