Captain Jack Sparrow, started as a supporting character to Orlando Bloom’s Wil Turner. He then outshone the ostensible hero and became an archetype unto himself. Here are three Leadership Tips from an INCOSE presentation "We Need More Jack Sparrow, Savvy? A Swashbuckler’s Guide to System Modeling With SysML," given at the 2016 International Council on Systems Engineering Great Lakes Regional Conference.
These tips are then applied to managing projects in the presence of uncertainty.
- There should be a ‘captain’ in there somewhere - While it is one of Captain Jack's many quirks, he never fails to remind others of his qualifications. You don’t want to alienate your team or co-workers with arrogance, but you can subtly remind others who are in charge of your confidence, vision, and passion. Once that leadership and vision are displayed, your employees will know what’s expected and have an example to follow. But this confidence must be anchored in knowledge, skill, and experience and demonstrated with tangible outcomes. No bloviating. You must be able to walk the walk of a project manager as well as talk the talk of a project manager. Knowing and Doing are two separate things. Knowing without doing provides principles, but no processes or practices. Doing without knowing, creates chaos.
- You know that feeling you get when you’re standing in a high place…sudden urge to jump? I don’t have it - If there is one thing Jack is good at, it’s improvising and going with his gut. A good Project Manager has the instincts and self-confidence to know when to move forward, no matter the direction of the tides or even against the advice of naysayers. A good Project Manager also has the instincts to know when to stay put and lay low, not taking the leap. This needs to be backed up with data, but trusting the data is not enough. Good project managers have the ability to take calculated risks. Informed by data, but risks all the same. And when to place it safe.
- I thought I should give you a warning. We’re taking the ship. It’s nothing personal - Honest pirates are hard to come by, honest project manager should not be. It’s never easy to deliver bad news, but hearing it up front and from your own lips makes it easier for the team, customers, managers, and business leaders to digest and move forward. You need to remind them that decisions are based on what’s best for the project, the customer, and the firm – they’re not personal! Remember, sometimes you have to do what’s best in the long-run, and not what’s necessarily popular right now.
