Challenges Archives - PM Problems

Workplace Experiences

My Boss Doesn’t Have My Back: What Should I Do? My 5 Personal Tips

Do you ever feel betrayed by your boss? Does it seem like the two of you are always at odds, or that you simply can’t trust them? Unfortunately, this is something many of us can relate to. While we hope to have positive, productive relationships with our bosses, it’s certainly not a guarantee. Many of us feel like our bosses are only out for themselves – or even worse, working against us. In the land of the modern workplace and corporate culture, it can feel like work is just as much about office politics, individual advancement and covering our butts as it is about actually doing our jobs, and our bosses are no more exempt from this than we are. While our relationships with our bosses may feel worse in our minds than they really are, we may also notice certain patterns of behavior in them over time. Whether it be that our boss rarely offers us support, disagrees with us in front of others, throws us ‘under the bus’ or just plain doesn’t like us, we eventually reach the point where we think “My boss doesn’t have my back! What should I do?”. As someone who’s definitely been there, I’m happy to share with you the techniques I’ve used to mitigate this situation with success. Let’s get into them.

Pat Finnegan May 27, 2021

Workplace Experiences

6 Things I Learned While Working For A Failing Company

Not all companies are meant to last unfortunately. Whether it be due to poor management, changing times, a rise in competition or even economic recession, many businesses end up closing their doors as the years go on. While some of these closures are sudden, other companies take several years before they’re completely shut down. As you probably know already, the daily experience employees have at a failing company is not always great – the atmosphere can range from unmotivated to extremely stressful and everything in between. This experience can also apply to your department or specific branch closing too, even if the company as a whole is not going out of business. If this is your experience, I can relate. The last two years at my previous company were spent seeing the ‘tidal wave’ coming in slow motion; most of us knew our division – once one of the largest in the company – would be shut down eventually given our overall performance, but no one knew exactly when. Here are six things I learned while working for a failing company that’ll hopefully be helpful!

Pat Finnegan April 16, 2021

Project Management

Is Project Management Competitive? The Answer Is Complicated

Many students and young professionals aspire to become a Project Manager at some point in their careers. Some of us desire the title and decision-making authority that being a P.M. provides, while others long to overcome challenges and deliver projects successfully. Of course, many of us want the higher salary and other financial perks that Project Managers often enjoy. Whatever your reason for wanting to become a P.M., it’s likely that other people out there also want to become a Project Manager for similar reasons. How many others are looking to become P.M.s? Is project management competitive? If you’re thinking about becoming a Project Manager and are looking for some stats, then read on!

Pat Finnegan April 9, 2021

Career Planning

For Project Managers Becoming Entrepreneurs: 5 Tips From Experience

As we all know, project management is an exciting and dynamic field. There are plenty of ways we can challenge ourselves and continue to grow year after year. These are the aspects of project management that most of us love. As we gain experience, we learn a wide variety of skills in leadership, budgeting, scheduling, organization and more. If we can manage a decent-sized project, how much harder can it be to work for ourselves? After working as a Project Manager for awhile, you may begin to crave a challenge beyond what your typical position or company may offer. Perhaps you want to create a business from the ground up. Maybe you crave the ability to make your own schedule, or no longer answer to a boss. For many different reasons, there’s a growing percentage of working professionals who decide not to pursue their current career path anymore, and instead pursue the road less traveled…the path of the entrepreneur. Cue the dramatic music. There’s plenty of reasons why being ‘your own boss’ is great, but there are plenty of reasons one shouldn’t just dive in without preparation, either. I know because I’ve done it! At least to a certain extent. While I was prepared in some ways, there are several things I wish I understood much earlier – that’s what this article is about. For the project managers becoming entrepreneurs out there, let’s go over 5 tips based on my own experience, plus a little detail as to why I became an entrepreneur after thirteen years in construction management.

Pat Finnegan April 2, 2021

Project Manager Soft Skills

When Your Boss Criticizes You in Front of Others, Do These 5 Things

Bad bosses are the bane of many employee’s existences. No matter what industry you work in, how old you are or even what your position is, the vast majority of us have dealt with a bad boss at some point in our careers. There’s plenty of ways a boss can be “bad”: poor understanding of the company’s needs, terrible at planning ahead, being clueless on what’s happening day-to-day, and so on. Situations like those are surely annoying to deal with, but few boss behaviors are more insidious than bullying. One common way bosses bully employees is through humiliating them in front of others. These reasons bosses behave this way are varied and complex, but one thing is for sure – we all want to put an end to it. If you’re wondering what you should do when your boss criticizes you in front of others, don’t miss the five tactics we discuss below.

Pat Finnegan July 14, 2020

Project Manager Soft Skills

How To Deal With A Coworker You Don’t Trust: The Do’s & Don’ts

Trust is a vital aspect of any relationship. This applies to our family, friends, romantic partners and coworkers alike. Just like our family and romantic partners, we must see our coworkers for an extended amount of time every day. In most instances, we spend more waking hours with our coworkers while working full-time than we spend with our families – that’s a lot of time at work! When we have great coworkers who we can trust, this doesn’t feel nearly as harsh as it sounds. What happens when we just can’t trust coworkers? It could be something they’ve done, rumors we hear or just our gut feeling – regardless, a situation like this puts a tremendous strain on our work life. In this article, we’re talking about how to deal with a coworker you don’t trust!

Pat Finnegan December 19, 2019

Project Management

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

As Project Managers, we get the ‘pleasure’ of working with people of every variety. Not only are we expected to work alongside everyone else involved with the project, but we’re also expected to help them, answer questions and provide direction. Simple enough, right? Well, on paper it is. Management gets difficult when personalities begin to clash. Maybe a teammate thinks you’re stupid and doesn’t want to listen to you. Perhaps they think you’re too smart and are threatened by you. Even more vague – they might just not like you for their own reasons. While this seems like a big deal when it’s happening to us, it’s statistically inevitable – no one can please everyone. Manage enough people over time and you’ll run into difficulty with some. Today, we’re taking about managing jerks as a Project Manager, along with which behavior we should act on vs. let slide. Let’s get into it!

Pat Finnegan December 17, 2019

Workplace Experiences

Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!

If you wake up with a pit in your stomach every workday, you aren’t alone. According to ADAA, nearly one in five adults suffer from anxiety. That’s 20% of the adult population in America! With so many people experiencing anxiety every day, it’s no wonder it manifests itself in our work lives. How could it not? While anxiety as a whole must be treated and tended to, there are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace stress. If you’re experiencing anxiety about going to work everyday, check out our list of thoughts to consider – you may find that your anxiety at work deflates easier than you thought! Let’s dive in.

Pat Finnegan December 10, 2019

Project Management

Working For Difficult Clients As A Project Manager: Avoid These 5 Things

The Clients you work for as a Project Manager are like chocolates in a box – some of them suck. Such is life! We don’t always get to work for Clients that are nice, reasonable or even people we like on an individual basis. This is made ten times worse when we consider that Clients control most of the cards on the table – including payment! On projects like these, we need to work even harder as Project Managers to manage not only the work, but the Client too. In this article, we’re talking about working for difficult Clients as a Project Manager, along with 5 things to avoid at all costs.

Pat Finnegan November 27, 2019

Construction Management

Putting A Project On Hold: When Project Managers Should Hit Pause

In the field of project management, we rarely hear of the words ‘slowing down’. In fact, those words often echo in infamy. Clients want their project completed as quickly as it can be. They’re more likely to request additional resources, more hours and accelerated timelines – slowing down or stopping isn’t something clients want to hear. Unfortunately, slowing down or hitting pause is the right thing to do for the Project Manager, despite what the client and even our own management may say. In this article, we’re discussing putting a project on hold and when P.M.s should hit that pause button!

Pat Finnegan November 13, 2019

CATEGORY | Challenges

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My Boss Doesn’t Have My Back: What Should I Do? My 5 Personal Tips

6 Things I Learned While Working For A Failing Company

Is Project Management Competitive? The Answer Is Complicated

For Project Managers Becoming Entrepreneurs: 5 Tips From Experience

When Your Boss Criticizes You in Front of Others, Do These 5 Things

How To Deal With A Coworker You Don’t Trust: The Do’s & Don’ts

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!

Working For Difficult Clients As A Project Manager: Avoid These 5 Things

Putting A Project On Hold: When Project Managers Should Hit Pause

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