The biggest mistake to avoid while working with other people
For the last 3 years, I’ve been doing project management. Many projects, many people. Some have been very difficult some so smooth you feel disappointed the project is over.
I’ve just finished the biggest project I’ve been working on for the last 13 months and I started to list down all the mistakes I’ve done as a project manager. Although the project is a success and the objectives were achieved and exceeded, mistakes have been done. By me, I mean! I won’t get into the detail. I just feel like I have to right down the biggest one to make sure I won’t ever do it again !
I’ve been upset, showed it, and blamed people several times.
Although It didn’t happened in the second half on the project, for the last 6 months, it happened several times at the beginning and sometimes time to time. No matter How much I thought I was right, no matter how much I thought other people were wrong! Being upset, showing it, or worst blaming or scolding people (anyone) makes people forget about anything else and focus on the only person who is now wrong: me for being upset, blaming or scolding someone. There are always other ways. If the person, is wrong, bad or even evil, there is at least one, if not hundreds of way to show it, fix it and move one without getting upset, blaming and hurting anyone.
That’s the biggest mistake I have done. This is going to follow me for a long time and I completely ruined the fact that I was trying to show some evil things happening. Those are now done, and won’t ever be fixed, at least not by me. I’m officially not allowed to say anything about it since I already failed once.
As project manager, it’s very easy to get hasty and jump into this mistake. Here is the difference between the one with experience and the younger one.
As a person, it’s just a wrong way to do things. Not only project managers have to avoid this mistakes, any manager, any business person, anyone! As a manager, as a person who is responsible of other people, the negative impact of this mistake is just dangerously multiplied for one-self and for other!
Keeping a planning is important. Wasting time and being late due to wrong information, carelessness, loafing is the project manager’s phobia. Being Upset and blaming people is not a solution to fix it. It makes it worst.
There are solutions though, I’ve been trying that are working incredibly well but need a specific environment. There is one that should work anywhere (ideally). In a middle/big organization, the hierarchy is normally very strict and well defined. People are responsible for there hierarchical line, I mean for the results of for there junior coworkers. When an issue happens between 2 people of different lines, it’s useless trying to show the mistake of each other as explained earlier. Using the hierarchical lever can solve thing without harm. The 2 people facing the disagreement shouldn’t urge into a fight. This is not their job. A person unsatisfied with the job of a person in another line should ask his own boss to discuss with the boss of the person he has issues with. The superiors not being directly in the disagreement can analyze the situation more clearly and discuss without spinning, resentment and urges. When the superiors refuse the talk, it can go one level higher, but it means that there is a deeper problem to be solved. This is usually very rare.
Sometime the person complaining can be wrong and can avoid a big issues by just requesting his bosses help. He can realize his mistake before causing harm and blaming others.
I recommend this book I just stared to read: How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
Tags: Buiness, Management, Personal Development