'How did I get into PRINCE2? Well, exactly what you said: I really just fell into it. I was working on a major change project. My colleague was supposed to take a PRINCE2 training, but he was sick. Then I got the question: "Hey, have..." you Would you otherwise feel like going? And so, suddenly, I found myself in one of the first PRINCE2 Foundation training courses in the Netherlands.
I only heard things that made sense to me. The things I was already doing were given a framework by attaching terminology and context to them. It aligned seamlessly with what I did in my work. In that respect, the timing was perfect!
How could we do that instead?
The best thing about PRINCE2? That it is a best practice, that it comes from real-world experience. In England, they were not satisfied with their projects within the government. So a group was formed consisting of project managers and clients of both good and bad projects. The aim was to look at how we could actually do this. They put all those best practices on paper. That is called PRINCE, Projects in Controlled Environments. The '2' came later, when the updated version was released and the process model was added.
That is why PRINCE2 feels so logical; it comes from practice, where it has already proven its success time and again.
Everyone has experience with projects
'The other day, before the training, a participant came up to me and said, almost apologetically: "I have zero experience with projects, you know." So I asked her: "Do you ever host dinner for 8 or 12 people?" She nodded affirmatively: "Absolutely, I always really enjoy that!"'
Then I told her: 'Everything you do in that can be linked to a project. If the group is fun, make sure you have dishes that allow you to be with the group. If the group isn't so fun, make sure you have to stand in the kitchen all evening…'
I saw the switch in her mind happen. Oh yes, you can view that as a project too. She then immediately burst out laughing: 'Yes, that's right.' I added: 'Of course. That's just your project approach. Everyone has experience with projects, we just aren't always aware of it.'
It doesn't say that you have to do it yourself. As a project manager, you are a servant leader."
You are the facilitator, your team has to do it.
After all these years, I actually have one golden tip: make sure it gets done, but don't solve it yourself. In other words: be a lazy project manager. You are not the one who fixes the shit, so to speak. The Deming Circle, also known as the PDCA cycle, stands for Plan, Do, Check, Act. If you map that to project management, the Do is actually Delegate. It doesn't say that you have to do it yourself. As a project manager, you are a servant leader, A servant leader. You serve a team, because a team has to do it and a team is going to do it. You are the facilitator, nothing more.
You often see companies turning experts into managers. Let me tell you right away: it's a bad plan. First of all, you make that person utterly miserable. You are sending someone on the path to burnout. But you also lose your best expert. In the past—and I still see it occasionally—that was the only way to earn more money in many organizations. So, if people want to increase their salary, they end up doing something they don't enjoy. Please, just let experts be experts and give them the value they deserve. Putting people in the right place is arguably the foundation of project management.
By the way, one of the most important qualities of a project manager is listening. If you immediately do it yourself because you know it is better and faster, you will always keep doing it that way. Then you stand in the way of your team's growth.
Trainer or teacher, that really is a difference
People are the most wonderful invention ever made. And I have patience for people. A teacher rattles off the script; they are broadcasting. A trainer starts from the needs of the individual. If I notice that something is going on in the group or that a deeper dive is needed, I let go of what I had planned for a moment and make room for it. Because *this* is what is happening right now. A good trainer is continuously aware of the energy in the group. Where is the attention? Is anything sinking in? Is there resistance?
An essential quality of a good trainer is the ability to switch gears. Simply because you are connected with the participants and the group as a whole. In assessments, I always get feedback that I have a tremendous amount of interaction. On the one hand, I consider that a wonderful compliment. But on the other hand, it makes me sad, because it means that in other training sessions, you only had instructors.
My training day is a success if people look at the clock and think: Wow, is it already that late?
Great for when you can't sleep
Many people think PRINCE2 training courses are incredibly boring. If you just open a book, I get that. Great material for when you can't sleep. Before you know it…zzzz. You get the idea. I once had someone in a training course who said: 'I know PRINCE2 and I know how it works, but it is really deadly boring. And I wasn't bored for a single minute in *your* training.' See, that's what I do it for.
My training day is a success if people look at the clock and think: Wow, is it already that late? They are tired and satisfied. Satisfied because they have gained new knowledge and seen many things they are actually already doing. That is what I just said: because it is a best practice method, you often get it right based on your gut feeling.
Supporting people to be more in their bodies
What not many people know about me? That I also work with energy. My partner is very sensitive. She had taken a magnetizing course and said: "I think that would be something for you too." I signed up for a course and got on the waiting list. Less than a day later, I received a call from the course leader informing me that someone had cancelled and there was a spot available. That is when you know it is meant for you.
During the course, I felt that I could sink into my body very easily; I am good at grounding myself. I soon noticed that I could also guide other people in this, in being more in their bodies. And since everything is energy, this also works for spaces, teams, and groups. I want to do more with that in the future.
Oh dear, if that doesn't turn out to be a project manager…
I have two children, a daughter and a son. They are both young adults now, but that doesn't change all that much. They remain just children. You see them grow up, do wonderful things, and alongside that, recognize aspects of yourself that you (sometimes) don't like. My daughter is just a born organizer. I have sometimes thought: Oh dear, I hope she doesn't become a project manager… (loosely based on Boudewijn de Groot: 'Jimmy').
Because yes, sometimes project managers are quite annoying; they see *everything*. I can't sit normally on a terrace; within a few minutes, I see the entire (sometimes totally dysfunctional) collaboration. Call it occupational deformation. Furthermore, I am very critical about food, because I am quite capable in the kitchen myself. If there is a party, I prefer to take care of the food myself. That is, in a way, facilitating. In any case, I really get into parties. If there is dancing? I'm in. Having casual drinks? Count me in.
My guilty pleasure… gosh, let me think. I spend a lot of time in the car. Autodrop is a nice box. It just gets emptied.
