Dear PM Advisor. Sep 30, 2013

Dear PM Advisor,

I like your assessment of different personality styles and how they affect the leader and team members. What are your thoughts about dealing with people from different countries?

Ugly American in Ohio

Dear Ugly American,

There are two leading authors on the subject of how national origin affects handling of different scenarios. Their names are Hofstede and Tompenaars. They have both conducted extensive research in this area. Their results can assist you in dealing effectively with global teams.

They each did research within global organizations into how people from different nations act in different scenarios. Hofstede's Power Distance Indicator, for instance, looks at how comfortable people are in confronting their superiors. In the US and Australia there is little discomfort here while in South Korea, co-pilots would allow an airplane to crash rather than question the judgement of the senior officer.

According to Hofstede, the other differentiators between countries are: 

• Individualism versus collectivism 
• Masculinity versus femininity
• Uncertainty avoidance 
• Long-term versus short-term orientation 
• Indulgence versus Restraint 

You can imagine that people in China would react differently to Australians in collectivism and long-term orientation but similar in masculinity. But Swedes and Saudi Arabians will act differently in this latter category. 

Tompenaars has seven categories:

• Universalism versus particularism.
• Individualism versus communitarianism.
• Specific versus diffuse.
• Neutral versus emotional.
• Achievement versus ascription.
• Sequential time versus synchronous time.
• Internal direction versus outer direction.

The idea is that one cannot always use the same techniques that work in your own country when you are working abroad.

Just as I don't recommend changing your personality, I don't argue for changing your culture. It won't work anyway. But remember, there are times when you need to influence someone in authority to wield their power for the benefit of your project. When you are in that situation, you need to be aware of their personality so that your words, actions and dress don't prejudice that person against you. You should also be aware of their culture and avoid acting in a way that is obnoxious to that person. 

REad their books and take their classes. They are very useful to global Project Managers. 

Good luck,

Dear PM Advisor.

Send your questions to Bruce@RoundTablePM.com

Dear PM Advisor. Sep 23, 2013

Dear PM Advisor,

You put up a good post about Personality Styles for leaders a while ago. Your conclusion was that leaders can be from all the different personalities. But what about team members? Wouldn't you want team members who don't try to hog the spotlight or dominate the conversations?

Talking Here in New Mexico

Dear Talking,

I know what you mean about trying to get a word in edgewise with some team members. I, too, am Extroverted and get frustrated by overly talkative Team Members. But it is important to quell that impulse when putting together a team. Let's talk about the four personality styles proposed by Hippocrates.

Each style has its own pluses and minuses.

• The Extrovert is good at energizing the team, starting things off and keeping everyone entertained but they are easily distracted and never tie up the loose ends. 
• The Analytical is the opposite in that they love to tie up loose ends and stay on task but they can be cold and reserved and never step forward to start things off. 
• The Boss focuses on the bottom line and will move heaven and earth to complete tasks on time but they care nothing about hurting anyone's feelings in the process.
• The Amiable is opposite to the boss in that they strive to make sure everyone gets along but they will procrastinate endlessly.

I'm describing people at the extreme end of each personlity style for effect. Rarely are people at the extremes and often they will span two styles. (I'm a mix of Extrovert and Boss) 

But the important thing to notice is that having a team made up solely of one type of personality is a recipe for disaster. You need a mix. And make sure you have an amiable to focus on ensuring everone gets along. 

Good luck,

PM Advisor

Send your questions to Bruce@RoundTablePM.com

Dear PM Advisor October 8th, 2012

Dear PM Advisor,

Our company doesn't have an official prioritized list of active projects. People are working on too many projects. How do I motivate team members to work on my projects?

Entertainer in Massachusetts

Dear Entertainer,

You have the right idea. Keep them entertained and they will work on your projects. The problem, as you have figured out, resides above your pay grade with senior staff. They are the people who need to own the PM process and need to prioritize projects and fully resource the top priorities.

In the absence of this priority list, people will prioritize their work however they see fit. Some do work on a First In, First Out (FIFO) basis, some FILO. Some will prioritize alphabetically, some will refuse to work on projects sponsored by those who root for a different football team. Most will follow the squeaky wheel syndrome and will work on activities that they are being bugged about by vocal project managers.

You ask how to motivate your team members. That's easy. Get to know your team members. Take them out to lunch, do a 'beers and peers' session after work. Find out what motivates them. It will be different based on their personality type, their interests, their ambition. Then set out to keep them motivated in an individual way.

Try 'Reward' Power:
You have power as a Project Manager to motivate them with reward power by asking management for a certain percentage of the project budget to be doled out at your discretion for this purpose. Determine your team member's interests and get them gift certificates at their favorite restaurant, gallery openings or sporting events tickets that make them feel like you really know them. Then give these out when they "Go beyond the call of duty." Do this every couple of weeks or on a monthly basis for a long project. They word will get out that you care about your team members.

Try 'Expert' Power:
You were put in charge of this project because you were recognized as a competent manager. Share your knowledge with those team members who want to get ahead in the world. Mentor them, share books and advise on great courses you have attended. Share political knowledge about upper management.

Look at Maslow's needs pyramid:
Look at the below pyramid and decide where your team members are. If they are barely surviving, money will motivate. If they are beyond this, they may be better motivated with a challenge.

Be the squeaky wheel:
If you keep asking about the progress on a certain task, the easiest way for the team member to get you out of their office is to complete the activity. Do this sparingly where all other methods shown above have failed.

Don't use 'Coercive' Power:
Some PMs have authority to punish those who work on your project. This can be done with poor reviews, withholding project bonuses, even reprimands and firings. That may work on your current project but you'll have a hard time finding team members for your next project.

Any other ideas, readers?

Good luck!

PM Advisor

Send me your questions at bfieggen@gmail.com

Leaders come from all personality types

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bill Clinton with Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention

When I teach project management, the topic of personality styles invariably comes up. Whether you use Myers-Briggs, Disc, Belbin or any other typing, there are different personality styles. It is useful to know other people's styles so that you can modify your own style when you need to influence these leaders.

Another reason I teach styles is to point out that, while each style has its own pluses and minuses, no team would work if comprised of only one style. The best teams are comprised of a good mix.

I'm old fashioned so the personality typing I use comes from Hippocrates who divides the world into those whose temperaments are dominated by the excess of the four body fluids: Blood, Black Bile, Yellow Bile and Phlegm.



Schematic showing the 4 humors or body fluids. Schematic based on a picture from the book "The Seventy Great Inventions of the Ancient World by Brian M. Fagan"

This corresponds to Air, Earth, Fire and Water. As a consultant, I recognize a 2 X 2 matrix turned 45 degrees. If you spin the above diamond 45 degrees clockwise and label the y-axis Introversion-Extroversion and the x-axis People Oriented vs. Task Oriented, you get the core of any personality typing method. And it's enough to be able to type others without putting them through a long questionnaire. On another post I'll provide more details of this.

I usually finish out the presentation, after my students know enough about the personality types to recognize them, by asking if any one type is dominant in leaders. I use US presidents as an example. Are US presidents more likely to be Introverted or Extroverted, People or Task Oriented. The answer is typically 'No.' This was pointed out in a recent NY Times article comparing the styles of Bush, Clinton and Obama.

I'm going to use my own non-scientific method to type the last few presidents. Let me know if you agree.
Type                                                            Example Presidents
Extroverted/People Oriented (Blood)          W. Bush, Clinton, Reagan
Extroverted/Task Oriented (Yellow Bile)   Obama, Johnson
Introverted/Task Oriented (Black Bile)       H. Bush, Nixon
Introverted/People Oriented (Phlegm)         Carter, Ford