My "depth" is in many years of managing large-scale projects. For around 20 years, I have been leading international projects with volumes of more than €5 billion.
I studied Industrial Engineering and spent many years in sales, managing major procurement campaigns for governments. I have held roles as Chief Engineer, Technical Project Manager, Senior Project Manager, Crisis Manager, Authorized Officer, and Agile Coach. I am certified as a GPM Level B, PMI PMP, and Scrum Master, and I teach project management at various universities and universities of applied sciences.
Outside of work, I am married, the proud father of two amazing kids, enjoy photography, and play the drums.
why depth?
Projects are by and for people. This is not a minor detail, but rather something that must underpin all actions. Depth is not the opposite of the classic faster/better/further/cheaper, but rather the foundation. This makes project management really good and project success three-dimensional. Success goes deep.
For me, the most important aspects of depth are:
_Efficiency AND mindfulness
Simply put, efficiency means getting as much out of something as possible. It's good to have tools that can easily squeeze the juice out of a lemon. It is at least as important that the lemon is full of juice and can still be used afterwards. If you are mindful, work on your resources, practice self-management, understand stress, and gather strength, you can be efficient and mindful at the same time. Take time for yourself.
_Overview AND details
Project management tends to be viewed superficially. A project manager drinks wine with the customer and keeps confusing lists. Depth means that there is much more to it than that. The competence elements, certification, and standardization of the IPMA represent a scientifically recognized discipline. At the same time, superficiality should not be confused with overview. Abstraction skills, the right amount of methods, and a feel for an organization's willingness to change are required. In other words, overview and details.
_Magic triangle AND ethics
The classic goals of project management (time, costs, quality, stakeholders across all phases) only describe the dimension of “right or wrong.” The practicality. The dimension that goes deeper is ethics. Human actions (including in projects) must be measured by whether they are “good or bad.” Without morality, there can be no sustainable success.
_Openness AND Commitment
Thinking in new, creative, and agile ways is not easy in itself. Only if you manage to be committed can you keep all the balls in the air without trying to do everything at once.
_Conflict Management AND Fairness
Project managers always have a lot to do. They lose sight of the things that work without them. Project managers are primarily concerned with the things that don't work. Conflicts are the order of the day. The worst conflict resolution, as in the advertisement for retirement planning, is the one you wanted to do. Fairness in conflict resolution and negotiations is the foundation. Use feedback like a pot-banging game.
_Authority AND presence
“Everybody's darling is everybody's fool.” – Natural authority is always part of it. You need to be able to have a say. You also need to be able to take a deep dive sometimes. Only if you know, at least roughly, what you are talking about will people really listen to you. But neither power nor expert knowledge are the true sources of authority; it is presence.
_Rational decisions AND intuition
Preparing a decision analytically and methodically is just as important as achieving the best possible outcome through carefully developed intuition. “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein. Intuition is also called “deeper understanding.”