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A few weeks back I got a compliment that took me a bit by surprise, which went somewhat like this:“You seem to know a lot from your years of experience and you do your level best to apply it, impart it and very humane in your dealings on projects, unlike some hotshot PMs around this city, you are Human.”

I have to admit that I did not think of myself along the lines of the compliment. I have known the deliverer of the compliment very well for over 10+ years in the AEC industry and so I knew the person was not patronizing me. My understanding supported by some online search is to be humane is to be a civilized person having a refining effect on people in their interactions within their workplaces and in team environments.

To give you a little background on the circumstances of the situation for this compliment. I work on architectural/engineering/maintenance projects for various client through my project Management consultancy Optum+. As an outsourced project consultant working on managing clients program and project delivery, I have the opportunity to work on multiple project at any given time and with teams of various sizes and people with diverse professional skills such - Architects to Engineers to Contractors and their sub-trades besides the corporate types who are my clients who I report to for these projects.

Research indicate that “the differences in gender, race, generation, culture, education, values, and economic background all play a hand at digging up different angles, examining not-so-obvious details, and constructive conversation surrounding the task at hand” as mentioned in an article in Fast Company: What It Takes To Manage Diverse Groups

The article further states that “the greater spread of experience a group has, the higher its ability to uncover potential problems before someone outside the team finds them first”

However, every difference in gender, race, generation, culture, education, values, and economic background will also create friction, which will, inevitably. It is obvious that we as individuals in a team affect others in the team and ultimately the outcome of our projects or career.

I read an interesting article from HBR titled “Disagreement make better decision” the article refers to Amazon placing “immense importance on defining team players not as people who go along with the group’s consensus, or who support the status quo, but instead as those who add new ideas and perspectives”.

In my over 25+ years of working on diverse teams in different countries and over time I understood it takes more than an individual to make an project endeavor successful. Here are a few ways we can make team work better and as individuals have a refining effect on people in our interactions within their workplaces and in team environments:

§  Work with project team members to find solutions to project issues

§  Step back when a crisis takes place, do not jump into it

§  Inquire and seek information before coming to a conclusion

§  Listen to others opinion and solution there is always merit in it

§  Critique a solution only if you can follow up with a better solution

§  Identify an error or mistake but provide a way out - a solution

§  Impart knowledge and experience without imposing it on others

To have an refining effect on team members is to recognize the difference in gender, race, generation, culture, education, values, and economic background and rising above it and recognizing that we are human and we have an obligation to be humane to one another.

I have to admit it has not been easy to get this point in dealing with people or team members in my project team and I also have to admit that I have not learned it all, there are still more to learn.

 I would like to hear from you on how to be humane in our workplaces and project teams.