June 23, 2008 - 10 Ways to Avoid Falkirk

The Falkirk battle scene in the movie Braveheart has William Wallace engaging the English army. At a crucial point in the fight, the Scottish nobles that were supposed to be his allies betrayed him and withdrew from the field, leaving him to be defeated. Knowing who your allies are is important. Knowing you can trust them is vital.

This goes both ways. You need to know your team is behind you but they need to know you have them covered, too. Failing to protect them, you can imagine how quickly they would hunt you down and dispose of you, much like William Wallace did to his enemies.

Keep yourself and your team from being destroyed with these 10 points.

Be aware of conflicts and issues within the team. Not all disagreements are unhealthy, but when it becomes a conflict it needs to be aired and dealt with quickly.

Recognize a challenge from outside. Some people are able to couch their attacks in a manner that hides their intent. It starts out supportively with “Your team does have an aggressive timeline and seems to be over allocated.” Then it turns to “Obviously they can’t estimate properly and are incompetent in other areas as well.”

Address the attack. If a member of your team comes under fire during a meeting it is your job to set the record straight. You don’t have to defend the guilty, but you can keep them from being executed on the spot. Let the attacker and anyone he has told know that the issue is being handled and, if appropriate, how.

Verify the facts before laying blame. Nothing kills credibility with your team faster than assuming they are guilty. A manager I once knew failed to find the truth before assuming his new team was in the wrong. It took him nearly three months to realize his mistake. He never regained the confidence of his team.

Eliminate flashpoints. If you have team members that can’t stand each other, don’t make them work together. One individual I worked with lacked any verbal filter and could be a little abrasive at times. Unfortunately he was heading up a task force that dealt directly with upper management. He said some things to the CIO that should have been left unsaid. Luckily the CIO was extremely patient and handled it well. That person didn’t stay the head of the group long afterward.

Have an open door policy. Give your team the opportunity to talk through problems and address things directly with you before they get explosive. My principal in high school had an open door policy and it probably saved me from being expelled. An idiot named Bubba moved in during my junior year. For no apparent reason he started spreading lies about my girlfriend. He deserved a thrashing, and I told the principal I was going to do it if he didn’t stop. Mr. Stockin was able to talk me down and save my academic career.

Escalate major issues to upper management. If there are problems that have further reaching impacts, senior management needs to know and be involved in resolving them.

Allow time for the situation to cool down. Like a cut, some things take time to heal. If you keep picking the scab the situation is going to scar.

Revisit the situation to ensure the coals aren’t smoldering. After the cooling down phase, loop back around and check with the involved parties to address any lingering problems.

Treat everyone with respect, even the difficult ones. I’ve been asked to be a reference for people I did not enjoy working with. Evidently they were clueless that I couldn’t stand working with them.

Notes:

• There several historical inaccuracies in the Braveheart movie. Falkirk may never have truly happened.
• I generally hide the identity of my examples, but it felt good to finally take a swing at Bubba.

November 5, 2007 – Dealing with a Newbie, Part 2

Last week we looked at how to deal with a pretty standard newbie just trying to fit in, establish himself and be productive. But what happens when you get a problem newbie? Some are just killing time while collecting a pay check but others may actually be gunning for you and your job. Either one is a pain to deal with. Here are some suggestions for training your newbie to get his act together and recognize you as the manager.

Formally assign work. Come right out and say it. Don’t suggest or hint that you want something done, assign it to him. Show him where it is in the schedule with his name on it. Give him a task list. Find something that works, but make sure you set the expectation that he is responsible for accomplishing certain items. Formally assigning and receiving of tasks is an acknowledgement that you are the manager.

Agree on target dates. Work with him to identify completion dates for the tasks assigned that he can agree to and the project can live with. Giving him a say in the due dates transfers ownership to him. At least subconsciously he will know a measurement has been established and he will be held to it.

Hold status meetings. If you are not already have weekly status meetings with the team, start them. Have everyone give a synopsis of their accomplishments for the week. The peer pressure of hearing his teammates’ achievements may inspire him. Also, meet informally one on one with him to check on progress.

Give him praise. When he does a good job, recognize it. The act of receiving the recognition builds on the manager / team member relationship. Be sincere with your praise and don’t go overboard. For the non-productive newbie this can spark further good work. If you feel he is attempting to outshine you, don’t try to extinguish his flame. Give him the recognition he deserves.

Accept mistakes. When he misses targets or makes a mistake, don't ridicule or yell at him. Recognize that he messed up and say something like, "that's ok, I'm sure you will do better next time." For honest mistakes this approach should make him try harder next time where yelling might reinforce failure. If he is deliberately messing up, you now have specific, documented instances of poor performance where expected work, based on agreed timeframes, is not being completed.

Report the facts. There are several resource reporting processes in most companies. For functional organizations (project team borrowed from different groups) the newbie’s reporting manager will want specifics. Many companies have a 90 day review process for new hires that may lend to an easy out. Your management may sense tension or the newbie may actually be going directly to your boss to stirring up trouble. Keep report the facts. Either the newbie is accomplishing his assignments or things are slipping. Feed your manager specific expected accomplishments ahead of time (i.e. "Based on newbie’s estimates the following tickets should be completed by Friday. I've asked them to..."). Then follow up with the results.

The idea is to train the newbie to recognize you as the manager and become productive without resorting to outright warfare. He will either fall in line and start acting like you are in charge or it will frustrate him to the point that his actions will be too visible to hide. By keeping management informed on a regular basis it will be difficult for him to paint a different picture of what is going on. From there disciplinary action can be taken.

There are many other aspects to handling difficult resources and we’ve barely scratched the surface on the topic. Here are two more notes to keep in mind. (1) You may have actually hired a genius that deserves to move up the ranks. Hopefully he can do it without being a jerk. Your approach can help mold his progress and may determine your future employment. (2) Jerks have a way of eventually ticking off the wrong person. If he is trampling people to gain control, chances are you aren’t the only one noticing.

March 22 – Understanding Authority Levels

The purpose of authority is to accomplish the goals of a project or organization. But authority is a slippery thing. This is especially true for a consultant. On one assignment you are the program manager over several projects and the next you might be reporting to one of your former project managers. Keeping that perspective helps you refrain from abusing your power.

Here are a couple of other things I have learned about authority.

No Respect. Project Managers generally have no direct authority, especially in a matrix environment. The only real authority you have is either given to you or earned.

Take as much as you want. Many people are willing to give up authority if you are willing to do the work that goes with it. Obviously there are limits, especially in organizations based on authority and when dealing with power hungry individuals, but in general you will find this true. The key is to pick and choose the responsibilities that will help your project be successfully. One overlooked but powerful position is meeting ownership. If you can control the agenda and minutes for a meeting you hold a strategic place. It may sound boring but deciding what is discussed and being able to steer the conversation where you want is powerful.

Positional Authority. This is probably the weakest form of authority, but is usually the most abused. Its weakness comes from the fact that it isn’t always deserved, doesn’t necessarily come with respect and can be taken away as quickly as given. That doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. As a project manager, your Charter or other defining documents give you the authority to run the project. Use it with respect for individuals and it can help you move obstacles. Another form of this authority is base on your upper management. Essentially this is name dropping. If you start your email by saying the VP of Finance asked you to follow up on something it will probably get a faster response than just asking nicely.

Referent Authority. This includes your ability to influence others through your charisma, personality and charm. If you are a great person to be around people will want to be on your projects. Your team will want you to succeed and will work harder to make it happen.

Coercive and Reward Authorities. The use of punishment and positive reinforcement are two types of authority that can be effective. The possibility of a better project, more pay or a new job title can encourage people to put in extra effort. Demoting or taking privileges away can correct help bad behavior or encourage people to seek employment elsewhere. The problem is that these only work until you’ve ticked your team off or you no longer have anything to offer.

Expert Authority. If you can earn the respect of your team and management you have the highest level of authority anyone can achieve. No, I’m not talking about the respect that Al Capone had by roughing people up. Respect is earned by successfully managing projects and treating people right. Real respect makes people want to work for you because of your abilities and it makes your team want to you to be successful.

Whatever authority you are wielding, remember to use it for good and not evil.