Description

How to become a trusted adviser – and not just an outsider

As a project management consultant, John Alleyne knows how it feels to have to quickly establish working relationships and become a trusted business partner. In this podcast, he speaks to Elise Stevens about how to become a trusted adviser – and not just another project manager.

John has worked in both the private and public sectors, primarily in IT, but also in finance, mining, construction and SMB in Australia, Asia, New Zealand and Europe.

He is an experienced project and program leader, mentor and coach who loves to turn around a troubled project using good communication and collaboration.

Points raised in this podcast – how to become a trusted adviser:

• Project managers are professionals and should be seen as trusted advisers, rather than outsiders.
• It is important to establish a good relationship with the customer and key stakeholders. This is called ‘customer intimacy’.
• Listening and asking questions is essential in the early phase of the relationship.
• A simple gesture such as saying hello to your stakeholders first thing in the morning can set up the entire day well and help create strong personal relationships.
• People feed off positivity – having a ‘bad day’ can easily rub off on your team and damage rapport.
• Project managers should talk to their customer about their business problems and come up with solutions with them, rather than for them.
• Trust is essential if you are going to make organisational change and deliver good outcomes.
• It is important you are seen to be working within the organisation, not as an outsider.
• Don’t rush into change. The organisation will be more open to change if you first demonstrate that you have taken the time to get to know their business and their processes.

Still stuck on the outside? Visit John’s website for career and project management coaching or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Listen to the below podcast to learn how to become a trusted adviser: