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Running head: Exploring Project Leadership

Exploring Project Leadership

Ricky Dale Reese

Arizona State University

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Running head: Exploring Project Leadership

Part One

Project Management Skills, Strengths, & Opportunities

The consideration of the growth and development that has transpired not just through OGL 321

but OGL 320 as well. Being reminiscent of the journey into the life and role of project

management, I can conclude that project managers need to have an abundance of determination

and patience. From those two characteristics of project managers, there is also a need to build

various skills before entering the role. What I have developed throughout taking the courses

OGL 320 and OGL 321, is my conceptual skill. Understanding how to cultivate my conceptual

skill required me to take a lot of time and mindfulness to comprehend various situations that can,

might, or will occur during projects. Being extremely persistent with my self-reflection and

breaking down the issues at hand to be able to solve complex problems in creative and successful

ways.

Firstly, I had started to work on my organizing to further my development and ability to

be conceptual. Organizing allows for project managers to have their ducks in a row to then begin

on their project. Without this organization, there can be a chaotic and hectic scrambling that will

happen once everything begins to be set into motion. The need for organizing will determine

how smooth or bumpy that project will generate.

Alongside with organizing is the requirement of planning. The use of planning will

establish a congruent path that is linear to the wants and needs of the customer and the

stakeholder. This plan also needs to have contingencies in place to be responsive when risks

eventually occur. Planning should take a ton of thought and mindfulness when creating and it

should be flexible enough to reach the main goals when adapting to various contingent scenarios.
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Ethical judgment, strategic thinking, and decision-making coincide throughout the

process of projects as the project manager. The development and practice with these

corresponding attributes are what can build great leadership in a project. Being ethical can mean

a lot when working in various organizations. Whether the focus is on hard ethical issues or soft

ethical issues; being professional ethical will increase the likelihood of reaching goals without

repercussions. The consequences of ethical dilemmas, such as cutting corners to reach a

deadline that ultimately produces a product that is unevolved, will result in a backlash from

customers and stakeholders. Concentrating on strategic thinking and decision-making has helped

me be conscious of ethical issues when they can arise. Also, using those skills of strategic

thinking and decision-making can apply to solve complex problems or leading a team into the

direction that understands their role and reaching goals.

Furthermore, I believe that I have grown tremendously as a leader and within the role and

mindset of project managers throughout this course. Due to the constant need to reflect on

myself and what I have learned within the course, I was able to use that knowledge and apply it

to my work at Starbucks. For example, I thought one of the significant articles that have stuck to

me from the multiple modules was the utilization of situational leadership. Since the start of this

class, there was a major pandemic that has struck the world in a way that very few will get to see

again in a lifetime. Since then, my day to day operations was dramatically different, and with

every shift that I was walking into, there was always something new to work around. The

normalcy that I knew in my role as a Shift Supervisor has deviated from Groundhog Day into

working through more complex scenarios. This course has guided me throughout this pandemic

to progress my skills and lead my team and store towards a positive outcome. Concerning

Situational Leadership, I was working with many different partners from all over our district, and
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Running head: Exploring Project Leadership

even then, some outside of our district that was willing to help when we were low on available

workers. The use of this approach allowed me to lead these partners in a very confusing and

difficult time. Understanding that the need to delegate some of my remedial tasks so that I can

be on the floor more often as necessary. Being able to support the new and struggling partners to

get beverages and food items out of the door as quickly as possible. Coaching new partners on

how our location differs from other locations, as well as coaching café partners on how the

operations of drive-thru stores differ. And directing partners their positions while using their

strengths for the best possible outcome of the team on reaching our goals.

From the book, Project Management Best Practices by Harold Kezner, he talks about the

actions that top-level managers should take to support individual projects and the use of these

notes was significant when practiced within my team. I believe that the most significant that I

found to be the most effective for my team from that chapter is when he quoted “showing a

willingness to coordinate efforts” (Kezner, H. pg. 390). There is nothing that I believe in more

than the effects of an efficient team when the leader shows working efforts towards the goal.

From this experience, when I had first transferred to my new location, I had noticed that the

night-time workers were a little more laid back and sluggish when it came to getting tasks done.

Picking up the slack and trying to inspire the night shift worker, I thought did tremendous for my

team. I believe that when people do not show the willingness to complete tasks, it can be

because of the lack of knowledge on what to do and when to do it, lack of motivation, lack of

inspiration, and a lack of leadership. This lack of leadership goes hand in hand with the

“willingness to coordinate efforts”; I cannot expect my team to work hard when, as the leader, I

do not work hard for them.

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One final excerpt I wanted to note from the chapter is when Kezner mentions the need for

"communicating promptly and accurately" (pg. 390). Proper communication has been the key to

leading my team effectively in the following weeks. Understanding that people come from

different backgrounds, cultures, and had encountered various experiences through their

upbringing; we can begin to accurately communicate with one another. For example, I had

another supervisor venting to me about a partner that does not seem to do the tasks that he would

tell him to do and would label this partner as an unwilling worker. What this supervisor needed

to understand is that this partner is more than willing to do the tasks that are given, but he is

more willing to do them when he knows the impact that it creates for the team. Understanding

how this partner would rather be led is the solution to how to communicate with him. I had

given the other supervisors some simple sentences to try out on him and see if they work, such

as: "Matt can you do this task because it will help speed up our long line" or "Matt can we get

these dishes done quickly because our team is struggling without prepped ingredients".

Conclusively, the supervisor told me that it helped tremendously.

Personal Approach to PM & Harvard Simulations

From experiencing the impact and teaching that the Harvard Simulations has granted me, I

believe that my approach to projects was slightly changed. This completely new experience

allowed me to get more information and background on the life and role of what Project

Managers experience. I am linear with the Behavioral Approach with regards to Project

Management. To be more specific, I have a more relationship-orientated style when it comes to

leading my team and I believe this is why I struggled within the Harvard Simulation because I

am virtually attempting to lead a team through a task-oriented approach. Learning to adopt this

approach allowed me to understand the necessary actions that have to be taken to reach specific
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goals with my team. For example, I could not inspire and motivate my team directly, so my

trade-off was to hold meetings for my team members to grow in knowledge and skill to complete

tasks. In conclusion, what has changed in my approach to Project Management concerning

completing the Harvard Simulation is that I have a new set of eyes on the indispensability of a

task-oriented approach.

The biggest challenge that I have faced about the Harvard Simulation, was the budget and

schedule. I found that the two were the common reoccurring issues that I had attempted to work

with to achieve a greater outcome with each passing simulation. Although my efforts shifting to

focus primarily on scheduling and budget came with trade-offs. Whether I was maintaining my

focus on the budget, the trade-off was lower task completion which would stress my team out

and affect the scheduling deadlines. The trade-off from focusing on the schedule was that my

budget would rise exponentially. The realization throughout this process is that it felt nearly

impossible to have a perfect project where every task is completed on time, the target was met,

the budget was under, and my team members were happy. I believe that there is another trade-

off that I need to consider as well, going forward with managing projects. With every project,

the Project Manager needs to decide which trade-off is the most reasonable to centralize and

what other aspects can be adjusted. Ultimately, my biggest challenge is creating an environment

for my team members where the stress levels are manageable. I always look for ways that I can

reach successful goals and deadlines that create a positive reaction for the customer, stakeholder,

and team members.

Pragmatic Approach

Moving forward, there has been an abundant amount of teachings that I have been able to

practice and apply throughout this experience. My biggest takeaway from the multiple modules
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that are relevant to what it is that I do now, as well as, how I can apply these teachings into my

future career is the importance of planning for contingencies. Since before this course – pre-

pandemic, I would think about one or two scenarios that could take place and what I could to do

plan for it. With deeper knowledge and experience through the past several weeks, I have grown

to find that a lot can go wrong within a project that is needed to have a plan for. Missing food or

beverage items, multiple partners not coming to work, multiple new partners covering shifts with

no knowledge of our layout, unplanned spontaneous meetings, a quick change in standard and

protocol, etc. Some of these contingencies are normal to plan around but from the past several

weeks, they have been magnified and I believe from this experience, I have grown as a leader in

my patience and composure to think broadly and solve the complex issues at hand.

Part Two

Tip, Tricks, & Nuances

Starting the Harvard Simulations, I was initially intimidated by the depth and misunderstanding

on my part of how to successfully run my project. From what I have experienced and led from

the processes from which I wish I could do over and comprehend is to FULLY read the

description that it lays out. After reading the description and not just watching the basics video, I

was able to put myself into the shoes of the project manager of Delphi Electronics. I had a better

background on what was being asked of me. Another suggestion that should be taken advantage

of is clicking through the different tabs to get a better understanding of each category that is

present for your benefit. My number one mistake was jumping right into the simulation and

underestimating the structure of intensity from the scenario.

With each Harvard Simulation, there is going to be a trade-off. The best thing to do that I

thought worked well for myself, is to take the first attempt as if you only had one. Try the best
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that you can and use as much knowledge from your teachings to be applied to the simulation. I

would take at least 20-30 minutes with the first attempt, which is described as a helpful tip before

starting each simulation. After taking the first try, I would reflect on what I thought went wrong

for myself and how I could do better on the next. I would think about what I focused on too

much or what I did not focus on at all. From my experience, there is always going to be a trade-

off. And with each trade-off, one of them has to work according to the specific issue that you are

going to be facing in that scenario.

Do not underestimate the capability that your team will have when they are being

constantly coached and guided. Although, we need to understand that we cannot spend all of our

time in meetings and reviews because we have to have time to complete the tasks to reach our

goals. Try to find that balance where you can be a leader for your team, give them the

knowledge to complete tasks, and allow them the time to do the work. Once your team has the

knowledge that they need, you can reach tasks at a fast pace which will help with the early

deadline that you were given.

The first three simulations will have lower leveled targets on printers and the best advice

that I can give to fulfill that requirement is to go above and beyond the stakeholder target. It is

completely possible to achieve this requirement to accomplish the scope. Never choose under

what the target is being asked.

Resources for me was the most difficult to work with because it affects the budget that you are

allocated. This is when you will need to try, try, and try again. The minimum requirement was

two attempts but always make more than two attempts to be fully engaged in the teachings and

growth that the simulation offers.

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What the Harvard Simulations offer is an inside perspective and experience in the role of a

project manager. I thought that I was able to learn profoundly with each week that we had to

complete the scenarios. If there can be one takeaway advice that I can give from doing the

simulations – reflect. Reflect on what you did; what went right and what went wrong. Take

advantage that the scenarios are virtual and not weighing on your career in actual life. Take

some thought and think about what you can do better, and how you can continuously improve

your methods and approaches.

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References

Kerzner, H. (2010). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence (2nd ed.).

Hoboken, N.J. New York: John Wiley & Sons.