Most things in life that are difficult are in some way personally inconvenient. It may be a small inconvenience like procrastinating over completing that landscaping project, or a significant life changing one like loss of a job. These inconveniences force us to stretch ourselves in some way, break or alter an established routine, or view something we’ve long accepted with a new perspective.
So it is with project management. The inconvenient aspects of project management make us uncomfortable, stressed, and may even put our credibility in jeopardy. The obvious choices would be giving bad news to project sponsors, addressing team performance issues, and not having complete requirements. Significant issues all, and inconvenient to be sure.
The good news is there are well established strategies to help us address these inconveniences. There has been much written, many seminars given, and a plethora of easily accessed coaching and support to help us through. That’s not to say it’s easy or they don’t offer an opportunity for growth. Quite the contrary.
But what about the inconveniences that are more subtle, more difficult to identify, and are at least as impactful to our projects as the ones mentioned above. These are the more personal kind. Differences in communication ability, personal style, language barriers, and maybe the fact that someone on the team “rubs me the wrong way” come to mind.
Conventional wisdom would dictate that professionalism would address these inconveniences, and that is certainly a legitimate perspective. But it’s no where near the answer, because it implies we leave some of our humanness at the door.
A better answer is to be “purposefully inconvenient”. Well what the heck does that mean? If inconvenience, in this context, is accepted to mean things that offer or force growth, then it follows that being purposefully inconvenient would dictate we raise our personal self awareness and seek those opportunities.
In the end, addressing our preconceptions (being inconvenient), no matter the level, will make us better equipped to effectively manage the most significant challenge in any effort…the people.
I invite your perspective.
Art and Wisdom of Project Management 