Let this sink in: the job you have today probably won’t be around in a decade.
If you’re like many project managers, the changing nature of work heralded by smart systems, complex environments and client demands requires you to continually update your skills.
To succeed in this environment, project managers needs to draw on a skill set beyond technical competency. So, how do you decide where to focus your learning so you don’t get left behind?
Read the Australian Institute of Project Management December 2016 – March 2017 issue of their Flagship Magazine for my four step guide to your study.
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In the face of persistent digital upheaval and changing dynamics, today’s PMs won’t wait for training and education opportunities. Change specialist Michelle Gibbings outlines her plan to help you learn on the job and at speed.
Let this sink in: the job you have today probably won’t be around in a decade.
If you’re like many project managers, the changing nature of work heralded by smart systems, complex environments and client demands requires you to continually update your skills. But time is a valuable commodity, so how to decide where to focus your learning?
The need for upskilling is acute. The CSIRO and Australian Computer Society report Tomorrow’s Digitally Enabled Workforce suggests that computerisation puts nearly 50 per cent of jobs at risk of automation. And in what the World Economic Forum calls the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the changing nature of how we work requires us to keep our knowledge and capability up to date.
To succeed in this environment, project managers need to draw on a skill set beyond technical competency. Being able to challenge dominant paradigms, solve complex problems, create innovative solutions and build collaborative networks are all critical elements. Before you rush out to learn new skills, here are four steps to guide your study.
STEP 1: EMBRACE A LEARNING MINDSET
Successful project professionals understand how their mindset affects their progress. Just ask yourself: ‘Do I know everything I need to know or is there still so much to learn?’ How you answer will help you determine if you have what Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck calls a ‘fixed’ or a ‘growth’ mindset.
Dweck found that people of a fixed mindset see intelligence as an immovable trait (‘static’). They want to always look smart and have all the answers. They believe that success is due to talent and not work. They avoid challenges, give up more easily and are less willing to listen.
But people with a growth mindset believe that intelligence develops through hard work and effort. They more easily embrace learning and challenges. They persist, despite setbacks, displaying higher resilience. Those with a growth mindset won’t shy away from acquiring skills and they have the courage to persevere and be more adept at solving complex, ambiguous problems. So if you believe you can improve, your motivation will be greater to do so.
STEP 2: KNOW YOUR KNOWLEDGE GAP
People learn most rapidly when the topic is relevant and when they take responsibility for their learning. But unless learning is targeted and planned, it’s easy to squander the opportunity. Identify the gap between your current skills and what you will need to learn by these steps:
- List what you know in technical, functional and behavioural realms.
- Research and determine what you need to learn, being careful to look beyond your current industry – opportunities can come from surprising angles.
- Prioritise a list of activities that may include undergoing or furthering your AIPM certification, reading books and journals, enrolling in courses, joining organisations and networking.
STEP 3: DIG FOR INSIGHTS
The Centre for Workplace Leadership’s recent national survey found organisations should be concerned about the state of leadership and management capability. For example, many senior leaders do not draw on strategic advice. Failing to draw on broad expertise means leaders often define transformation narrowly.
For project managers in new territory, comfortable, default thinking is fraught with danger. Complex and adaptive problems are not solved by the ‘quick fix’ or relying on patterns of learned behaviour. Approaching every project, situation or event as a learning opportunity helps the project manager be more curious, open to questions and acknowledging limits to their knowledge. If you aren’t relying on what you have done before, then you also open up the project to innovation.
STEP 4: EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS
There are many learning sources available, from quick online courses to in-depth post graduate research. Determining the best approach is a trade-off between cost, time to skill acquisition (including time out of the workforce) and benefits the new skill confers. If you need to keep earning while you’re learning, start with the following:
- Read more – use curating sites such as Pocket (www.getpocket.com) or Flipboard (www.flipboard.com) to curate relevant articles.
- Listen to project management podcasts.
- Enrol in an online course – education providers such as Coursera, edX and Open2Study offer free options.
- Enlist a mentor or coach to provide advice on how to develop your expertise.
- For project-management courses, find an AIPM-endorsed course at www.aipm.com.au.
Accelerating progress is as much about what you, the project manager, needs to learn and develop as what you now know and your experience. It’s inevitable that staying at the forefront of knowledge and continuously uplifting capability helps your career. So to get ahead, step outside your comfort zone and embrace new learning.