Hi, this story is about Rahul - naam to suna hoga...! He is an ambitious man working for a progressive company in a busy city.
A normal day in Rahul's life:
'The morning dawned with a sweet kiss to his daughter and the child felt warm and hugged, the wife smiled. The parents were up and the greeting exchange made them feel happy about the closely knitted family. After the regular chores, he is ready to leave for office...moves out. The neighbors are as well leaving for work, Rahul exchangs Hellos and checks how everything was - 'things are going good, very well, how about you?' 'Well, all is well...have a nice day' was the reply and drives off. He reaches office, and is falling short of time for an important meeting to attend....makes a brief call home and informs wife that he has reached, she feels peaceful. There are colleagues around - on the elevators, on the corridors, next work-desk, smoke zones, cafeteria....a short Hello and some exchange of greetings with all, and the connection is visible. An old college friend called up during the day, and there was some laughter in the air. There were some meetings, e-mails and all....assured the boss that things are in control....after a long day at work Rahul leaves for the Gym. There were also casual exchange about the weather, the economy, country politics and some corporate news. After the workout, he reaches home. There are regular exchanges about how the day was - the child updates about her school, her friends, her teacher, the toys and the dog in the society, and the flower in the garden....and she learns that Daddy has worked hard in office and is tired. Then there is Dinner and TV and some random talks, and its time to retire. Rahul goes to the study to write his daily diary before he goes to sleep....Haah, looks like it was a fulfilling day - ideal life!!!'
Few Excerpts from Rahul's diary:
'The morning alarm yelled that it was time to wake up....I had a headache. Had not had a good sleep, there were urgent calls coming from the project site......there was hell lot of a traffic.....took a diversion to reach office, was running late for a meeting......argued with the cop....the parking was a mess as usual. The meeting was good, looks like the project that I have been longing for is just around the corner, it will take me to a different level.....I just hope the other manager does not come to know about it, else he would never let me bag it........wondering if the management changes at the client organisation may stall the current project, I am concerned.....there are insecurities around, I have to secure my future and also that of my family, could not fix that appointment with the financial advisor yet again - where is the time? Siiiiigh.....praying for the strength and luck'.
Hmm, things can be so different from what we see on the surface. To find the facts, there is a need to dig deeper, relate well, or ask the right questions. Meaningful interactions require an environment of:
a) Understanding – the information, when shared, the person is able to understand the context and can relate to it.
b) Empathy – the person listens patiently and empathizes, and provides the moral support…this too shall pass.
c) Trust & Mutual respect – the person understands the sensitivity of the matter, understands that whatever is the situation – was not intended, things just happened, and maintains the confidentiality. Also discusses the problem and not the person involved.
d) Confidence – confidence that the person will help me find a solution either because of the knowledge or position.
Information sharing as a process could be simple, however the quality of the same is what matters, and makes all the difference.
In a project environment, PMO is one such entity that is, or is supposed to be, a HUB of information. Not all PMOs function effectively when it comes to execution.
Few things that can be considered to have an effective PMO, at different stages:
Design – while designing the PMO, careful thought has to be given to the scope of the PMO. It has to be a support function that provides the necessary information and help to Projects in order to avoid certain issues and get benefited.
Implement – during the implementation of the PMO, ensure that the right message goes down to the project teams and there is a buy-in for the structure. Make sure that the right people get assigned to it. The PMO staff, in addition to the technical skills, must be high on ethics and values, integrity, with extremely good people skills, with a helping attitude, and should be cool headed.
Execute – repeatedly assess the sanctity of the information and the morale and attitude of people associated. Regular feedback and timely resolution is important for continuous improvement. Needless to say, management commitment is a prerequisite.
It is imperative to create an environment of information sharing, and don't be surrounded by Rahul(s) or be a Rahul. Rahul is no one but just a metaphor that represents the common working community that wakes up every morning and works endlessly in the pursuit to achieve something big, and very soon. There is Impatience, there is Optimism, what is also needed is Team Work – for which Communications have to be healthy and effective.
And you thought I was going to do some movie review…J
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