iPM Archetype #2 - The Enforcer

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Today at a Glance:

• Welcome to Part 2 of a 7 part series covering the (7) Archetypes of The Influential Project Manager. These are the behavior patterns that produce predictable outcomes and promotions. In this issue, we’re going to dive deep into the second archetype: The Enforcer.

• The Influential Project Manager is the most accountable person on the project, which project stakeholders long for. When leaders are accountable, it inspires other leaders to exude the same traits. Before you know it, an upward spiral of success, safety, quality, and profitability is created.

• Accountability is where execution really happens. The most influential leaders operate differently then the rest. They have a specific set of disciplines that produce predictable outcomes. Unless we consistently hold one another accountable, the goal naturally disintegrates in the whirlwind of a project in full motion.

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iPM Archetype #2 - The Enforcer

Photo by Scott Blake

The (7) archetypes of an Influential PM are the behavior patterns that will accelerate your project management career forward like never before. Embodying these patterns will repeatedly lead your projects to success because you’ll be able to provide what’s most desirable - predictable outcomes.

An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior. Archetypes help us to connect certain dots that we haven’t seen or felt before, giving us a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.

"The Enforcer" is an archetype often used in stories, films, and video games. This character is typically a strong, disciplined individual who maintains order or enforces the rules set by a more powerful figure or organization.

They can be either a hero or a villain, depending on the narrative. They are known for their physical prowess, tenacity, and unwavering dedication to their duty, often placing the mission or the rules above their personal feelings or relationships. In other words, their excellent at holding themselves and others accountable.

Accountability is about the ownership of outcomes which is critical to every project’s and business’ success. However, from my experience, I’m still seeing projects fall apart due to the absence of accountability.

Accountability does not mean a project manager must babysit, micromanage or browbeat people to get things done. These tactics will often cause issues and animosity toward the project manager. Rather than being the only person holding people accountable, the enforcer empowers the entire team to uphold the project’s accountability.

The Influential Project Manager is the most accountable person on the project, which project stakeholders long for. Organizations benefit from leaders who are accountable because they are able to quickly identify problems and come up with possible solutions.

When leaders are accountable, it inspires other leaders to exude the same traits. Before you know it, an upward spiral of success, safety, quality, and profitability is created.

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Behavior Patterns of The Enforcer:

• You hold yourself to account, taking care where you give your word to do something, because when you do so, it really matters to you that you do it.

• Your mindset is that meeting the expectations you agreed to with others is a core value, both to you and the organization.

• You therefore take great care to get clarity of task and expectations.

• You know you are expected to interrogate any potential task to make sure you can do it.

• As soon as you know that you may not be able to do something that you said you would do, whether large or small, you take personal responsibility for both alerting the necessary people and finding solutions to the problem.

• You are timely, honest and direct in your conversations and expect the same from others. You believe that honesty is valued and appreciated, however challenging and uncomfortable, because it leads to richer learning, faster problem solving, optimum results for the team and enterprise and faster career development.

Enforcers hold themselves and others to the highest standards of execution. They aim to create win-win-win scenarios and hold people responsible for their actions to make it happen.

They carve out the path, turn the head lamp on, and lead everyone to success. But everyone has to work for it.

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Accountability vs. Responsibility

Think back to a time when seemingly small decisions impacted thousands of people. Situations have ended with decreased profits, loss time, or where things went completely wrong. In these situations, it’s common to ask two questions:

1. Who was responsible?

2. Who should be held accountable?

Accountability and responsibility are often used interchangeably, but these words have distinct meanings that separate them and their roles in the workplace. It’s imperative that leaders understand the difference if they want to move their organizations forward.

Although these two terms have some similarities, they can’t be lumped into the same bucket.

Responsibility:

• Responsibility can be shared. You can work with a team of people to divide responsibilities.

• Responsibility is task-oriented. Every person on a team may be responsible for a given task that is required to complete a massive project.

• Responsibility focuses on defined roles, job descriptions, and processes that must be in place to achieve a goal.

Accountability:

• Accountability is something that can be specific to an individual depending on their skill set, role, or strengths.

• Accountability is what happens after a situation has occurred. It is how you respond and take ownership over the outcomes. Even during the most uncertain times, true leaders hold themselves accountable for the results.

• Accountability is committed to the successful completion of tasks assigned to you and being willing to take responsibility for everything that happens as a result of the actions that were taken.

Accountability breeds responsibility. Accountability in the workplace means that employees take responsibility for both their performance and business outcomes. Instead of playing the “blame game” when something goes wrong, they step up and take full ownership.

When the project manager is accountable for their decisions and actions, the project is more likely to be delivered effectively, on time, and in line with expectations. But, if there is no accountability, there’s a high chance the project will fail to deliver all the intended outcomes.

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The 4 Disciplines of the Enforcer

Where do you find people who are passionately committed to their work? You find them working for leaders who are passionately committed to them. - Jim Huling

Accountability is where execution really happens. The most influential leaders operate differently then the rest. They have a specific set of disciplines that produce predictable outcomes.