Being a Leader Means Being the 'Eye of the Storm'
A framework for remaining calm, cool, and collected when the pressure is on.
👋 Welcome to The Influential Project Manager, a weekly newsletter covering the essentials of successful project leadership.
Today’s Overview:
1 mindset tip: The eye of the storm
1 podcast appearance: The Construction Hall of Fame
1 book recommendation: The people side of construction
1 question to ponder: on congruence
Becoming The Eye of The Storm
The theme of this week’s newsletter is mindset and developing it so you stand out as a leader immediately.
The reality is projects nowadays aren’t getting any easier. If anything they are getting more complex and more aggressive.
Regardless, project owners still have the same expectations when it comes to completing on time, within budget, and supreme quality.
These realities are what can make a project managers environment chaotic and turbulent. The stakes are high.
However, as the project sails into a storm of events and details, good leaders never lose sight of the ultimate result.
Being a leader means being the eye of the storm.
The eye of the storm is that one specific spot in the center of a twister, hurricane, or tornado that is calm, almost isolated from the chaos of activity.
Everything around the center is violent and turbulent, but the center remains peaceful.
How nice it would be if we too could be calm and serene in the midst of chaos - in the eye of the storm.
Surprisingly, it’s much easier than you might imagine to be in the eye of a “human storm.” What it takes is INTENTION and PRACTICE.
Suppose, for example, that you are going to a family gathering or a work situation happens that you know is going to be chaotic. You can tell yourself that you are going to use the experience as an opportunity to remain calm.
I invite you to try this and be the eye of the storm on your teams. You will see how quickly you will stand out and how much more influence you will have over the situation.
Commit to being the ONE person in the room who is going to be an example of PEACE. You can practice breathing. You can practice listening. You can let others be right and enjoy the glory. The point is, you can do it if you set your mind to it.
By starting with these small scenarios like family gatherings, social parties, work scenarios, you can build these mental muscles.
We know there is a never ending amount of chaos, confusion, noise and turbulence in our world today. Exactly why this skill is incredibly useful.
Don’t waste any of your energy on it.
You’ll notice that by being in the eye of the storm, you will be more present. You’ll enjoy yourself more than ever before. People who can become the eye of the storm make more money and live better lives.
If you’re a leader, you’ll constantly find yourself navigating a storm. Remain calm. Centered. Peaceful. Unfazed.
Once you practice and build this mental fitness, you can practice in more difficult areas of life - dealing with major conflict, hardship, or death.
Start slowly, keep practicing, and soon you’ll know how to live in the “eye of the storm.”
Podcast Appearance
I was recently interviewed on The Construction Hall of Fame Podcast by Matt Gorgolinksi, CEO of Big League Talent Connection. Feel free to check it out. If you receive any value, please like, comment, and share!
Episode Summary:
Kyle‘s success story started out without much knowledge about construction in his adolescence, then ascending from a landscaper into a Senior PM role at Layton Construction. His story is a fantastic testament to what’s possible in this beautiful industry of construction with the right work ethic and mindset.
In this episode we discuss raising awareness about the great career opportunities in construction, what it takes to become an elite project manager, how to effectively lead teams and run projects, how to raise leaders, how to recruit elite project managers and more.
If you’re looking to build a successful career in the construction industry, you want to level up your leadership game or you want to recruit elite leaders — you’re in for a treat with this episode!
Book Recommendation
This week I’d like to recommend a great book - The Five Minute Foreman: Mastering the People Side of Construction by Mark Breslin.
I think this is a book we need to get in hands of more young ambitious men and women. The construction industry is in need of a wave of new leaders and business professionals to take charge and solve complex problems.
This book is a great resource for empowering leaders who are building and managing construction projects.
The purpose of a professional construction leader is:
To build people into remarkable performers
To build these performers into amazing teams
Who then build high-quality, profitable projects.
Note that people and teamwork come before the work or the money.
Question to Ponder
A question for you this week…
“If you keep keep doing what you are about to do today for the next five years, will you end up with more of what you want or less of what you want?”
I invite you to answer this question and observe how congruent your desires vs. actions feel. Better questions lead to better answers. Better answers lead to a better life.
Let me know in the comments or send me an email on what you liked, didn’t like, want to see more of in the future.
Until next week,
Kyle Nitchen
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🎙 Interviews
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