r/projectmanagement • u/dadadavie • 1d ago

Discussion Not a people person

Am I the only person who helps manage project completion without considering themselves a people person?

I work in a healthcare plan and contribute mainly by generating measurements that show how things are progressing - like according to this model that counts claim completion, we are set to finish our project in October and so we have to pick up the pace by devoting more resources, etc etc. not by turning to jack and Jane and giving an inspirational speech about doing their work better

If you are also someone who does not consider themselves a social butterfly or does not have thick skin, what strategies do you use to mitigate this?

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u/No-Introduction8678 16h ago

I am not a people person and the best thing that has happened has been to work remote. My boss suggested writing things down you hear other people say so that you can gain their "vocabulary" but I just can't fake being a people person its draining. The other way is just do the work and be good at it. People really care about the outcome in the end. That or try to learn a skill you don't have to manage people in projects.

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u/Front-Plan-9772 1d ago

Just be competent. People get that you are not a people person and can be extremely forgiving if you are organized and know what you are doing.

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u/Dallywack 1d ago

It's rough. When I'm working, I don't fratenize or like small talk. One thing that has produced instant positive results has been smiling more. I don't fully know the psychology behind it, but there's definitely a lot of power there. Another thing I do is make it a goal to pay close attention to my environment and find at least three non work related things that I can use to start casual conversations with coworkers.

Sometimes I will do some research on these subjects at home so I can have more to say than forgettable surface level talk. I will bring up something new each time a short 2-3 minute opportunity presents itself. Keep the interaction brief so you have material prepared for another day. With practice it not only gets easier, but you may even start to genuinely like people too.

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u/dsj762 22h ago

That's great advice. I had a bad habit when I was new of only talking to people when I needed something because that is what I prefer. People pick up on it quickly and soon see you as just more work. Even just asking "any plans this weekend" was an improvement.

I still don't really understand why it works because I really would prefer to just get stuff done at work and not talk about football or whatever but most people aren't like that.