Can a Project Manager actually be shy?
To be sure, I should specify what I mean by shy- and delineate it from introverted. Where introverts may or may be shy, they get emotionally charged from being on their own- the source of their energy and relaxation is endogenous. Extroverts, by comparison get emotional energy and feel relaxation by interacting with others. Their energy is exogeneous.
Someone who is shy feels uncomfortable meeting new people and will avoid meeting new people, and be emotionally distant or distrustful with people they have newly been introduced to.
So… I discussed this fellow Project Manger Valerie Santillo. Always a sharp mind, she asked if I meant introvert or shy. I told her that introversion in Project Mangement would be a disadvantage- shyness would be absolutely crippling. She pointed out that shy people would not choose Project Management as a functional role.
Full disclosure- I’m a fairly high scoring extrovert and outgoing person. I get in the worst moods ever if I don’t go out and do stuff during the day on the weekends. If I’m squirrelled away in my condo on a Sunday reading and watching movies because the weather outside is crappy- come 5 or 6 pm, I’m downright crabby. I also love meeting new people and making new friends. I’m one of those crazy people that just starts conversations with random strangers.
Communicate Much?
One of the reasons I love Project Management is because I get to interact with other people daily as part of my job. The PMBOK says that a Project Manager spends about 75% – 90% of the time communicating with others. Day to day communication involves everything from touching base with the team to get updates on tasks, communicating with the project sponsor and client, and being the communication bridge between all parties. If your day is filled with doing tasks you hate, you’re going to burn out after a week.
Mr. Helpful
When someone approaches a project manager with a problem, a project manager’s immediate reaction will be ‘How will I fix this?’ rather than ‘boy. It really sucks to be you- but why are you telling me? Why do I care? It’s your problem, you fix it. jerk.’ The reason the PM says the former is that the Project Manager has an unquenchable need to help others. They are the ultimate people pleasers. That’s not to say that they require external validation, but a Project Manager’s main duty is making the job of other’s easier.
That’s not to say that a shy person isn’t helpful, or that they don’t feel a need to help others, but the majority of my job is making other people’s problems my job.
The Phone is my best friend
PMI methodology and real world solutions has taught me time and time again the way to solve a problem is not to hole myself away. It’s to pick up the phone or set an appointment and go in and talk about it with the other party immediately. That’s not to say I go in cold (i.e: unprepared), but I never back away from a conversation- especially a difficult one.
Mr.Charmypants
PMBOK says the using the Charismatic type of authority is not as reliable as expert, but all project managers drop balls. It’s part of the job, and personality will definitely help determine if that dropped ball is something the client will skewer you over or let slide. Not to say that a winning smile and a great personality will excuse you for crippling project after project after project, but if you’re a jerkface, and you come to the client to tell the client the SPI is 0.85, and CPI is 1.2 the chance they let it slide would be greater if you they were someone they liked personally rather than tolerated. I’m not giving license to kiss ass. No one likes a sycophant Most people can see a sycophant coming a mile away they don’t like it.
In conclusion, Shyness is probably a quality you won’t find in a lot of project managers- with good reason. The job requires a lot of skills that are wholly uncharacteristic of shy people. They would be far happier and more successful in other roles that don’t require constant communication, interaction and people pleasing.
But- what do YOU think?