Presentation by Clay Springer at the PM Reston Luncheon January 15, 2014

1. Dale Carnegie had it right: Applying
Soft Skills for Effect
Clay Springer, PMP
The Rossch Group LLC

2. What we’ll cover today
Today we’ll move from Carnegie to project
management and discuss:




Soft Skills and their importance in
project management
Team Development and the
timing/context for Soft Skills
How to lay the foundation and leverage
Soft Skills
Afterwards, lets talk about some of the
“real-life” challenges you face
2

3. So why Dale Carnegie?

4. Cheesy title, beefy advice!

5. The organization of “How to Win
Friends…”
“How to Win Friends…”is a well-structured
manual for cultivating relationships
 Four Major Sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Six Ways to Make People Like You
How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving
Offense or Arousing Resentment
The progression of the book is VERY relevant
to the world of project management
5

6. Carnegie is just the beginning
“How to Win Friends…” endures because
of its recognition of the importance of the
relationship in achievement
As project managers we can:


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Build deeper and more nuanced variants
Extend concepts from individuals to teams
Craft ourselves to more effectively
leverage soft skills
6

7. Understanding and Context
THE WHAT AND THE WHY OF
SOFT SKILLS

8. Authority vs. Influence
One of the most common complaints of project
manager is “I don’t have the authority to get
things done”
 “Authority” is the power to command
thought, opinion or behavior
 “Influence” is the capacity of causing an
effect in tangible or intangible ways
Soft Skills is ALL about influence!
8

9. Impact of Soft vs. Hard Skills
Balancing Project Management Hard Skills and Soft Skills
Anne Murando
Brandeis University
9
February, 2012

10. So what are “Soft Skills”?

11. Communication is the core soft
skill
9% writing
16% reading
30% speaking
45% listening
20%
80%+
“Communications Skills” are a vehicle that are
the basis for all relational (i.e. “Soft”) skills
11

12. Soft skills aren’t fuzzy

13. Some highly valued soft skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Deal making and meeting skills
Ergonomic sensitivity
Great team player
Political smarts
Teaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing
Resolving "gray" issues
Vendor management
from techrepublic.com
Mary E. Shacklett
President, Transworld Data
13

14. What these skills accomplish
1. Deal making and meeting skills – Move the project
forward
2. Ergonomic sensitivity – Uncovers stakeholder
“wants”
3. Great team player – Builds energy and enthusiasm
4. Political smarts – Avoids pitfalls, cultivates support
5. Teaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing –
Grows the team
6. Resolving "gray" issues – Reduces conflict
7. Vendor management – Controls cost, builds team
14

15. Why Soft Skills are so important
A strong set of Soft Skills are critical for
project success. The help the PM:
 Connect and Communicate
 Learn and Explore
 Facilitate and Influence
 Motivate and Lead
15

16. Timing
CONSIDERATIONS OF WHEN IN
APPLYING SOFT SKILLS IN
TEAMS

17. Four Stages of Team Development
Your management style should adjust over the life of the project
Autocratic
Participative
Laissez Faire
17

18. The PM in the Forming Stage
Forming is a time of beginnings and can feel
awkward and unfamiliar.
Things the project manager can do:





Look for problems before they’re problems
Keep meetings short / informal
Keep communications clear and concise
Show hands-on leadership
Make it safe
18

19. The PM in the Storming Stage
This stage can be challenging and is probably
the point where the project manager is most
needed.
Things the project manager can do:




Keep responsibilities/accountability clear
Separate ideas from individuals
Manage the power balances
Let it happen
19

20. The PM in the Norming Stage
This is where the team starts to feel like a
team. Be mindful to keep momentum…
Things the project manager can do:


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Move from direction to facilitation
Introduce team / mission building activities
Find opportunities for team members to lead
20

21. The PM the Performing Stage
This is the team in an optimized state, and
teams don’t always get here. The biggest
challenge to PMs is to release control.
Things the project manager can do:


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Delegate profusely
Watch for backsliding
Reinforce with sincerity
Be careful with new additions or departures
to/from the team
21

22. Timing is everything


We’ve used the Team
Development Lifecycle to illustrate
the dynamism of projects and how
Soft Skills need to be adjusted
Let’s turn now to things you can
do to apply soft skills with greater
effect
22

23. Tools and Application
TECHNIQUES IN HOW TO APPLY
SOFT SKILLS

24. So let’s get back to that
Dale guy…

25. Carnegie had it right
Compare Carnegie’s structure to the Team
Development progression:

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
•

Six Ways to Make People Like You
•

Breaking through storming
How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
•

Foundations in forming
Consensus and norming
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without
Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment
•
A critical component of performing
25

26. Some thoughts about
motivation and influence




Motivation and influence go hand-inhand
Motivation is personal and
individualized
Teams AND Team members have
personalities and different
motivational levers
The myth of money as a motivator
26

27. Factors that motivate




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Purpose
Challenge
Camaraderie
Responsibility
Growth
27

28. The most important
project management
tool

29. Building a solid tool set
Three components of solid soft
skills:
1. Attitude – the foundation
2. Engagement – the world view
3. Approach – the application
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30. Laying a solid foundation
Sincerity is at the core of all effective Soft
Skills practitioners. These attributes need
to be a fundamental component of who
you are:
 Be optimistic and positive
 Be consistent
 Be tuned-in
 Be focused on the goal
30

31. Engage and connect
Your outlook on the world extends from
your core beliefs provides context for how
others view you. As a Soft Skills
practitioner you should:
 Desire to learn
 Commit to those around you
 Frame challenges as opportunities
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32. Wielding your toolset
Your core values and outlook manifest
themselves in your physical actions. Here
is where Soft Skills acquire velocity and
impact:
 Project energy
 Listen with your body
 Listen to other bodies
32

33. Summing it all up
A project brings a thousand opportunities
to connect to the world around you.
 It’s not how you communicate, it’s how
you connect
 It’s not how you argue, it’s how you
influence
 It’s not how you direct, it’s how you
inspire
33

34. Thank you!

35. What are some of the
challenges you face?

36. About the Rossch Group
The Rossch Group (TRG) is an airline-focused
consultancy providing Excellence in Execution to
clients nationwide.
In addition to airline services, TRG provides
training, coaching, and mentoring to select
clients.
ofc: (571) 295-5855
cell: (808) 741-6953
URL: www.rossch.com
twitter: @therosschgroup
skype: therosschgroup