“Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. …”
– Hamlet Act III: Scene 2
Shakespeare? Project Management?
Yes, actually.
The above segment is instruction from William himself to those who would encounter his work and execute it with the vigor he ordained it to be. As a project manager, I’ve learned so much from performing that I’ve found myself more engaged during projects that I had to share. The upshot? Ruffled collar not required.
Listen.
Be it a fellow actor, a client, or an employer, listening is not only a skill, it’s an art. It’s imperative to hear what is being said but even more important to understand what is needed in long and short term. When Hamlet and his mother Gertrude argued in her room, it was not a battle of wits, nor vicious chastisement but a desperate cry for a Mother to hear her son’s anguish and despair.
A PM is not only brought on board to create reports, meetings, and charts but to honestly listen and understand all pros and cons and help the team move towards a resolution.
Be Flexible to Failure
In Meredith Anne Skura’s book: Shakespeare the Actor and the Purpose of Playing, multiple actors, even those seasoned in the world of stage, are susceptible to their fear and vulnerability.
“[When] asked, “Do you like acting?” Stewart Granger replied, “Would you like to be scared every night?”
Every PM fails. Every project, though executed to the letter, could still fail. However, failure can be the cobblestone paving the road to success if one doesn’t clutch it tightly in their fist. From failure begets knowledge and knowledge leads to team wide education and improved cadence only if one masters the ability to learn and let go.
Pragmatism…not Dogma.
Many actors who perform still get hung up on the dreaded iambic pentameter (blank verse) and the rules that follow. Rules are safe. Rules give structure, but Rules don’t always deliver the goods.
“Some say there are no rules. I say there are rules… like the iambic pentameter that must be learned and can be rejected once learned.” – Looking For Richard
There may be some disagreement, but acting taught me that sticking to the direction queues all the time will make for a subpar performance. Being a pragmatic PM can only lead to better results for the project and the team. Who wouldn’t love that?
Now, thou hast learned to be an engaged PM. Go to yonder boardroom; slay them with thine skills!
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I’m not above asking for tips!
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