How to Achieve Big Goals

Desmond Tutu once wisely said that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” Often, as project managers our ‘elephants’ present themselves as looming deadlines on seemingly impossibly large deliverables. And one of our greatest obstacles is that we aren’t dining alone, we are depending on our teammates to attack their section of the elephant at the same time. So, how do we, as PMPs, effectively ‘eat the elephant’? We learn to manage our teams to achieve BIG goals.

Management can, however, be a deceiving topic. After all, half-heartedly wrangling a team to scramble together deliverables can be considered ‘management’. But this form of management can only fulfill that role for so long, before breaking down. Real, skilled project management is the process of intentionally taking actions that support both your employees and the organization you serve. Great management skills, like a lot of things, are skills that must be learned and perfected with practice.

Many managers set out with the mentality that they will make it up as they go along or just do what their past managers have done- but even this well intentioned plan can lead to some hard-earned lessons. So, how do you close this knowledge gap and learn to lead you team to success? Education. Thankfully, many great leaders have left their mark by sharing their successes (and failures) with us, so we can learn from their experiences.

PDUs2Go has structured their 60 PDU courses to help new and experienced managers bridge the gap from good intentions to skilled leadership. Their hand picked courses were selected for their ability to impart practical knowledge that can be set into motion immediately, with lessons that are both meaningful and lasting. Even as certified PMPs, we can always use new tools and techniques that create a better and more efficient system.

So… how do we eat the elephant? One of the most important components of successful projects execution is goal setting. We must learn how to set and measure large goals, and subsequently, learn how to manage our teams into successfully achieving them. We must learn to keep our teammates engaged, keep them motivated, and keep their deliverables on time. We must discover how to overcome hurdles and disengagement, and to inspire the different, unique personalities of our teammates.

Whether you are just starting out or managing herds of international teams, proper goal setting can have a tremendous impact on your bottom line. And once you have created a structure and management template that suits your needs, you can implement this process again and again, tweaking it to fit the personalities and needs of your new teammates. After all, success is rarely luck but often a carefully architected system that sets us up for success.

Part of great leadership is doing our part to seek the knowledge and tools to make our team as success. PDUs2Go’s Managing Teams to Achieve BIG Goals can help you discover the toolset needed to become a great leader. Learn more about this program (and PDUs2Go’s other 60 PDU programs) at www.pdus2go.com/store.