​​​​Cougar   Holliman

As a project manager and marketing consultant for Master Team Set I have acquired the knowledge to effectively communicate with business professionals in the work environment. As the PM and consultant I was in charge of setting meetings, corresponding between the client and the graphic designer and sending weekly memos. My client and I had weekly meetings where we would discuss the project progress as well as the rough drafts submissions of the websites, logos, business cards, etc. This was important because it helps to set the foundation for an effective leader to communicate between their constituents and themselves. During the project I also became efficient at prioritizing tasks and as a result implemented a Gantt chart and workflow using Microsoft Project for my client and I to use as a guideline to complete the project on time and on budget. As the project manager I let my client set the objectives and build the tasks necessary to reach our objectives. We also set milestones to be celebrated as we achieved them, this was significant because it gave us an opportunity to commemorate what we had accomplished.

 

The biggest compliment my client said to me was that I had incredible foresight and a great ability to analyze and address issues or constraints before they were ever a problem. Furthermore, he said the scope of the project went far beyond his expectations. I value the opportunity I had here to help a small business with a limited marketing budget meet all of the goals and objectives they set forth. I would say that a valuable lesson is finding a way to balance the workload as timelines for specific tasks have to be slipped in order to stay on schedule. With the exception of two delays that were at the request of the owner we stayed on track as projected using the Gantt chart drafted at the beginning of the project. The practicum helped me use some of my leadership skills that we learned throughout the quarter as well as developing other skills that I already had.

 

Similarly to most working relationships in the professional work world, my client and I had a few hiccups along the way but we persevered and managed to come to a solution that we were both happy with. One of the lessons I learned was that when working with a highly diverse group of people or for someone that is different than you demographically it is best to try to put yourself in their shoes so you can understand their point of view. This knowledge was further solidified when I started corresponding with my mentor and he shared some wisdom that when a supervisor gets to know their constituents better they can begin to understand their motives better and thus it makes it easier to produce work that satisfies the needs of both parties. The same could be said about my experience working for my client on this project we spent time getting to know one another more and because of that we learned what the other was expecting. This relates strongly to the course material of my leadership practicum as one of the skills I could improve on was inspire a shared vision and this helps build upon that.

 

I learned a long time ago that I work best when I am given the freedom to complete a job or task the way I see best fit and because of this I opened my own business, an audio production company. What I learned about leadership from working with my client is that he would prefer to allow his constituent (me) to have as much autonomy as I desired and as a result I was able to produce work that was far beyond his original vision. The experience went so well that he wants me to continue what I’ve started and go with it as far as we can. I have also taken on the role of head of the marketing department and plan to help Master Team Set be successful and grow as much as possible.

 

I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to take the Leadership Practicum course at Western Washington University because it gave me hands on experience out in the work field that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. By taking on this marketing consultant project I was able to learn and improve on new and old skills a like. Furthermore, the experience landed me a part time management position with a company I believe in and want to work with, Master Team Set. This is especially great because I already own and manage my own company but working with another company will help me continue to absorb and advance in my leadership skills and practices. The value that can be obtained from a course like this is immeasurable and would highly recommend it to any business student or leader alike. Putting what is preached to practice is not common place in university settings because you usually don’t have a forum for putting your knowledge to use.

 

The completion of this project marks project number 4 as a project leader for me. I hope that by taking the time to read this reflection that is has provided you some deeper insight into my experience as a project leader and marketing consultant for Master Team Set, a sports cards and collectibles business based out of Bellingham, WA.