If your Project Team has gone through a difficult time—maybe it was the poor economy or perhaps you’ve had a number of personnel transitions—a good reinvention strategy will often get your image back on track (reinvent-your-pmo). But before you map out your plans to reintroduce your team to the world, be sure you aren’t committing one of these common blunders.
Too much reinventing. Pop singers are known for whipping out new personas regularly, but that isn’t an example your Project Teams should follow. Instead, take the time to thoughtfully plan out a reinvention strategy, and then make it stick. If you’re still in the midst of transition, wait until things have settled before launching a new image or reintroducing the team.
Being overly optimistic. It can be tempting to put a too-eager spin on things, so be careful when outlining future project, expansion, collaboration, or recruiting plans. Lead with what you know your team can accomplish, and focus on the strength of your existing team rather than where you hope to be next month or next year.
Saying you have a new image when you don’t. If your Project Team is in a good place, your image probably doesn’t need to be revamped. You don’t want to tout a reinvention solely as a marketing vehicle, so look for other ways to generate buzz. Hold an open house, cheerlead your progressive mentoring program, or host an industry event for some added exposure.
Persisting pessimism. Is your team really ready to make a break with the past? Everyone within the Project Team needs to feel it’s time to make a fresh start if your reinvention strategy is going to work. And if they aren’t feeling that way, you need to focus on (and resolve) what’s happening internally before trying to make your image refresh public.
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