What I Learned About Project Management By Planning My Wedding: Part 6
Photo by Phillip Tiburcio
Lesson #6: The right partner makes a BIG difference.
Is this post basically going to be a love letter to my fiancé? Yes. And, I do think there are some parallels here for project management. I’ll try to spare you as much of the gushy stuff as possible, but I would be remiss if I did not share this final lesson, which was perhaps the most important for me personally.
If you’ve been reading this series, you’ll note that I mention Todd (my fiancé) in nearly every post. He has been a steadfast partner in this whole project, and without him, I do not think I would have been able to do it (or at least, not enjoy it half as much as I did). What I came to learn through planning this project with Todd is that he is always looking out for me. The second I appear stressed or overwhelmed, he is there offering counsel, suggestions on what to do, or even insisting that I take a break. As much as my stubborn self didn’t want to admit it in the moment, usually when he suggested that I walk away or take a pause, he was right. It was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t see it for myself in the heat of the moment, but he could.
The other incredible thing about Todd was the way he took on his 50% of the work in planning this wedding. He managed everything related to our caterers. He ordered our wedding rings. He did all the dirty work of getting our addresses formatted and imported into our website, wrote the website copy, and is currently drafting our ceremony as I write this. He has always been willing to take on tasks, and it has been really fun to see his ideas for the wedding take shape, and to work with him on getting this project done. Turns out we are a great team (which is a good thing to know going into this life-long project called marriage).
Finally, he has been my rock and ultimate supporter throughout this entire project. I am so grateful for his love and kindness, and in planning this wedding with him, I am even more excited to be permanently joining my life to his.
While we can’t all marry Todd, I do think we can look for partners like him who provide what we need to make our projects thrive. Whether it’s someone who you know you can count on no matter what, or someone who just gets what you mean without needing to explain it, finding that person (or people) and adding them to your project team is imperative. And, I would add that making sure they know how much you appreciate them is also imperative. I’ve heard it say that gratitude that goes unexpressed feels like ingratitude, so a corollary to this lesson would be: The right partner makes a BIG difference, and make sure you tell them that. Frequently.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you have a partner or partners who you love having on your projects? What do you appreciate most about them? Leave me a comment here or on LinkedIn - let’s make sure they know exactly what you appreciate about them!