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Hi there ,
This 'Making Projects Work' briefing comes with best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a happy and inspiring 2011!
Welcome
too to eight hundred new subscribers since last time, from my recent BA
Summit. If you missed out, you can register for next year and upgrade
to receive downloads here.
Have
you had a busy month? Mine has been complicated by a bad ankle sprain
followed by very cold, snowy weather here in the UK. In the middle of it
all, while I was hopping around on crutches, a national newspaper (The
Daily Telegraph) contacted me to take photographs for a feature about
people running their own businesses! You can see the piece here on page 3. (Luckily the photographer left the crutches out of the shot!)
Learning about Learning
The
whole process of learning to walk again made me think of the stages of
learning. The very first stage is when you are 'unconsciously
incompetent'. There I was, hopping along on
crutches, thinking that the moment I could put my foot down, all would be well. It wasn't.
Very quickly, I realised that I wasn't walking properly and I was now 'consciously incompetent', the second stage of learning.
My
physiotherapist showed me how I should be walking - heel on the floor
first, then rocking through to lifting my toes off the ground. I started
doing this but it was slow. I had to think very hard and watch what my
foot was doing. I was 'consiously competent': walking properly but it
took a lot of doing!
I'm just about getting to the fourth stage now: 'unconsious
competence'.
This means that I'm back to being able to walk without having to think
about it. Phew! I'm off to Zurich next week, so it'll be very useful!
These four stages of learning apply to our projects and our work lives too.
Imagine someone starting off using conference calls for
example. At the start, they interject just as they would at a
meeting.
However, this doesn't work well with lots of people on the line.
They're 'unconsciously incompetent'. Then someone explains that it would
be helpful if they stated their name before talking. They get it. They
realise how it is difficult for people to know who has spoken. They are
'consciously incompetent'.
The next step for them is to remember to say their name before
every statement. It's hard work, this 'conscious competence', and they
may need lots of reminders to form a new habit. It's easy to forget to
do.
Finally, they move into 'unconscious competence' where they always state their name and they don't need to be reminded.
Questions for you:
- In
your projects, what are you aware that you need to change? How will you
take the step to become competent and then make that new behaviour a
habit?
- For
those you work with, can you see any unconscious incompetence? If so,
what steps will you take to help people to be more aware? (Note: this is
probably the hardest step!)
- What
about those things which you are not conscious of, but where you could
be much better? How can you learn from others about how you could
improve? Employee surveys, 360 degree surveys are helpful, but what
about talking with people around you, honestly?
A further stage:
Some people have come up with a fifth stage in the chain:
reflective
competence. This is where you are very good at something but it's more
than unconscious competence. You have worked out what makes you good, so
that you can pass it on to others. This stage takes a lot of time that
many won't spend.
Over
the last few years, I've worked on this fifth stage on various things
which help people to deal with tricky projects: in the areas of
conference calls and online meetings, as well as facilitation for
project professionals and using graphics in
business. The new year will see some teleseminars on conference call and online meeting success. I offer bespoke
in-house workshops for facilitation skills and graphics (and
sometimes combine the two!)
Three final questions for you:
- Would
you like me to talk with you about how I could support the facilitation
skills in your company, or your use of visual thinking?
- When would be the best time for you for online training in conference call and online meeting success?
- What can you see that I can improve on for next year, that I might not be aware of?
Of
course, it's also good to hear about the things I've done that have
worked for you. It's been heartening to read super comments about my
virtual Summits. The next one coming up is the "Making Risk Work Summit" to co-incide with the launch of my book (co-authored by Ruth Murray Webster) in May... but more on that next year.
All the best,
Penny
P.S. I've just found out that I was 'unconsciously incompetent' at spelling conscious. Thank heaven for spell checkers!
Dr Penny Pullan
Director, Making Projects Work Ltd
Telephone (Direct):+44 (01509 821691
Reception: +44 (0)1509 808360
More about these tips.
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If so, please let them know about them! They can join by signing up here. They'll receive my bonus report as well: "12 1/2 ways to make your meetings work for you". I keep hearing how this has helped people make their meetings and workshops more effective (and usually a bit shorter too!) |
News:
Penny
appeared in a national paper last month and has just completed a
Virtual Summit with over 800 people worldwide registering to take part!
Future Talks:
For details of Penny's upcoming talks:
All of these can be run inside your company too, as a lunchtime session or longer workshop. Contact us,
Do you live in New Zealand? I'm
planning a trip in February next year, so get in touch if you'd like me
to run a course for you or speak to your organisation or association.
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