Using the Holiday Season for Project Management Success

The holidays are always a fun-filled and festive time of year, but have you ever thought about how they can teach project management and teamwork? How about portraying your love of gift giving and your favorite time of year onto your tasks?

Get Focused

One of the failures of so many projects is mismatched expectations. Your holiday dinner cannot be successful if you’re serving ham when your guests are expecting turkey as their main course, no matter how delicious the ham may be. The solution to giving the customer what they want, is to get very clear expectations from the very beginning on what the project is about, what their goals are, and how to achieve those goals. Is the presence of a turkey a crucial success factor? Sum up your information in a document, and get the signed approval by the Big Man (your boss, not Santa Clause).

Enjoy the Hype

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa the holidays are in full swing! That’s where enjoying the hype of the holidays comes in. Think about putting that same excitement into a new project at work. As you find out all about the new project and put things in place for the remainder of it, focus that holiday energy and excitement into the new strategy. If you enjoy the fresh new novelty of it all, rather than struggling through this area, the process will be much smoother.

Gift Your Smile

This is a great time of year to chat with a stranger or help someone out in need. Although, wouldn’t it be great if you could give out your smile all the time, rather than just at this jolly and festive time? Working on a project that involves other people requires a friendly and open manner in order for things to flow strategically. If you begin a meeting with a smile and/or a joke it puts everyone at ease, as well as makes the meeting much easier for you to handle. A smiling face is worth a try no matter what time of year it may be.

Share

Sharing moments of cheer with those close to you is what the holiday spirit is all about. If you share not only the good but also the bad times with your team it makes the project better in every way. Sharing values, facts, and incidents connects you and the members of the project on a deeper level. The tasks and conversations shared gives your team a better understanding of not only the assignment, but of you and the other members. This further building trust and success within the team, as well as improved communication.

Cherish the Good Moments

Although the holidays are full of merriment and cheer, they can also be very stressful and hectic—just like any project. Unfortunately not every day is going to go lightly and full of festivities, therefore the good news and special times need to be especially appreciated. When a piece of work is successfully completed or a huge obstacle has been surpassed, enjoy the feeling of achievement; go on a team lunch or another happy event. Let that feeling carry on into the next assignment, positive thoughts lead to positive growth. The next time a tough spell comes by, you and your team will have that feeling of achievement and success to look back on.

Whether or not your office decorates, company festivities and cheer can always be found, however, the smell of cinnamon and hot chocolate are always a plus!

On behalf of Utah SEO Pros, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!