Is there fame in project management?
Imagine your name on the front page of the paper. What are you famous for? Is it for your excellent fashion sense? Your weather forecasting abilities? Or, perhaps you’re being honoured for your ability to change the world for the better with your savvy project management skills and finesse?
As a project manager, you hold a great deal of responsibility and power, which becomes the case even more so when you earn your PMP certification. The biggest challenge for many project managers is in letting others know what you are capable of, and what you are worth. Let’s face it, it’s not always easy to toot your own horn. But when you tackle your PM fame as you would any project—in an objective, systematic, and measurable way—you are sure to succeed in showing your stuff to ensure that you get noticed.
Consider a press release. Press releases don’t have to be just for large corporations or for the rich and famous. You, too, can get a press release out about the fantastic accomplishments that you’ve made in your life. Nowadays, roughly 45% of employers are going online to research potential employees as part of the screening process. You can strengthen your brand with a press release proclaiming your accomplishments.
Get out there. You can’t always plan for the next big thing. Sometimes it comes down to being at the right place at the right time, with just the right mix of opportunity and preparation. But if you don’t take a chance and put yourself out there, you have taken yourself out of the game altogether.
Now, I know these suggestions sound eerily like dating advice for singles. But these rules also apply for professionals looking to make meaningful business connections. The more proactive you are in getting involved in organisations (such as project management associations, or volunteering your project management skills where needed in your community) the more visibility you have within the project management industry, and the more successful you will be.
Create a ‘Brag Sheet’. Many times when we finish a project, we can rush through the closing process and lessons learned so quickly in preparation to dive into the next project. At the end of each project, take some time to add to your ‘Brag Sheet’. What went well in the project? Where you under budget or ahead of schedule? How did the deliverables of the project benefit the key stakeholders? This is something that you need to document for yourself, as most likely no on else is keeping track of your successes. Collecting your achievements so that you are prepared to shine when the opportunity presents itself.
Got it? Flaunt it! If you have any project management credential, such as PMP, congratulations! As a PMP, you will get noticed worldwide as someone who is fluent in the language of project management and who is reliable in consistently achieving project success.
Make it your goal to get spotted for all of your hard work. Be your own best friend and promote your accomplishments, just as you would if you were trying to help another succeed in their career. Make sure your accomplishments are visible to others so that they can ‘Read All About It’!
Co-authored by Kristen LaBrosse
