Isabelle Jensen

Arizona State University

Values in Project Management

After watching the TED talk, it is evident that Behar has an excellent eye for design and

how he gets his projects done. His values are crucial in creating his designs, mostly because they

are functional and unique. In each design Behar created, there was a unique element to the

product that no other product contains. Because of these unique designs, the products became

very successful and made a difference in the world. This TED talk allowed me to discover what

values are important to me when managing a project and how I will implement them in my

future career as a project manager.

Behar has a certain way he works with both clients and his team. Everyone on his team

has the same motivation and drive to create the best product like Behar himself; this creates a

great work environment. As he talked about in the TED talk, he and his teammates will go to

great lengths to correct each detail of the project. Behar mentioned the fights they will get into

with manufacturers over these details in the project. I do think that his values are the reason he

works this way with others. Behar seems to have an extremely motivated work ethic, and this is

evident in the way his team works together and the way they work with manufacturers. I do not

think it is a lousy way to work with these manufacturers because he makes sure his client is

happy, and the result is exactly what they wanted.

I do think that it may be hard for Behar to avoid scope creep in his projects, however. As

most project managers will make sure most decisions are made before the project is even started,

Behar likes to make changes as they go as well. These changes to the design can create delayed

timelines and cause the project to be over budget. In this situation, I do not think it is such a bad

thing that some scope creep may occur, because they are making sure these products are one
 Isabelle Jensen
Arizona State University
hundred percent durable and practical for their usage. For example, if the computers they sent to

Africa and Asia could not connect to the internet or turn into tablets, they would be less practical.

These are elements that Behar may think of during the process but are also essential to the

project.

As someone who grew up in girl scouts, I have sought out and supported projects that

match my values. This being said, I also do not think I could ever participate in a project I did

not support. When working on a project, I want to be all-in and excited about the result. I believe

this is an essential value for project managers because if you are not excited about the project

you are working on, you will not give it your all and ensure the best results for the client.

I haven't led a ton of projects in my life, but I understand what values are important to me

when leading a project and which two will be implemented into my future career the most. The

first value I think is important in managing a project is good communication. There have been

many times in my professional life, where good communication between coworkers has very

much lacked. The lack of communication causes employees to suffer and can create an unhealthy

work environment. In project management, you must be able to put your best work into the

project, and this can't happen if you have a poor work environment where everyone needs to

work together. In any future projects, I may lead, I will ensure that communication between

myself and my client and myself and coworkers is completely optimized. This will allow me to

focus all my time on the project and not on any issues that resulted from poor communication.

Another value that is important to me and that I will use to manage projects is leadership.

Leadership has more recently become an important value to me because of the many classes I

have taken on it for my major. I believe that leadership is so important in anything we do, but it

is a necessity when it comes to managing a project. During a project, there will be issues that
 Isabelle Jensen
Arizona State University
arise, and as the project manager, it is your job to fix these issues. Leadership plays a role in how

well you can manage these problems and lead your team in the right direction so that there is no

delay. I will use my leadership skills in future projects I manage by ensuring that I can solve any

issues that may occur and always keep the project moving in the right direction. Managing a

project takes someone who is not afraid to take control and go to great lengths to get something

done, and this is why I believe leadership is so important.

Overall, Behar shared a fantastic example about how far your work ethic and values can

take you in a project. His values have now created unique products that change the world and

how people see these values in his designs. Although he started out working for a project that

was against his values, he learned from this mistake and truly realized what is important to him.

After watching his TED talk, I realized that my values within managing a project are leadership

and communication. As I have only worked on a hand full of projects in my life, I believe that

these are values that truly create a healthy work environment.