Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders
  • Home
  • Services
    • Workshops
    • Speaking
    • Coaching
    • Stress management
    • Master Class Series
    • Testimonials
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Videos
  • Contact
  • Library

Do you have the courage to face up to your project?

1/7/2014

0 Comments

 
We all know that managing a project can be emotionally draining. On a bad day we spend most of our time resolving issues, mitigating risks and dealing with conflict. This can be draining because the stakes are high and because we want to do our best to protect the schedule. After all, our job is to remove blockages and fix problems so that the project can be delivered without delays. But might there be another reason why we’d want to find a solution to a risk or an issue?
Picture
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Could it be, for instance, that we subconsciously find conflict, uncertainty and question marks so uncomfortable that we intuitively want to move away from them? Could it be that we hurry to find a 'quick fix' simple because we want to get away from an emotionally difficult situation? Wanting to avoid discomfort is human nature; most people go to great lengths to avoid the things they find unpleasant, more so than the things they desire.

Consider for instance the following situations;
  1. A member of your team has been underperforming for some time. You find it uncomfortable to confront him as he may take it badly, get defensive and ultimately highlight that your own level of support and leadership have been lacking. Instead of facing up to it, your 'quick fix' is to assign him less demanding work which somewhat disguises the issue.
  2. The sponsor has a habit of changing direction and altering the project’s strategic objectives and as a result the project team lacks focus. You don’t feel that you have the right amount of business knowledge to debate with the sponsor and fear that you would get 'caught out' if you attempted to. Instead your 'quick fix' is to effectively deal with change requests when they come up and adjust the plan accordingly. You keep hoping that it’s the last time your sponsor has a change or heart and try to motivate the team as best you can. 
  3. Many of the planned tasks are taking longer than expected and the project has been delayed more than once. When a slippage occurs your 'quick fix' is to ask people to work evenings and weekends to make up for it. You don’t have the courage to temporarily stop the project, reassess and re-estimate it and be transparent about the true effort of remaining work to the client.

How emotionally challenging are you finding these situations and how likely are you to quickly want to fix them, for instance by smoothing the situation or by complying where you should instead be inquisitive? When we smooth a situation we may never get to the root cause and properly address the issue. Dealing with poor performance for instance, a project that’s going off track or an incoherent project sponsor requires us to face the issue, name it and address it, rather than patching it up. It is when we can stay with the issue emotionally and explore the underlying reasons that we can begin to resolve it.

Next time you find yourself in an emotionally challenging situation how can you find the courage to face up to it – and fully explore it – before moving forward? It is okay to feel uncomfortable as long as you don’t let the discomfort deter you.


If you liked this post, you may also like:
How to deal with skeptical stakeholders
Become a better communicator with DISC profiling
Is Fear Of The Unknown Holding You Back?
Overcoming Resistance to Change

 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Agile
    Authenticity
    Building Relationships
    Coaching
    Communication
    Delegation
    Estimation
    Feedback
    Handling Conflict
    Innovation
    Iron Triangle
    Limiting Factor
    My Story
    Perception Of Failure
    Planning
    Podcasts
    Positive Attitude
    Proactive Project Management
    Progress Reporting
    Project Costs
    Project Failure
    Project Initiation
    Project Leadership
    Project Management Mistakes
    Recruitment
    Requirements
    Resistance To Change
    Risk Management
    Self Esteem
    Stakeholder Management
    Stress Management
    Team Motivation
    Time Management
    Trust
    Vision And Mission

    Picture

    Susanne Madsen

    Susanne is a project leadership coach and the author of The Power of Project Leadership (now in 2nd edition). Read more..

    Picture

    Download FREE PM RESOURCES

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

Susanne Madsen International - Developing Project Leaders