Gaurav

We all have different personalities and temperaments. We deal with situations and problems in our unique ways. Some of us are good at handling life situations; others learn with experience and improve with time. However, whether we know it or not, we all are project managers of the project called Life.

How Can Life Be a Project?

If you have worked as or with a project manager or read about project management principles, you will discard the article’s title. After all, Life is continuous and closer to operations than projects. Projects have definitive starts and end, usually for a specific time, with a particular goal in mind. Isn’t Life similar? Each one of us wants to lead a fulfilling life. Do something which people remember after we are gone. Live with a purpose and leave a legacy behind.

The start and end of Project Life aren’t definitive, but it does have a beginning and end. Interestingly, Software development has the acronym SDLC or “Software Development Life Cycle.” SDLC defines different stages of software development with specific inputs and outputs. When projects can have Life, why can’t Life be a project?

Did you know that Project Management has excellent prospects, and by 2027 there will be around 88 million people in PM-oriented roles, and 75% of those will be in India and China? There has to be something that makes this role so popular and necessary across industries. It is the desired skills that make the role unique. The idea of comparing Life with a project is to look at specific skill sets essential for an effective Project Manager, be it a product or Life.

Let us look at the essential skills that allow you to handle Project Life effectively.

Critical Skills of an Effective Project Manager

Here are the top five (or ten, since I’ve combined them) skills effective Project Managers must have. Let us see how they fit in the scheme of the project called Life.

1) Communication/Collaboration

We are social animals, so we need to communicate our needs and collaborate with others. Even if you want to become a monk and live in the Himalayas, you would still be required to deal with fellow monks and curious tourists asking stupid questions.

Effective communication means saying “Yes” or “No” without feeling guilty. Ask for help when you need it. Appreciate when someone does good for you and call out if someone’s action is bothering you.

They say you don’t have to remember anything if you speak the truth. It is correct. However, as we grow, we learn it’s also good to be diplomatic, depending on the person or the situation we are dealing with.

2) Time Management/Self Discipline

We can’t control time, and it keeps moving even if we stop and do nothing— no wonder it’s hard to imagine that it’s been four years since 2019. We may not control the flow of time, but we can learn to manage it better. Time management is essential to self-discipline, and self-awareness is the only way to become self-disciplined.

Most of the time, we are unaware of ourselves, our core values and beliefs, and we keep doing what society wants us to do. Unlike a project at your workplace where management keeps an eye on the progress, Project Life can be harsh, and you must be good at this skill to do well.

3) Organizational Awareness/Stakeholder Management

Effective Project Managers know the working of their organization. Similarly, in Life, we must be aware of the inner workings of our family, culture, society and surroundings.

The stakeholder management may sound heavy to a few of you. It’s simply handling everyone who is involved in a project. Think of it as your parents, siblings, friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone who impacts your Life. Once you are self-aware and understand your surroundings, it becomes easier to manage key relationships.

4) Problem-Solving/Critical Thinking

Life is all about solving one problem after another. The better we solve problems, the happier and more content we become. Every project starts with a problem and ends with a solution. Since Project Life is continuous, hence, difficulties are frequent.

The success of Project Life depends on how we deal with challenging situations. As the saying goes, what we think, we become. How we think determines how effectively and quickly we deal with a difficult situation. Critical thinking is a super skill we must develop; It helps us look at things objectively. It doesn’t mean that you need to be emotionally dead. It means that you are self-aware of your biases and can control your emotions and preconceived notions while dealing with life issues.

5) Leadership/Decision-Making

Project Manager is a mid-management level role in a corporate setup. However, one of the critical skills is the leader mentality that helps drive the project in the right direction, come up with solutions for different bottlenecks and keep everyone focused. The same thing applies to Project Life, and we need to think of ourselves as leaders and start taking responsibility for whatever has happened or is about to happen to us.

When we develop a leadership mindset, decision-making becomes more straightforward. When things go south, we take ownership instead of being part of the blame game. People around us trust us more.

Learning is a critical aspect of life, and people who are willing to learn till the end, end up making the best of it.

– Gaurav Sinha

Wrapping up!

Learning is a critical aspect of Life, and people who are willing to learn till the end, end up making the best of it. Hopefully, the comparison of Life with a project (or process if you are still not convinced with the definitions) made some sense. What other skills must we develop to become better humans and lead fulfilling lives?