5 Steps to Convert PMO Detractors to PMO Fans

In the movie, The Godfather, Michael Corleone’s father wisely taught him to “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” What’s the lesson? Be vigilant about what your enemies are up to in order to preserve your own interests. Having an idea about the intentions, capabilities and motives of others helps someone position themselves in a way that minimizes any damage. 

Woah. Kind of dark stuff for a newsletter article about PMOs, isn’t it? Yes and no. We hope you don’t have any Godfather-like enemies at work, but there are always going to be people that are, let’s say, not your biggest fans. It may not even be because of you personally, but rather what you stand for, and what you are trying to accomplish with the PMO. 

Reasons Why People May Not Support Your PMO 

“How could someone not support the PMO?” you may wonder. “After all, the PMO is designed to help people get things done and increase the profitability and productivity of the company.” True, but consider some of the reasons why some people are PMO detractors: 

• They Like the Status Quo - Certain people like doing things a certain way, especially if they’ve been with the company for a long time. They may bristle at some of the changes that a PMO necessitates. 
• They Don’t Like Accountability - A PMO is all about visibility. Some people may not like the level of transparency and accountability this brings and would prefer to hide in the shadows. 
• They May Have Wanted Your Job - Who knows, maybe someone was passed over to run the PMO and you ended up with the job. Everything may appear to be okay on the surface, but deep down there could still be some hurt feelings. 

Regardless of the reason, detractors (notice, we’re not calling them enemies 🙂) do exhibit certain behaviors such as not supporting what you want to accomplish, making a bigger deal than necessary out of mistakes, and bending the ear of company leadership on why a PMO is not needed. 

Convert These People into Fans 

What can you do to win these people over? Apply the steps below to see what a difference they make. 

1. Get to the Root of their Concern – The first step is to get to the root of their concerns about things they have heard or how they feel things are being done with the PMO. Meet with them face-to-face in a neutral environment, i.e., take them out to lunch or spend some time with them after work, and find out what’s on their mind. You can go old school with “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” here and seek first to understand, then be understood. 
2. Address Their Concerns - Now that you’ve had a chance to hear what's on their mind, address any concerns they may have. Some things may be totally wrong or inaccurate. Take time to correct any misunderstandings (like, the PMO is going to put a whole lot of administrative burdens on people). Other concerns may be correct, but not to their liking (for example, there will be more visibility across the organization on project status). Don’t back down on those areas they do not like but need to be done. Rather, explain the rationale behind your decisions and actions. 
3. Identify Areas Where You Can Partner - See if there are areas where you can help each other out. Is there a project they’ve been struggling to get proper resources or approvals on? Or maybe they don’t know where to begin to get a new project off the ground. You can provide the PMO’s assistance. In exchange, ask them to turn down the volume on the negative rhetoric or stonewalling. 
4. Show them the Roadmap – Sometimes people fear the unknown or maybe they think they understand where the PMO is headed because of what the PMO did at a prior company.  You should have your Organizational Project Delivery Journey in place which will help them see where the PMO is headed.  By removing the uncertainty about the future, you may turn them into an ally supporting your OPD Journey. 
5. Celebrate Successes - Finally, like any good project, take some time to celebrate what has gone well. You can check in with each other on a regular basis to make sure you are both sticking to what you agreed upon, and to address any new concerns that may pop up. Over time, you may even be able to jointly present a project or process that you collaborated on and its results for the company. 

It’s true that most people don’t have a mafia boss as an enemy at work, but there will be detractors from time to time. This is a reality of the workplace and needs to be dealt with head on (no pun intended, for those who recall a certain retaliatory scene involving a horse’s head). You want to minimize, if not eliminate, any potential danger to yourself and others, by converting detractors to loyal family members!