Compass vs. Roadmap

I recently listened to a Seth Godin interview where he shared some wisdom of his entrepreneurial journey. One comment in particular stood out to me, when he suggested that entrepreneurs don’t follow a roadmap, instead, they follow their compass.

The more I thought about this statement, the more it resonated with me in terms of startup project management. While most of the organizations I’ve worked with have been led by entrepreneurial types who are largely "compass-driven”, many of the employees have more of a “roadmap” mindset. 

We as project managers have a unique job to understand and reconcile both the roadmap and the compass way of thinking. 

How does this work? 

First, it requires a project manager who is skilled in communication with individuals of all types. Specifically, it takes a person with an open mind, tough skin, and excellent listening skills to effectively process everything that can be tossed their way in this field. 

Additionally, project managers are typically required (whether overtly stated or not) to see objectives both in terms of loosely formed ideas as well as clearly defined pieces. It takes time, experience, and introspection to develop this lens.

Finally, skilled project managers can then combine the information gathered through communication, along with their own insight into how the puzzle pieces fit together to build agile goals and milestones that make sense for everyone. This is how the best startup project managers improve efficiency and help teams build amazing products. 

In summary, startup project managers are often required to find ways to marry innovation with procedure - while most other team members only need to focus on one or the other. This unique skillset is a big part of what makes a great project manager indispensable.