5 Tips for Project Managers from a Jedi Master

Mike Jensen is VP of Community Development at Daptiv. Today he gives some valuable advice on what it takes to be a great Project Manager. Get more of his insights and opinions on community, leadership and collaboration by following him on Twitter @mjtwit.

Although I grew up in the “Star Wars” era and am a big fan of the movies, I have to be honest – I had no idea that there was a annual “Star Wars” day, which, in case you missed it, was May 4th.  This gives all the die-hard “Star Wars” fans a chance to dress up and pretend they are actually Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or Yoda (my favorite).  When I was a kid I can remember trying to mimic his voice with one of those great one-liners… c’mon you know you did, too!  When I was a kid those one-liners didn’t mean much to me – back then it was all about the voice.  However, as I think about some of those phrases now, I see that we can unpack them in a variety of ways to uncover some interesting thoughts on how we manage projects.  Here are my top five quotes and what they can mean for Project Managers.

#1 – “Ohhh! Great Warrior! Wars not make one great”

We have all been there… we had a tough project where we didn’t see eye to eye with everyone. Maybe there was a heated discussion. But in the end, as Project Managers we have to work it out.  We can’t just have a “win at all costs” mentality that leaves people in the dust… that won’t lead to success.  Instead, we need to collaborate and help those around so that as a team, department and organization we can reach our goals.

#2 – “Do or do not. There is no try.”

On the surface this sounds a bit harsh, but in reality, it is true.  You either meet your deadline and complete your task, or you don’t.  As you manage your work, projects and teams, there needs to a culture of execution with results built into what you do and how you do it.  It might not be easy, and there will likely be some difficult discussions around not delivering, but that is where your Project Management skills come in to recover and focus the team on accomplishing the goal.

#3 – “Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”

When I think of a child’s mind, a few words come to my mind: creativity, fun, eager, innocent, honest.  What if we applied these same “childlike” attributes to how we managed projects and teams?  Don’t we all want to be part of a creative group that thinks outside the box?  Shouldn’t our work be fun and shouldn’t we be excited for what comes next? And, isn’t it best to be up front and honest with our teams?  Sometimes we over think how we want to work, when actually, if we go back to that childlike mentality, we can do some great things.

#4 – “Always with you what cannot be done.”

This one is a bit obscure, but it refers to a scene from “Star Wars” in which Luke is frustrated and about to give up.  Tell me that hasn’t happened to you a few times.  You become so frustrated with yourself, your team and your boss that you want to give up and walk away.  As a Project Manager, you are going to face  some big challenges – nothing is ever easy.  With that, a “can do” attitude is vital.  When you have that attitude as a leader it rubs off on your team so that you can be successful together.

#5 – “The path to the dark side, fear is.”

As I read this quote, I think of the dark side as failure. The biggest factor that leads to failure is fear.  Fear can mean a lot of different things – in the context of Project Management this means: fear to make tough decisions, fear to have difficult conversations, fear of missed expectations, fear of disappointing and fear of not delivering.  So, as Project Managers, what can keep us away from the dark side?  Confidence!  Being confident in what you do, the value it brings, in how you lead your team and in how you manage your work.

Collaborate, execute, creative, attitude, confidence.  Those are five characteristics I think every Project Manager should have as he or she manages work and teams.  With those attributes, you can build stronger relationships and drive better results. You never know what you might learn from a Jedi Master!  May the force be with you!