Believe it or not, your project’s highest risk is actually YOU, the project manager. Think about it.

If something happens to you, how will that impact your project? I’m not talking about fatalities but just the usual incidents that can occur such as short-term illness, temporary disability, family emergency and flu outbreak.

If you do not have a trusted backup who can run meetings on your behalf, then now is a good time to start mentoring that up-and-coming associate project manager or that eager project team leader. Give them opportunities to chair some of your meetings. Continue to coach them to take on additional project management responsibilities. In doing so, they will get motivated by the challenge; you will minimize your risks; and you will free up some of your time to take on bigger challenges. It’s a win-win situation.

Connect with Dr. John A. Estrella via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.