How to be a good project manager

I've just realised that being a project manager is a thankless job..

You have to manage your resources, employees and clients, deal with all the problems that crop up with every sector, try to represent one side to the other in a positive manner even after you have taken a load of shit from them and after everything, get judged for the job you've done (often not in a good way) and the best thing is,

Nobody says THANK YOU!

I have had the opportunity to work briefly with a very good project manager and cannot be grateful enough for the experience that he gave me.

It has mellowed me out, so much so my lecturer made me group leader for a consulting project we are doing at the moment because I'm 'solid and calm'....

Hmm..

Not words you hear about me very often.

Strangely, that is true in my current situation, I am indeed the calmest in the group.

If there is one thing I have very little tolerance for, is people not being punctual.

I understand that there are many mitigating circumstances that can make you late even when you didn't plan to be but at least call me? text me? let me know you're going to be late???

I had a group member stroll come in 20 minutes late for a group meeting yesterday. I was already simmering as she had missed the last meeting and did not care to call me to catch up on it (probably relying on me to go to her instead).

To add to that she did not reply any of my emails to the group asking to meet, resulting in me having to call her the night before to ask if her royal highness was coming.

All that got me angry and frustrated but I kept it as low as I could.

Confronted her about her lateness and she came out with a load of excuses, one of them about trains being 20 minutes apart (duh? why didn't you check the train schedule then??)

Nevermind that, she then questioned me about something I had asked her to do in my email on Friday that was supposed to be delivered and up for discussion yesterday.

.............................................

Sigh.. if you had a problem with what I was asking you to do shouldn't you have brought it up on FRIDAY instead?????

No.. apparently, she does not see the difference..

And she went on and accused me for being nervous about something else and taking it out on her.

Perfect! By then I was ready to eat her, but of course the Project Manager never loses her cool..

At the end of the day, I am the one who have to think out and type emails to the client and send it to my 'group members' for their comments. The comments always come, but the thank yous never arrives.

Anyhow, I am sure I will learn loads through this experience and the cheeky lecturer who made me group leader......... is very cheeky indeed!

And the cherry on top of the cake - one of my group members still refuses to acknowledge that there is a group leader within the group. He thinks there should be none..

As such, I am the unacknowledged group leader who have to do all the donkey work of a group leader.

Wonderful.

I begin to understand why the great Project Manager I worked with previously always says thank you to all his team members after a hard day's work. It is difficult to get people who will work for you and respond to you accordingly even though you have the title 'Manager'.

So, a good project manager remembers to say thank you.

That said, one day I will get there.