Els Des Says, 1.1 Inside The Marketing Industry | Page 13

INTERVIEW

WITH THE EDITOR

Wwhat says els des?

Tom Kendrick, Aurthor of 101 Project Management Problems and How to Solve Them asks Els if she has 99 Problems.

Hey Els! It's Great to see you Again!

It's good to be seen!

(Laughs) Let's Jump Right In! How would you handle day-to-day tasks along with managing a project? (15)

It is all about great time management. Being that I am a free spirit sometimes it is hard for me to set time constraints and deadlines. However, they are useful because without them things can be chaotic. I really like to tackle as much as possible and still manage to get tasks completed. Today for example there was so much I needed to complete that I missed a deadline. I am pretty upset with myself about that, but I know for next time planning ahead is necessary.

GREAT ANSWER! It's always refreshing for someone to take responsibility for their faults, which brings me to my next question, What are the most important responsibilities of a project manager? (4)

It is so important to take responsibility for whole outcome of the team whether they were successful or whether they were not as successful. As a project manager I know that in order for us to succeed as a team, everyone has to do their part, and things run much more smoothly if everyone is doing something they are great at. Before I get mad at my team (even if they did something totally wrong) I get mad at myself first because ultimately there was a disconnect, and I will always want to fix that.

Els, How can you help team members see the value of using project management processes? (36)

I like to use these as empowerment exercises. I think it is really necessary for the team to not only feel like they are part of the team, but to also feel like they too can go out and lead a team. I try to showcase all of the good benefits that I receive as a leader without being pompas or boastful. I just want my team to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.