Last week I taught a Project Management Professional prep course to a group of smart, hard working individuals anxious to bring order and control to their projects.
Many times during the week I was reminded of the times early in my career where I struggled to gain control of my projects and responsibilities. I thought of the people who either willfully or unintentionally attempted to block my systems for process and order. I eventually found a phrase that explained my intent and I gave it to my students to add to their own project management toolbox.
If it’s not in control it’s out of control.
Too often people define “out of control” as “spiraling out of control” which occurs when the situation has become a crisis. Simple, day to day “out of control” occurs because of the project manager’s inability to regulate or maintain functions or activities.
Why can’t the project manager just be a better manager?
I used to work for someone that most people described as “very controlling.” In fact, many times that I have been assigned projects, I was described as very controlling. Quite frankly, I’m honored by the label. As a Project Management Professional, my job is to bring the project under control. Earlier in my career it was a tool that others could use to manipulate or control me.
When people say “controlling” they usually mean “oppressive” or “interfering.” I often wish they would cut to the chase. The adjective has become a tool by which the uncooperative attempt to manipulate and assert their own will. You could argue that they themselves are interfering with the process.
I know that I am not oppressing my team and I am not interfering with their responsibilities. So I press on, control, control, control.
But what do you do when your own manager is the problem?
Several years ago, I recruited a dear friend to work for the company in which I was working. In less than a week he told me that he couldn’t perform his duties.
When I inquired, “why not?” He said that he didn’t have permission to act in his role. He was given the role and given responsibilities as a professional in the industry, but when it came to actually taking action, he wasn’t supported.
I realized that he was not only right about his position, but that it was also true of my position as well. I had a role and I assumed that I had permission to manage my projects, but I did wonder why I ran into conflict with my peers so often. Armed with this new insight I began to observe the inner workings of my company to discover that no one had outright permission to act in their roles. We all blamed each other and ran into conflict because we were lead to believe that we had permission. It was implied, but never truly granted.
When conflict arose amongst our managers, we would all turn to our boss with the expectation of support for the permission we believed we had only to discover that he took a different side or avoided giving a definitive response.
I was surprised by my friend’s quick assessment of a situation I had been struggling with for some time. But then again, I avoided looking too closely because I didn’t want to be accused of being “controlling.”
Looking back at it now, I appreciate the lesson I learned.
Project managers have an instinct for how to manage and control their projects and the outcomes. The ones I know are patient, thoughtful, compassionate, and hard working. Despite all of this, they are only successful when they have permission to be in control.