The New Project Manager – Coming in Prepared to Learn

June 20, 2022 Stan

When a new Project Manager (PM) comes into a company with specific processes, order of structure, defined documentation, and especially a set work culture, it can be intimidating to try and fit in and learn all the company rules immediately. From my personal experience, when you’ve got someone in the team who knows a lot about a specific topic, you can pair them up with someone who doesn’t know very much about that topic for some training. Training can be on anything, from how to build a particular project plan to dealing with spreadsheets or understanding a process.

Mentoring is different from training. It’s a more informal approach to passing on knowledge and it tends to be as the mentee needs it, rather than a structured program. Mentoring tends to take place during informal (or more formal, on some occasions) chats where the two participants share what they know and discuss sticky questions.

It’s important to get the relationship right, so if your two individuals don’t hit it off, don’t worry. I was lucky enough to already have a friend that worked at my new workplace, but I also had the advantage to be open with my supervisor and let her know about another colleague I could learn well from because our personalities meshed well.

Another challenge of mine in previous jobs where I came in as the new project manager, is how to enter established projects without disrupting the momentum and culture. I often refer back to my trainer or mentor to get a scope of how the project has been going and what are some dos and don’ts from both sides, client and agency. Also, I believe there is no such thing as over-communicating. Make sure your communication is open and honest. Even in the most hostile or regimented situations, you can communicate with integrity without revealing classified information. Approach your communications from a place of empathy and tap into your patience – you’ll need lots of it.

The silver lining is that our operations should constantly be evolving. Disrupting the status quo may not be the worst thing for growth. The glass-half-full outlook on resource change is that it gives new members the opportunity to step up. Routine shake-ups are healthy for cultivating new ideas and perspectives.

So, yes, things will change and new members of a project will come and go, however, don’t inhibit all training and previous work styles you’ve been working towards. Your new supervisors will appreciate someone who has arrived on the team with a positive and enthusiastic outlook in the face of unfamiliarity.

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