{"id":2916,"date":"2016-11-14T13:02:10","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.binfire.com\/blog\/?p=2916"},"modified":"2016-11-14T13:02:10","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:02:10","slug":"project-manager-survival-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.binfire.com\/blog\/project-manager-survival-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The project manager\u2019s guide to surviving the Trump Presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations.\u00a0\u00a0 You survived the 2016 Presidential elections last Tuesday.\u00a0 Over the weekend, you mourned or celebrated, depending on your political viewpoint.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are a project manager, wondering how to deal with the election results, here\u2019s a quick cheat-sheet.<\/span><\/p>\n

#1 Put politics aside and do your job<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

No matter who you voted for in the election, your obligations as a project manager require you to put politics aside. \u00a0Forget Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton:\u00a0 you manage a project team and are responsible for deliverables.\u00a0\u00a0 In most cases, the deliverables are unlikely to be affected by the election results.\u00a0 So, stay above the fray, and focus on your job!<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 Be kind to your team members and demonstrate empathy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Now that you have put aside your own emotions, you need to consider that many people are personally affected by the election results.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As I have written about previously, emotional intelligence is the key to project management<\/a>.\u00a0 On your team, there will be people who are disappointed or elated by the news that Donald Trump is our next president.\u00a0\u00a0 Demonstrate to team members that you understand their anxiety if they have personal concerns about the results.\u00a0\u00a0 Even if you are disappointed by the results, show respect and understanding for Trump supporters.<\/span><\/p>\n

#3 Set boundaries for acceptable behavior <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The elections were tense.\u00a0 We all know people that got into heated discussions on social media.\u00a0 Now that the election is over, project managers need to make it clear that certain behavior is not tolerable.\u00a0\u00a0 Name calling cannot be accepted in the workforce.\u00a0\u00a0 Period.\u00a0\u00a0 Similarly, any behavior that is considered bullying or any harassment on the basis of skin color, religion, sexual preferences, ethnicity etc., should be treated with severity.<\/span><\/p>\n

#4 Find the silver lining<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Your team may disagree on many things, but ultimately what unites us should be stronger than what divides us.\u00a0 Sure, that is clich\u00e9 and not always easy to put into practice after such a devise election.\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately, that\u2019s your job.\u00a0\u00a0 No matter who wins an election, America is blessed with a constitution that guarantees civil rights and a system of government with institutional checks and balances.\u00a0\u00a0 Whether you are petrified or elated, there is only so much damage (or good) that any President can do.<\/span><\/p>\n

#5 Review team communications<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not assume that everyone on your team has the level of maturity required to navigate through these difficult times.\u00a0\u00a0 It is important to formalize and remind people about what is and is not acceptable behavior.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Consider a group team-building exercise, especially if there is lingering tension between team members.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re-visit communications policies.\u00a0\u00a0 If your team collaborates via instant chat, make sure that they are not using a social media platform such as Facebook.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Closed collaboration tools that provide interactive whiteboards, real-time chat<\/span>, and message boards help ensure that team members spend fewer energies on non-productive activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

#6 Be sensitive to remote team members<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Many virtual team<\/a> members include colleagues that work from their home office.\u00a0 In many cases, these are also based overseas.\u00a0 Whereas co-workers who share a common space become friends over time, virtual team members are at a social disadvantage.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ask your team to be sensitive to overseas remote team members that may be confused or disorientated by the election results.\u00a0 To the extent possible, try to limit politically-based discussions with remote team members.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a side note, a project manager is\u00a0similar to the secretary of defense,\u00a0 the\u00a0product manager is the president (CEO).\u00a0Read here for the difference between the project and product managers<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations.\u00a0\u00a0 You survived the 2016 Presidential elections last Tuesday.\u00a0 Over the weekend, you mourned or celebrated, depending on your political viewpoint.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are a project manager, wondering how to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,47],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-2916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-management-2","category-project-management-software","tag-2016-elections"],"yoast_head":"\n2016 elections and project management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to be a project manager during the difficult political environment of the US presidential elections of 2016. 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