Clients Matter; So Put Your Team First

We're often so preoccupied with keeping our clients happy that, as project managers, we never calculate the true cost of losing the confidence of our teams. Without them, we're sunk.

When we put our teams first, our clients can let go and trust the process. How do we get there? We can learn the scripts, build trust with our teammates, and get them scoping, giving feedback and vetting prospect leads. As PMs, we have more power in our pinky fingers than a thousand clients.

Together we can make this digital industry better. We just have to know where to start. And it starts with our team.

Transcript

1. Clients Ma er;
   So Put Your Team First
   Wednesday, 16 October, 13
   

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2. Who needs to
   win this?
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3. 1.
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4. Students, clients, teams.
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5. Students, clients, teams.
   We teach people how
   to treat us.
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6. 2.
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7. Our clients and our teams
   need us to win.
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8. Why?
   How?
   What?
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9. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
   

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10. Get in.
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11. Why are clients happier
    when we drive?
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12. When we put our teams
    first, we put ourselves in
    the driver’s seat...
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13. ...clients can let go and
    trust the process.
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14. “ e price of anything is
    the amount of life you
    exchange for it.”
    ― Henry David oreau
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15. e True Cost:
    Losing Our Team
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16. Happy teams = Happier clients
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17. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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18. Gut Check
    Do you put your team first?
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19. $
    Budget
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20. ✓Short cuts hurt the team
    ✓Working for free
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21. !!!
    Expectations
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22. ✓Scope creep
    ✓Watered down feedback
    ✓Solutioneering
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23. 00:00
    Time
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24. ✓ No parameters or consequences
    ✓Clients set project pace
    &...
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25. 40:00
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26. Does your
    team trust you?
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27. Defensive
    Responses
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28. Dead Air
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29. Haters
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30. You are a lifeboat.
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31. is is trust...
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32. You have something in
    your teeth.
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33. Step 1.
    Assess e Gap
    * Ask. Listen
    * Find a baseline
    * Be vulnerable
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34. Step 2.
    Meet e Need
    * Check in
    * Provide air cover
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35. Step 3.
    Measure
    e Growth
    * Fine tune
    * Reassess direction
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36. Teams First
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37. ✓ Get Team Feedback
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38. ✓Vet leads together
    ✓Critique client requests
    ✓Get input on direction
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39. ✓ Let Teams Scope
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40. ✓Practice with past projects
    ✓Estimators are producers
    ✓Learn every role
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41. ✓ Do Post Mortems
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42. ✓ Share successes & failures
    ✓Fine tune process
    ✓Re-scope project
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43. process.ngenworks.com
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44. Warning:
    Not every
    teammate is a fit
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45. Voices From e
    Shadows
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46. Take e Wheel
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47. Take e Wheel
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48. Power Moves
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49. Learn e Scripts
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50. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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51. No we can’t just ‘add a blog’ for nothing, you
    nincompoop. That shit costs money.
    ❝A blog? That’s a great idea. Let’s go back to
    the team and find out how much time that will
    take and how much it will cost.❞
    Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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52. You’ve been late on three payments and you
    want us to ‘keep moving’? I’m going to mail you
    a dead fish out of sheer frustration.
    ❝We’ll restart your project just as soon as we
    receive any outstanding payments.❞
    Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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53. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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54. I’ve asked you a thousand times to put your
    idiot requests in Basecamp.
    ❝I think the whole team would get a lot out of
    this conversation. Would you mind posting it
    in Basecamp so we can take some time to
    respond?❞
    Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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55. You want a giant, shiny robot to pop out and
    deliver your vision statement? On the home
    page? Terrific.
    ❝Let’s go back and see how this idea supports
    or hurts your business goals. If it makes sense
    to do it, we’re on board; otherwise, let’s
    brainstorm a few other ideas, too.❞
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56. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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57. Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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58. Why the f%@# would you ask us to launch
    tomorrow after your approval was two weeks
    late??
    ❝Unfortunately, no. We need your help &
    commitment to approvals to launch on time.
    We’ll work as fast as we can, but we can’t
    compromise the quality of our project. Thanks
    for understanding.❞
    Wednesday, 16 October, 13
    

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59. You’re setting our meeting dates within a day
    and expecting my team to be on board? Nope.
    ❝We’d love to chat about the project
    direction. Let us look at some times that are
    available for the whole team and I’ll reach out
    to you ASAP.❞
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60. [insert colourful exclamation]
    ❝[your expert response]❞
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61. rachelgertz.com
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62. “Charlie bit me.”
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63. Summary
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64. Clients are happy
    when we drive
    —
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65. We drive when when
    we work hand in
    hand with our
    teams
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66. We put our teams first by:
    ✓ building trust
    ✓ ge ing team input
    ✓ practicing the scripts
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67. We teach people how
    to treat us
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68. Take e Reigns
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69. ank you.
    rachelgertz.com
    louderthanten.com
    @thestraymuse
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