A project manager is a professional who is responsible for the planning, execution, and closing of a project. A project manager regulates a variety of operations like managing the project stakeholders, managing the risks associated with a project, and managing the project budget. The duties of a housekeeper are somewhat similar, except that the environment of the job is different. There are plenty of virtues that a project manager can learn from a housekeeper. Some of them are:
1. Planning a job
More often than not, a housekeeper starts off his work by planning the jobs he has to do on that particular day. The jobs may be cooking food, washing the dishes, and mopping the floor. Although these jobs may not be of high-end nature, they all require decent planning. Though in a different manner, this is something that a project manager can learn from a housekeeper.
2. Multitasking
Managing one task is tough in itself. Being able to manage many tasks efficiently at once is a gift. And that gift is a prerequisite of being a housekeeper. At any given time of a day, a housekeeper is involved in more tasks than one. A project manager must essentially master this quality since he has to deal with many tasks at once as well. Although, a housekeeper does a multitude of works in a house, he or she is rarely seen stressing over those jobs. On the other hand, professional people often fret and panic when they are under pressure. Carrying out the tasks in a calm and composed manner is another lesson that a project manager can follow.
3. Finishing projects on time
If you are a project manager, your project’s objective may be to develop and implement a piece of software. As far as a housekeeper is concerned, his ‘projects’ are the household jobs. Whatever the nature of the project may be, it has to be completed on time. Professionals are often seen complaining of not being able to meet the deadlines allotted to them. In contrast, a housekeeper finishes all the household jobs on time on most of the occasions. Hardly does a housekeeper leave behind a backlog of works.
In view of the above facts, it can be concluded that there are numerous lessons that a project manager can imbibe from a housekeeper. A professional shouldn’t consider it beneath him to learn those lessons.
