Hi Reader,
“The only thing we can ever know in this life is ourselves.”
Unknown Author
We like to think we understand people at work. But in reality, this quote suggests we mostly understand ourselves.
At a conference I attended in Europe years ago, they had us stand in a taped circle on the floor. You’d step in, get assigned a stakeholder, and for two minutes, speak as if you were that person. It could be the CEO. Or Team Assistant. Or the Project Sponsor.
It sounds simple but it wasn’t. Because stepping into someone else’s perspective is a lot harder than we think.
I still use this exercise today with my project teams. Because whether you have “project manager” in your title or not, most of your day may be exactly this. Trying to figure out what other people are thinking so you can move something forward.
Because you can’t feel what someone else is feeling. And sometimes the people you work with may feel a bit… mysterious.
But that doesn’t mean you stop trying.
It just means you learn to ask better questions and listen a little longer. And don’t assume you’ve got it right the first time, because we all come from different perspectives.
We don’t get a taped circle on the floor in our day-to-day work. But we do get chances, every single day, to step into someone else’s perspective.
Even if we don’t get it quite right. Ask. Listen. Don’t assume.
That’s usually enough to move things forward.
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Barbara Kephart, PMP
Founder and Chief Project Officer
Projects Pivot
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