January 28, 2008 – Practical Authority

Over the last several weeks we have been looking at Authority: how to gain it from scratch and how to get it back when you loose it. Once you get it, though, how do you use it effectively? With the four types of Authority (Positional, Referent, Reward/Penalty, Expert) as the basis, lets look at some practical suggestions.

Positional. Having your name on the org chart above mine doesn’t mean you are the boss of me. Actually, positional authority works best when you don’t mention it by name. You just need to act it out. Create a picture in your mind of how someone in your position should act and live up to it. Be a leader. Direct your meetings by preparing agendas and keeping people on them. Ask the right questions. Don’t be domineering, demeaning, stuck up or snobby.

You can also use the positional authority of others. A great example of this is in emails. If you can say, "The CEO would like to know..." you are likely to get a faster response than "Can you tell me...." You are no longer asking for it, He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed is.

Referent. The idea of Referent Authority is to get people to say, "I want to work with that project manager because he is so !" Different attributes attract different people. Some like to work for a hard nosed, no nonsense individual because she can cut through the red tape. Others prefer the process oriented manager because there are no surprises. People evaluate their managers based on what the manager can do for them. Work on the traits you want to be known for.

Reward/Penalty. Recognition is always welcome. If you have a team member that is putting in long hours, acknowledge it. Tell her you appreciate the extra effort she is giving. Make it tangible, too. Small things like movie tickets or Starbucks cards can go a long way toward boosting the moral of the individual or team.

When you have to take disciplinary actions, make sure it is factual, specific and directed. Meet with whoever you need to and get the facts correct before proceeding. When you take action you don’t want to be arguing about what happened. Be specific in what they did wrong and also in what they need to do going forward. For anything short of termination, the direction of the discipline should always be toward making the individual a committed member of the team again.

Expert. Your expertise should always be given freely, but that doesn’t mean you should give it for nothing. Offer it in exchange for other resources you might need ("If I help you with your schedule, can you...?"). At the very least it can help your Referent Authority so they’ll say, "I want to work with that project manager because he really knows his stuff!").

In the end authority is about what you do with it, not how much you can get. Use it wisely.

January 21, 2008 – Grabbing Authority – Regaining Lost Ground

Authority is slippery. The more you try to grab it and hold on, the quicker it slips away. As a consultant I learned that positions are temporary and titles are only names. You can reach for the next rung on the ladder as high as you want but in the end you need to have a light grip and your eyes open. One project officer I worked with failed to recognize the signs when he lost his authority. In his case he failed to realize that his sponsor was no longer backing him. Attempting to hold a firm stance on an issue, he stepped on the wrong toes. He was relying on his title (Positional Authority) and his manager. It wasn’t enough to keep his job.

If you find your authority is being eroded, stop and determine where the weakness is. Which type of authority is slipping away? Any change in management can shake up the Positional Authority charts. You can ruin years of Referent Authority with one or two bad character choices. Arguments with your team, having to implement unpopular policies or handing out discipline can sour their perception of you. Over use or misuse of Reward / Penalty practices can weaken their effectiveness. A challenge to or failure of your expertise may impact your standing as well. What has changed to take a bite out of your authority?

Positional Plunge. When your personal Positional Authority takes a hit, fall back on the position and importance of your project(s). Revisit its purpose and Return on Investment. Check with the key stakeholders to ensure that you can get the resources you need, not based on the org chart, but on the needs for the project.

Another solution is to look for new upper management friends. For the project, aim for a higher sponsor if he is too low on the totem pole. Have your Director take it to a Vice President. For yourself, verify management support of you abilities and direction. Finding your position on the company job postings may be a bad indications.

Referent Recession. First, if you are being a jerk, stop it. Check with a trusted co-worker to see if something you are doing is causing the problem and take corrective action. If you need to apologize to your team or an individual, do it.

Second, instead of running a dictatorship, move toward a more Participative Management style. Ask for input from the team and draw them into the discussion. Explain more of the thought process behind your decisions and listen to their suggestions.

Carrot and Stick Stymied. Revisit your Reward / Penalty system. Not taking care of disruptive individuals can undermine your authority. Rewarding too often or for the wrong reasons can lead to as many problems as not rewarding at all.

Credibility Tanked. Have you lost your Expert ranking? This can happen if your project is failing or you fall behind in the technology race. On the project front, analyze where the problems are and develop a plan to get back on track. Presenting to management the issues and your corrective plan shows real initiative. Then follow through.

Technology will continue to change. If your area of expertise is in recession, move your expertise to the management side. Make sure your team has the technical resources it needs to be successful. You’ll pick up the new concepts as you go but as a project manager you don’t need to be the expert.

Two last points.

1. Authority lost in one area can be offset by strengthening a different type. The balance is constantly changing.
2. Sometimes you will not be able to regain your authority where you are. You may need to switch departments or even companies to start you climb back up.

January 14, 2008 – Grabbing Authority – Building from Scratch

Responsibility without authority is useless. Just because you are given a job to accomplish doesn’t mean everyone is going to fall in line behind your leadership. Whether you are a brand new project manager or starting over in a new place, there are steps you can take to build you authority.

The last entry discussed the different types of authority: Positional, Referent, Reward/Penalty and Expert. If you consider your interactions with the project stakeholders based on these four you can alter their perception of you.

Before starting, determine the authority you already possess. If you are have been declared project manager by upper management (in person or through the Charter) you have a certain amount of Positional Authority. Were you a Team Lead or Subject Matter Expert within the technical group? That could carry over as Expert Authority. Anyone with a high level of charisma can use their Referent Authority. Take stock of what you have because it forms the foundation to build on.

Positional Authority. There are several areas you can use to build the Positional Authority available to you.

First is your personal Positional Authority through your title and the org chart. Being raised from a Team Lead to Project Manager increases people’s expectations of you. If you don’t currently hold the title, ask what it will take to move up. Remember, Positional Authority is still the weakest form and doesn’t come with guarantied respect. A Team Lead no one likes will become a despised Project Manager.

Second, consider your project’s position in the organization. Identifying and communicating the need for your project will position it (and you) better to obtain the resources and attention it needs.

Finally, your sponsor and key stakeholders can add significantly to your Positional Authority. Selling the need for your project up the org chart opens possibilities. If it becomes the pet project of the CEO you have gained strong backing.

Reward/Penalty Authority. Reward/Penalty Authority is a great way to get your team’s attention. Finding and rewarding good performance encourages similar behavior from the rest of the team. On the flip side, letting the team know that poor performance will be penalized is important, too. Even if you aren’t authorized to terminate an employee, contributing to their annual review with specific poor performance issues can have a big impact. The best way to build your Reward/Penalty Authority is to use it wisely and fairly.

Referent Authority. Character matters. Different individuals are inspired by or attracted to different personalities. Think about the types of managers you long to work for and then emulate them. Reward/Penalty Authority can be used to demonstrate characteristics like fairness, respect for individuals, appreciation and other personality traits that would draw your team to you. Initiate an "open door" policy to listen to and act on your team’s ideas and complaints.

Expert Authority. Being an expert technically does not always translate well to the management realm. The first area of expertise to build on is the project. Quickly establish a solid understanding of the project’s objectives, status, finances and issues. Not being able to talk to these topics kills your credibility. Second, develop a working knowledge of the business you are working in. Being able to talk with your key stakeholders in their own terms builds trust in your abilities.

When starting from scratch it can seem an impossible task to build your authority, but these simple suggestions can get you off on the right foot.

January 7, 2008 – Grabbing Authority - Introduction

Authority is weird. You can be granted it and have it stripped from you. You can wield it like a club or wear it like a mantle. You can build on it or let it slip away. Typically the fact that a Project Manager is assigned to a project gives her some level of authority. Unfortunately the authority granted by the Charter (assuming you got it approved) doesn’t stretch very far when all the other Project Managers have Charters that say the same thing. This series will explore the four different types of authority, how to build authority from scratch and what to do if you loose your authority.

There are four types of authority: Positional, Referent, Reward/Penalty and Expert. Throughout your career you have gained, lost and used each of them without even thinking about it. Taking the time to consider each one will help you recognize them and choose the appropriate one for a given situation.

Positional Authority is based on your location in the organizational chart. It is the easiest to get and the weakest to use. I picture my junior high school math teacher standing in front of the class in tears and screaming. Some of my classmates were idiots. She had been granted positional authority of the class but after the first day it was obvious she had no control.

Referent Authority relies on you personality, the way you look and how you act. People are drawn to certain personalities. If you are a fun person to be around, people are going to be drawn to you. Attract the right people and you’ll have a great team. An honest, hard working, fair and equitable Project Manager will draw a team that will want to perform likewise. It will take time to build up your project management reputation but it can prove to be one of the stronger types of authority.

Reward/Penalty Authority is the type that most people think of when they considering authority. They say, "If I were manager I would..." and the result is either punishment for the wicked or rewards for themselves. This can be a powerful tool if used correctly but can easily be abused or become a trap for the Project Manager.

Expert Authority is achieved when you are seen as the go-to person for Project Management. People want to be on your team because you really know your stuff. They see you as successful and want to be a part of it.

In the next couple of entries we’ll look at ways to build your authority from scratch or regain it when lost. We’ll look at practical steps to take and think them through in terms of these four authority types.

Note: See my prior series entitled Authorized to Manage for more on the different types of authority.

August 6, 2007 – Time to take it Easy

Here in the sunny southern California my daughters have passed the mid point of their summer holidays. July and August seem to fly by faster than any other months of the year. Last summer I missed most of that time because I was working out of town, flying back and forth just to spend the weekend at home. That summer window of opportunity of spontaneous fun freedom slipped by with me out of town.

I have been working with a team to create a chapter for the second edition of the PMI Standard for Program Management. The father of one of the women on the team is suffering from dementia. His once brilliant mind is failing and the time to spend with her once strong and encouraging dad is slipping away.

The collapse of a major bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota ended the lives of people who thought they were just running to or from work.

What’s my point? It is two fold. First, make sure you take time for yourself. Second, make sure your team does, too.

Be Good to Yourself
Those 60-80 hour weeks, 52 weeks a year are going to kill you eventually but they are taking you away from enjoying your life now. I’m not suggesting you quit your job and convince your family to join a circus. However, if your family calls you “Uncle Daddy” because they see their Canadian cousins more often than they see you there might be a problem.

Recognizing that my travel was detrimental to my family life, I opted to pull back from an exciting PM role to take one closer to home that lacked the challenge.

Delegation is another great way to drop a few hours from your schedule. Find items from your to do list that you really don’t have to do and share the effort with your team. One quick hit for this is team meeting minutes. If everyone on the team takes a turn publishing the minutes you shave at least a half hour from your schedule each week.

Sometimes cutting back isn’t possible. In order to add a little balance to the family / work equation, I do bring work home. I know, it sounds counter productive, but it works. I’m home, usually in time to have dinner with my family and spend a couple hours with them. Once the kids head to bed I pull out the work and put in another couple of hours. It is a great time to do minutes or review documentation. Fortunately I can operate on a limited amount of sleep for several days in a row.

Take Care of Your Team
Burn out is a real possibility for your resources, especially if they try to drive themselves as hard as you do yourself. Here are a couple of items to keep in mind that may help maintain some sanity in the work place.

1. Set realistic dates. Nothing kills the enthusiasm in a team faster than working from behind right from the beginning. It’s acceptable to agree to aggressive dates, but build in a little reality, too.
2. Don’t overdue the overtime. Scheduling everyone to work overtime from the start of the project in order to meet the deadlines will not work. Overtime only works for limited time frames and then only when the team sees the purpose and benefit of doing it. Get their buy in before assigning it. You may be better off obtaining more resources and dividing the work up further.
3. Understand timing on family events. Encourage your team to honor their family commitments. Ask when the big soccer game is or the piano recital and make sure they can make it. It will build your referent authority (see Referent Authority entry) and keep them safe at home.
4. Encourage time off. Many people I work with seem unable to use their vacation time. They keep busy through the year and never get around to it. The theory behind taking time off is to come back refocused. Another great idea is compensation (“comp”) time. When your team has to work the weekend to implement a system give them the opportunity to take that time off just before or just after the event. It is better not to let the time stack up unused because it becomes a pain to track and if the situation changes (ex. project ends) they might loose out on it.
5. Be flexible with time management. Most projects have deadlines, not office hours. If you can be flexible in the work hours your team may be more productive. Granted, there needs to be overlapping time to handle interfaces and discussions, but a flex-schedule adds to the well-being of your resources.
6. Recognize the extra effort. Don’t take the overtime and hard work for granted. Reward the team from time to time. Suggestions include restaurant gift cards or movie passes. Pick things that encourage them to connect with others outside of work and gain a little balance. I know it is appreciated because when it happens for me my wife usually says, “It’s about time they did something for you.”

If you have other ways you use to keep yourself and your team sane drop me a comment and share it with all of us.

July 2, 2007 – Authorized to Manage – Referent Authority

This is the third in a series looking at Positional, Referent, Reward/Penalty and Expert types of authority, their use, abuse and challenges.

Character matters.

Referent Authority.
Referent Authority is the ability to influence others through your charisma, personality and charm. People are drawn to personalities. They like working for good natured, caring managers that take an interest in them for more than the hours they can bill. Interesting, though, some people are drawn to managers on the dark side. They see it as power and are drawn to it like moths to a flame.

As much as positional authority is about politics, referent authority is social in nature. It is more than your charming personality; it is the way people perceive you. Managers with higher levels of this type of authority are characterized as strong, hard working, just, even keeled or able. Lesser managers are those that appear indecisive, lacking in confidence, angry, hard to work with or easily pushed over.

One way to gain referent authority is to be helpful. One of my resources is working toward his Green Card status. There are very few papers I actually need to complete, but I am able to push the HR personnel and have hand delivered some of the signatures from other managers. Even just calling him to make sure nothing is stuck somewhere in process can show that I value him.

Appropriate Uses
There are many ways to use your personality to make people want to help you succeed. A sense of humor can be used to defuse tension during a heated meeting. A giving attitude may bring donuts to meetings. Level headed managers don’t snap at their team, they address problems. Caring ones make it a point to know their people and handle all that touchy-feely stuff.

Abusive Uses
Some managers use their appearance and allure to try to get people to do things for them. I encountered this once while in the project officer role on an account. For one project manager, whenever an issue came up I received the sad eyed, batting eyelashes, I-didn’t-know-any-better look.

Others may attempt to draw all of the talented resources to their group. There are even those that are smarmy enough to try move up the org chart by personality alone.

Challenges
The biggest problem to look out for with referent authority is being taken advantage of. Some people think nice guys are there to be used. If you come across as trying to be your team’s buddy instead of boss they may loose respect for you.

Another challenge may come as an attack on your character. Skeletons in anyone’s closet can be used against them, but even false slander can be used to kill your referent authority.

PS. Happy belated Canada Day to those from up North.