Leadership, Confidence & Communication for Project Managers

0:00Let me ask you something. Have you ever opened up in a moment of pressure? Not not to complain, but to figure things out. And realize later, oh man, you shared it with the wrong person. I'm talking about those moments where you're dealing with only spots of stakeholder, misaligned team, failing like you're carrying that weight is heavy. The weight of the project by yourself. And just for a second, you let your guard down. You trust someone because they told you, hey, you can, but instead of support something shifts the way that they look at you changes, the way that they respond to you even changes. The world, well, the stars feeling a little bit different and you feel it. So what do you do? You work harder, you explain more and you try to prove that you, I mean, you belong, but the more you push, the less respect you feel. And that's the part nobody. And I mean, nobody talks about anything that I love that I hope you fall in love with called project management. But today we're breaking down why people don't respect you even when

1:00you're right. And more importantly, what to do about it. Principle number one, you seek validation from the wrong people. You're not lacking capability. You're placing your confidence in the wrong hands. You're looking for reassurance from people who don't understand your role, your context, or your responsibility. Why is this important? Will you rely on the wrong people for validation? Your confidence is starts becoming like a foundation that is crack matter of fact, it just becomes unstable. And people, they can tell matter of fact, they can feel it. The moment your confidence depends on them. Your authority starts to drop. Practice with these actionable tips. Identify one or I should say identify who actually has decision making power before you speak. Next one, deliver your point forward, not scanning the room for approval. Here's my professional advice. Not everyone in the room deserves access to your vulnerability. Well, like that, I'm going to say that again, not everyone in the room deserves access to your vulnerability.

2:05High level project managers know how to separate collaboration from exposure. And once you stop seeking validation from the wrong people, you start seeing what the real issues actually are. Principle number two, you haven't built internal confidence yet. If you're still questioning yourself internally, it will show up externally, even when you're right. Hesitation creates doubts and others. Why is this important? People don't follow correctness. They follow certainty. They follow clarity. They follow somebody that says, you know what? I know where we're going. Just get in the passage of your seat and rot. So if you don't believe what you're saying, they won't either experiment with these actual tips. Decide internally before you speak externally. Next one, prepare your stance before meetings. Not during them. Here's what professional advice family. Confidence is an internal contract. It's built before the conversation, not during it. And when that confidence is solid, it leads to something else. Principle number three, you apologize for

3:10taking up space. What? See, you're, you're softening your message. You overexplained it. You add, you know, disclaimer, you make your presence feel selective. You make it feel optional. Why is that important? Would you downplay yourself? Others will follow your lead. You teach people how to treat you, but how you present yourself, experiment with these actual tips. Remove any unnecessary qualifiers. You know those qualifiers. Just, um, I think, uh, maybe up, you get where I'm going. The next one, speak your point in one to two clear sentence and then do what I say all the time. Then stop. Here's my professional advice. You were brought into the room for a reason for season. Please, I beg of you. Don't shrink in a space you've already earned. And when you stop apologizing, you already know there's another challenge waiting for you. Principle number four, being right is not the same as being believed. Oh, this is getting good family. See, you can have all the correct

4:12answers, but if you're not delivered with peasants and clarity, it won't matter. I'll say that again. If it's not delivered with peasants and clarity, it's just won't left. Why is this important? Projects don't move forward based on who's right. They move forward when people believe in a line and collaborate together, actionable tips. I love for you to experiment. Tie your points outcome, not emotions or logic. Next one, communicate with structure, not just information. Here's my professional advice, family. Influent is bridge between knowledge and execution without it. Correctness stays stuck. Sometimes the issue of how are you going to say it? It's not where you say it at. Principle number five, you share opinions where you haven't earned authority at all. So you're speaking in a role where your credibility hasn't been established yet and expecting your words to carry weight. Why is this important? Authority isn't assumed. It's built brick by brick. Without it,

5:17your input feels optional. Experiment with these exploits. Build credibility through consistent delivery before strong opinions. Next one, anchor your statements to data, results, and most of all, a shared common goal. Here's my professional advice. Earn the right to be heard. Then I want you to speak with conviction. I want you to speak like you have nothing to lose. I want you to speak because you have an eternal confidence because you've done the work. You were patient enough. Okay, I'm not going to go on that rent. Anyway, once you understand authority, you realize something else. Principle number six, you treat every room the same. What? You communicate the same with executives, tears, and team members without adjusting your approach. Why is this important? Different rooms require different levels of detail, tone, and positioning. One-size communication, weekends, your influence, weekends, your impact, experiments with these exploits. Adjust your message based on

6:21the audience, strategic versus tactical. Next one, observe how leaders communicate in each setting. Here's my professional advice. Effective, no, no, no. Exceptional project managers don't manage project. They manage communication dynamics. And when communication isn't calibrated, relationships get misunderstood. Principle number seven, you confuse comfortably with respect. Just because people are comfortable with you doesn't mean they respect your leadership. Being comfortable can lower your boundaries. Without boundaries, respect, kind of does this. It fades away. Experiment with these actual tips. Maintain professionalism, even a relaxed environment. Next one, set a clear expectation on behaviors and accountability. Here's my professional advice family. You can be approachable without being taken lightly. There is a balance in leadership. And when the line gets blurred, you kind of start seeing

7:21the final pattern. Technical number eight, you reopen conversations that should have had the door closed. Oh, no, that's not it. Okay, you reopen conversations that should be closed. If you revisit decisions, you revisit outcome, you allow subtle topics to actually stay active. Why is this important? Every time you reopen something, you weaken your authority, your influence, and most of all, you start creating confusion. Experiment with these actual tips. Clearly document and confirm decisions. Next one, redirect conversations back to the agreed outcome when revisiting. Here's my professional advice family. Leadership isn't just about making decisions. It's about holding them. And here's the truth. People don't disrespect you because you're wrong. They disrespect you because they don't feel your certainty because you overexprying. You see validation. You reopen things that should have been closed and slowly or surely you're given away the authority you already earned. The shift isn't about learning more. It's about standing

8:25on what you already know. If this resonates with you, as I always ask, just don't listen. Apply one of these principles this week. And if you know someone who's been questioning themselves and roles, they belong it, please send this to them immediately. If you're new to the episode, I go by the name of E.D. For all you smart and intelligent folks out there, hey, that just simply means it. Until next time.