Genghis Khan was the ultimate conqueror. He founded and expanded one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. There are some variations to the story, but in 1201, a warrior known as Zurgadai shot and killed Khan’s horse. Khan demanded to know who shot the arrow and Zurgadai boldly took credit for the shot. Khan decided to reward his audacity by making him one of his generals and gave him the new name of Jebe, which generally translates to “arrow.”
Stakeholders rarely have only one project in motion, and they’re likely to be in a constant state of project analysis as factors change. The best way to stay off their radar is by putting yourself ON their radar, with results that are responsive to these changes.
Hone your aim on project targets by continuous reflection and adjust when efforts don’t go well. Regular, positive and responsive progress reports foster satisfied stakeholders and empower your team to build on their successes. By working in small task iterations, your team can show quicker results, minimize productivity loss of wrong turns, and increase the quality of their work. This ultimately leads to higher productivity for teams and the organization.
Stakeholders are vested in the business success of your project, which often has them continually analyzing and evaluating your team’s productivity and progress against moving targets. If not handled well, you might spend more time responding to their concerns than managing your project.
By establishing clearly defined goals and building the necessary roadmap, teams can adjust and be reminded of their intended objectives. Although your objectives might change, they always need to be understood to stay on target.
Key Takeaways
- Establish clear goals and objectives
- Reevaluate your objectives in a controlled and organized process
- Don’t take on too much at once
- Regularly evaluate how your efforts align with stakeholder goals and objectives