The rapid transition from a technical field of expertise where you are training in your technical field and gained years of experience is a rude awakening for most as they move onto the most complex and volatile realm they will ever deal with and doing so with no training and vague frames of reference to go by.

What got you to this point is great, but it only represents a small percentage of a very different ball game that requires a whole new set of skills and fundamental understanding.

Relying on what got you here will fail you going forward. It’s time to up your game to match the game you are now engaging.

Surveys and studies indicate that very few people are afforded a career growth path that includes formal equipping to take on this challenging role.

Most people find their path into a management role (which is a leadership function) coming about through their technical acumen, achievements, and standing amongst their peers. But this is not enough. The human dynamic realm and how you lead it is a complicated and stressful place if you do not understand the basics or fundamentals.

A charismatic nature, or following based purely on technical knowledge, or the ability to coerce will only get you so far.

“Isn’t my project management training and knowledge good enough? Why do I need ‘Leadership?”

There is a delineated distinction between topics such as administration, direction, supervision, management, and leadership.

Leadership deals with the facilitating of all these topics and functions. However, leadership of the human dynamic is the most crucial factor but is the least focused upon skill across all sectors.

As a project or program manager you have equipped yourself with the technical aspects of managing a project (the ‘mechanics’), but have you equipped yourself with the most dominant factor that drives the entire project ecosystem –  the human dynamic (people)?

Project environments are among the most complex and dynamic you can find. It is an ecosystem of diversified, varied, and conflicting systems and players.

The project ecosystem is an eclectic blend of internal and external factors that on the surface or an organogram seem to make sense, but when it comes to leading this concoction by aligning them on an endgame and managing the gameplays along the way, it is easy to see how it can quickly become confusing – if you know what the true picture looks like.

So what does the true project ecosystem look like?

What is psychodynamics and what does it have to do with managing a project?

Just to get you started, I will give you a quick overview to help answer the question.

The complex, volatile, powerful people factor

• • People are involved across all phases of the lifecycle. It starts with people, progresses through people, and ends for the benefit of people.
  • It’s a complex and volatile realm filled with the potential to produce great things, mediocre things, or destroy things.
  • It’s the most powerful element in the success equation. It is also 2/3rd’s of the success ratio.

What exactly is going on within this ecosystem?

• • Understand the 4 inter-connected domains that rule the entire project ecosystem.
  • Psychodynamics is 75% plus of the equation. The mechanics is less than 25%.

What exactly is going on within this ecosystem? 

• • Understanding the dynamic components and interactions that shape and drive your project space.
  • Understand the dynamic relationship between people and everything else.
  • Learn how to use the psychodynamic affect to your advantage instead of letting it trip you up.

Everything is driven by expectations – everything

• • A look into the power domains that are at the core of what we think, feel, and do.
  • See how you can manage this expectation realm to lead your projects better.

Alignment and balance within the ecosystem is key to project success

• • See how everything in the Psychodynamic Affect works for or against alignment, balance, and successful project outcomes.

How do I use this Playbook?

You have the playbook in your hands, now let’s see how it comes together and how you will use it.

All the game plays contain the basics 

Each of the four game plays are built on a framework that forms the foundation upon which everything else is built. Us this framework to establish best practice habits and operating protocols.

Using the troubleshooting game play

• Learn what the game play is about, and,
• Use the troubleshooting game play to diagnose the problems or challenges in your leadership ecosystem.

Everything is driven by expectations – everything

• • Learn how the Psyche Domain is at the core of almost all human dynamic matters.
  • Use the Psyche Domain Health Check to evaluate the human dynamic state.
  • Learn how this applies to individuals and groups.

Applying the Psyche Domain Health Check to your scenario

• • Simulation part 1. Use the game play and Psyche Domain Health Check to evaluate the balance and alignment status of your individual team members and the collective group.
  • Determine which Power Dimension in this Domain is the antagonist in the mix.
  • Pinpoint where to start shifting the balance to regain alignment.

The 4 inter-connected and interactive leadership domains

Symbiosis is where you learn to use the visual tools of the playbook to see how each domain and their components are inter-connected, and how they assert a push and pull effect on each other to balance or un-align your leadership ecosystem.

This is the ‘mechanics‘ within the mix.

The Logic Domain is the ‘mechanics’ in the leadership mix. This is where your project management frameworks, methods, models, tools, and processes are found. It is also the space where internal organisation and external administration and controls exist.

Learn what this part of the ecosystem really looks like and how it will relate to the other Domains in the leadership mix.

The Psychodynamic Affect in action

Learn how the Tribe Domain is influenced and impacted on by the other Domains, and how this Domain in turns influences, shapes, and impacts on the other three ecosystem domains.

Values, principles, trust, alignment

The Ethos Domain is where the organisation culture and the project management culture is defined and functions.

Learn how this domain plays a crucial role in teamwork, a leader’s ability to influence, and how it will make or break a tribe and therefore project outcomes.

It is often debated and rarely understood and even more rare that it is applied, and therefore is a major contributor for short and long term cohesion, alignment, and success.

As a leader, you must understand the power of this domain and how it is a key driver in how the other ecosystem domains function in a balanced or unbalanced state.

The Psychodynamic Affect in action

Learn how the Tribe Domain is influenced and impacted on by the other Domains, and how this Domain in turns influences, shapes, and impacts on the other three ecosystem domains.

This is the team, group, or alliance space. Here you make or break teams.

Teamwork and team cohesion are what so many speak about but few understand how to achieve it.

In this Tribe Domain section you will see what brings people together, keeps them together, and what the factors are that establish and maintain alignment and cooperation, and how these same components can weaken or destroy the team and collaboration you strive for.

The Psychodynamic Affect in action

Learn how the Tribe Domain is influenced and impacted on by the other Domains, and how this Domain in turns influences, shapes, and impacts on the other three ecosystem domains.

Bringing it all together

In this section you will learn how the full leadership psychodynamics framework comes together to give you an overall health status picture of the ecosystem you are leading.

You will see via the graphic interfaces of the playbook which domains are impacted within the troubleshooting simulation, and build a rapid picture of where you need to begin systematically shifting the right components in the mix to get back on track.

Never apply the hit-and-miss approach again

You will have completed your health check of the scenario and know where to begin the shift process.

This is the final stage in the simulation where you diagnose your real-time scenario and map out your plan of action to bring our project out of troubleshoot mode and back on track to achieve the expected outcomes.