On the Critical Path

Rabbit Rabbit

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Deb Cote

One of my college roommates, a super sweet, laid back southerner from Tennessee, was the queen of superstition. Laura knew them all. And she believed them all. Don’t step on cracks on the sidewalk. Only pick up a penny if it’s heads up. Don’t walk under a ladder. Carry a rabbit’s foot. Don’t let a black cat cross your path. Don’t break a mirror. Knock on wood. Don’t open an umbrella while indoors. Cross your fingers. Laura wasn’t anxious about any of them; they were just a part of her life, like putting one foot in front of the other. Some of the superstitions I had heard of, others I hadn’t. One of the latter was saying, “Rabbit Rabbit” as your first words on the first day of the month to bring you good luck.

I don’t believe in superstitions, luck, fate, or signs. I often want to, but I can’t. I believe in coincidences and controlling what you can with decisions and actions. Perhaps it stems from good things happening in my life because of things I do, and not having much luck in things that are random. Take the lottery. I never win. Last Christmas, I was shocked to scratch a $4 winner on a ticket from a Yankee Swap. I gave it to my husband to cash in. The lottery gods wouldn’t touch me twice. Unfortunately, he went with his brother, who is convinced he has the MA Lottery figured out. My husband came home and instead of my $4, he gave me two hand-picked tickets guaranteed by my brother-in-law. I scratched them, then threw the losers in the trash. Goodbye $4 windfall.

But despite not believing in dumb luck, I think of Laura every single month when my husband and I say, “Rabbit Rabbit”. We’re not sure if it’s the first thing said after midnight or when you wake up. So sometimes we say it at both times. And when we don’t say it, our hearts sink a little, dreading the bad luck we might have. Why do we do this? My husband doesn’t believe in superstitions either, although I bought him Patriots socks for a Christmas sock party and he announced mid-season this year that they were his lucky socks. He said the Patriots always won when he wore them.

“Really? Do you think Brady would’ve been off his game had you worn your gray Smartwool socks?”

Yet, I say “Rabbit Rabbit” each month, even leaving my husband a Post-It Note on the bathroom mirror when I go to bed so he remembers when he wakes up.

One of the reasons research has found as to why people believe in superstitions is stress. Stress comes from a fear of not knowing or the inability to control. Believing in the power of non-related items (a four-leaf clover) or actions (a bat flying into your house) helps shift responsibility from something that you don’t think you can take credit for or for which you cannot be blamed. No wonder Laura was laid back.

Another cause is that humans are wired to reason, so when things aren’t logical, we don’t know how to connect the dots. Believing in an outside force removes the pressure to mentally resolve.

So is believing in superstitions bad? Not if they are harmless. In fact, they can be fun. Just give yourself the chance to make good things happen at work and home by making smart decisions, and accept that some things are just happenstance.

Epilogue
On Monday, February 5th, 2018, I told my husband I threw out his Patriots socks.
“What? Why? What happened? Did they have a hole?”
“They’re broken,” I answered.

Posted in Motivation, Work Life Balance | 7 Comments

Cheez-Its® are Important!

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Janet Dougherty

Early this year, my four-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte, was a flower girl in her aunt’s wedding. There was an extensive run up to the wedding including a couple of wedding showers, dress and shoe buying, and the general hubbub that comes along with planning a wedding. On the wedding weekend she attended the wedding rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner and then, of course, the wedding day itself which included riding in a trolley, walking down the aisle, eating a fancy dinner, staying up late, and sleeping at the hotel where the reception was being held. It seems to me that was a lot of excitement for one weekend for a four-year-old.

On Monday, when Charlotte went back to school, during “snack conversation” her teachers asked their normal question: what did you do this past weekend? Since she had an incredibly exciting weekend, what with being a flower girl, staying in a hotel, staying up late dancing the night away, etc., I thought that one of those experiences would have been what she identified as something she did the past weekend. I would have been wrong!

When Charlotte was asked this question, she said that what she had done the past weekend was to, “eat special food.” Undoubtedly, she did eat special food at the wedding. Her teachers pressed her further and asked her what special food she ate. Her answer was, “Cheez-Its®”! So, on this weekend when she was in a wedding and involved in all the hoopla that goes along with that, the most memorable thing for her was that she ate Cheez-Its®.

We never know what is the most important thing to someone at any particular moment since what is identified as being most important is drastically affected by who we are with and what we are experiencing right at that moment.

I work on the PMO team. We are a service organization and provide expertise and resources to the Institute. Other people and teams at the Institute are our “customers”. In thinking about my granddaughter and what was most important to her in the moment when she was eating a snack at school, I realized that little vignette is an example of how we need to truly make an effort to understand what our customers are experiencing before we can provide them with solutions. We can never assume that because we expect that an experience should result in a specific response means that it will; or that people will react to it in the way we expect.

Whether our “customers” are patients or Institute-based employees, understanding what’s most important to them is the first step to providing effective and relevant solutions that solve the problem the customer is having. Before solutions can be provided, questions need to be asked to clarify needs and desires, and to help determine how important a problem, issue or experience is to the customer. Otherwise you might be thinking that the wedding that just happened is the most important thing to someone when actually it was the Cheez-Its® they ate that really made an impression.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Don’t Stress over Change

Posted on February 9, 2018 by admin

It’s a typical Sunday morning at the Zaino household. I pad downstairs escorted by two furry friends and ease into my routine – put the water on for my French roast pour-over, hit the button to grind the beans and of course, feed the cats who are relentless in their pursuit of my affection, no wait, make that food.

With cats fed and coffee in hand, I grab my iPad and make my way to my office to indulge in surfing around the internet, checking on friends, and getting caught up on world news. Soon I hear a stirring at the next-door neighbor’s as they round up their kids to head to morning Mass – I could almost set my watch by it. And then there is a familiar sound of a mild disturbance emanating from the front foyer. Lily, my smartest cat, is chasing her tail again. It’s a daily occurrence, usually after breakfast. I like to think she is brilliantly self-amusing.

I absolutely love my Sunday morning routine – wouldn’t change it for the world. Right? Change happens whether we want it or not. I am an IS project manager and change keeps me in business, but the end users that I serve may, at times, be unwilling participants. Fear of change is a thing. There is a name for it – metathesiophobia. It is often linked with the fear of moving – tropophobia. Who knew? Apparently, I suffer from neither of these phobias. If I did, I’d be a hot mess given recent events in my life. For a diagnosis of phobia, the fear and stress need to be irrational – fear that there might be change.

Actual change can lead to stress and even health issues. Back in 1967, two psychiatrists, Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, conducted a study, examining the medical records of over 5,000 medical patients to determine whether stressful events can lead to illness. They came up with the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale which is a list of 43 stressful life events that can contribute to illness. Nine of the top 10 events are related to marriage, work, and illness/death.

To come up with a score, you look at the past year, you add up all events that you have experienced:

Score of 300+: At risk of illness.
Score of 150-299: Risk of illness is moderate (reduced by 30% of the above risk).
Score < 150: Only have slight risk of illness.

Being the optimist that I am, I can’t help but wonder if Holmes and Rahe considered that positive life events might offset the stressful events. Oh well. That’s neither here nor there.

Getting back to my work as a project manager, imagine if you will, that you are introducing change, e.g. new software solution. The stress scale event, change in responsibilities, which is sure to happen during an implementation, is 29 units. Also factor in:

a. You don’t know how that person will respond to change i.e. do they have tendencies toward irrational fear.

b. You may not know what other life events each team member has going on that might compound the stress.

A routine makes us feel in control. On the list, vacation scored a mere 13, but my ex-husband would make going on vacation a miserable event. He would go through a personality change during the preparation and the travel. It wasn’t until we got there, that he seemed to calm down.

I have observed varying levels of stressful reactions across project teams and in training classes. It can be challenging, even impossible, as a project manager and trainer, to mitigate the stress in others. The one thing that we can control is our own behavior, which may in turn, affect others in a positive way. Include the team in all aspects of planning. Follow the plan. Do the best you can to keep the project on a steady course and to minimize surprises.

In closing, keep in mind that it may not just be the implementation work that is causing stress in some team members. I’ll share with you one of my favorite quotes although I am not sure who to attribute it to:

“Let us be kind, one to another, for most of us are fighting a hard battle.”

Posted in Motivation, Team, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

What Would You Do?

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Sandra Cadogan-Beebe

For nearly 40 minutes this past Saturday, more than one million Hawaiian residents and tourists thought they had good enough reason to believe they might die from an inbound ballistic missile, panic triggered by a false Emergency Alert broadcast communication.

Hawaii is a chain of islands wholly surrounded by vast ocean. Any major potential disaster – tsunami, volcano explosion, mudslide, war- is a reminder that there is nowhere to go.

I missed being a Baby Boomer by five years but know of the “duck and cover” training videos from the 1950’s. With the Cold War’s half-century run having terminated concurrently with the Reagan presidency, the visual image of fourth graders covering their heads and tucking under desks to shield against an atomic bomb had become something of an improbable if not humorous event to many of us.

Saturday, Hawaiians and their tourist guests found themselves fleeing imminent danger if not death. Some located and hunkered down in hotel basement bunkers, some huddled and crouched in stairwells of homes or stores, and some just ran through the streets or jumped into cars not sure where to go. Confusion, fear, and terror swept over our 50th State in the quick instant of a smartphone ding. Is the Cold War resurrected? We may be closer to a nuclear launch than we have been in decades.

Consider for a moment, if the alarm sounded. What would you do?

Yesterday’s news was filled with screenshots of text messages sent and received, transcripts of phone calls made and voicemails recorded Saturday morning in Hawaii. Compilations of panic, fear, confusion, curiosity, skepticism, worry, love for friends and family, hope for the best. A small reminder of 9/11 or perhaps Pearl Harbor for some. Two did happen, on Saturday one ultimately did not. For thirty-eight minutes, there may not have been a difference to those in the Aloha State.

Should a ballistic missile have launched presumably from North Korea, it would have struck in twenty minutes, not a lot of time to do more than phone a friend. That wait would probably feel like an eternity with thoughts of “what did I want to do with my life and what am I now going to miss out on” jostling with fear in one’s head.

Reminds me of cancer.

When I was diagnosed the November before last I felt like I didn’t have much recourse beyond “duck and cover” and telephoning my most dear family and friends to share my predicament. It was very scary, but like an incoming missile I didn’t have much choice beyond riding it out. What would the aftermath be, when would this be over? Would I experience death, maiming, disfigurement, or would I escape unscathed and unblemished? Like many other attacks and disasters, time would tell.

The MRI machine was the cramped bunker where my fate might be decided, my own duck and cover. All I could do was lie still, try to control my breathing, all while trying hard and failing to hold back fear and speculation. What might I miss out on once this was all over? If I am granted the gift of time, I had to ask myself these questions, much like the Hawaii folks must have been asking themselves.

Think about it for a moment. What would you do?

Posted in Learning, Time Management, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance | 4 Comments

‘Tis the Season for Diversity

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Sandie Kimball

On Wednesday, December 20, DFCI employees packed Yawkey 306 for a forum to discuss the Boston Globe’s December Spotlight article on racism in Boston hospitals. (Color Line Persists, in Sickness as in Health). The article that prompted this meeting pointed out that at Dana-Farber, 83 percent of our patients are white and only 5 percent are black, and only eight of 359 doctors employed here are black. It was painful to read this about a place I have grown to love. One photo in the article spoke volumes: a young black girl sitting on a table receiving an injection. Her little fists are clenched and her eyes are wide. Fortunately, the health care worker in the photo is also black. I imagined how much more frightening it would have been for this little girl to be surrounded by health care workers who didn’t look like her.

After the sadness, my next reaction was anger. Why haven’t we made more progress in Boston? When I came here in 1981, the era of forced desegregation and busing was winding down, but the resentment lingered. I have become more aware over the last couple of years that even in the heart of Fenway, few of my colleagues are black, and even fewer are the fans streaming into the Park on Red Sox game days. Michael Che on Saturday Night Live announced recently that Boston was the most racist city he had ever visited.

But quick on the heels of anger, my feelings changed to guilt and a sense of failed personal responsibility. I was a child growing up in a suburb of Detroit in the summer of 1967, when the race riots occurred. Lots of us kids, both white and black, were sent to a church summer camp, far from the curfews and news reports. For the most part, we didn’t notice who was black and who was white. We played, swam, sang, ate, hiked, and slept together and didn’t talk about what was happening. But when the camp session was over, the black kids went back to the city and the white kids went back to the suburbs.

Over the years, I was lulled into an all-too-comfortable sense of complacency. I moved from one mostly white suburb to another. Few of my friends, health care providers, or colleagues are people of color. I commented to my husband that even the places we have chosen to vacation are dominated by white people, and that I’m getting sick of it. But the hardest realization of all? This is the life I have chosen, albeit unconsciously. What have I done to bridge the gap? The most I have done at work is to attend the annual MLK events hosted by the Cultural Observances Committee (which have been excellent, by the way. I highly recommend the January 18, 2018 program).

When I heard about the forum event, I decided that as a white person, the first thing I could do was to just show up. I felt uncertain about what I was supposed to do. My gut reaction was to tell people how disgusted and guilty I felt. But instead, I decided it wasn’t a time to talk. It was a time to listen to my colleagues who are people of color. By listening, I learned a lot. And I have a growing list of questions. For instance, how can I foster an environment of safety for my colleagues of color, so they don’t have to worry that their every word could be monitored and judged? What more can I do to change the lack of racial diversity in my own life? Why was Dana-Farber’s first vice president of diversity (2006 – 2011) also its last?

I have a lot more listening to do.

Posted in Communication, Motivation, Team, Work Life Balance | 12 Comments

How to Survive the Holidays at Work

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Suzanne Davidson

It’s that time of year again. Snow is falling, people are buying gifts like crazy, and there is delicious food everywhere. Even at work.

Everyone has different reactions to this time of year in the workplace. Some people would rather hide till it’s all over, while others embrace the season with a fervor that makes everyone else, frankly, a little scared. So, I’ve put together a quick list of do’s and don’ts to help you navigate the holidays at work.

Seasonal Greetings

Don’t: Assume everyone celebrates the holidays you celebrate. While most people won’t be offended by being wished, “Merry Christmas” if they don’t celebrate it, it’s best to avoid putting both of you in an awkward place if they respond with, “Thanks, but I don’t celebrate Christmas”.

Do: Stick to pleasant but ambiguous phrases like, “Happy Holidays” and “Happy New Year”. I have a good friend who loves wishing people Happy New Year. His contention is that everyone celebrates it, so everyone enjoys being wished Happy New Year. I think he’s right. Of course, I usually need to remind him mid-January that it’s time to stop!

Decorations

Do: Show your holiday spirit in your work area or cube. It makes things feel festive. Fire-safe lights or garlands really glam up the place and create a happy atmosphere.

Don’t: Decorate with anything that could turn into a fire hazard. Don’t block emergency exits. No one wants to hear on the 6 o’clock news, “Staff trapped in burning building by Santa and his reindeer.”

Holiday Parties

Do: Enjoy a little break from the usual workday to interact with your coworkers more socially. Even if it’s not your favorite way to spend your lunch hour, putting yourself out there a bit in the name of team building can be valuable. You might even end up having a great time.

Don’t: Go overboard with the holiday ‘cheer’ at a party attended by your coworkers. Having a bit too much to drink can lead to oversharing. Your boss doesn’t need to know about the time you had too much eggnog and started dancing on the table with your Aunt Melba, for example.

Gift Giving

Do: Get into the spirit and let people know you appreciate them at the holidays. Give little gifts if you are moved to do so. Participate in a Secret Santa or a Yankee swap. It might seem a little hokey, but it’s also a fun way to celebrate the season- and get a beer holder fanny pack you never knew you wanted!

Don’t: Accept gifts from vendors. Don’t give gifts if doing so makes you uncomfortable or straps you financially. A handmade card or a batch of cookies to share has the same sentiment as an expensive gift – and doesn’t leave anyone feeling obligated. And if it’s just not your thing, say so politely but firmly. It’s important to respect everyone’s choices, even if that choice is to opt out.

So, that’s my advice for enjoying the holidays at work. I hope it helps you make it through with no regrets, and a little fun. Anyone have any other tips to share?

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, and a Happy New Year!

Posted in Communication, Lessons Learned, Team | 1 Comment

Stress? What Stress?

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Suzanne Davidson

By Cate Hartnett

At the risk of sounding cliché; where did the time go? As I type this post, I keep glancing at the calendar, convinced it’s only September. How are we are already wrapping up the first full week of December? How will I get all my shopping, baking, and decorating done on time? Has my money tree bloomed yet?

If you’re like me, you’re probably asking yourself similar questions. Over the past couple of years, I have learned to manage my holiday stress in a variety of ways. Since they’ve seemed to help, I thought I’d share some ideas with you.

It’s okay if you’re not perfect: With so much to do and so little time, I need to remind myself that “good enough” is okay and to get done what I feel is most important. This may mean I put up only one instead of the usual three Christmas trees (really!), but it’s okay. It’s December 8, and I’ve yet to put up any decorations. I fear I may be the only one in the neighborhood to have not decked the halls, but I’m okay with that!

Less expensive traditions: Do you find yourself doing the same thing every year out of tradition, but it’s not really something you enjoy and possibly costs an arm and a leg (this is where the money tree would come in handy)? Why not change up your tradition with something more enjoyable and affordable? Some inexpensive, fun ideas are bake cookies together, volunteer at a pet shelter, or walk around the neighborhood sipping hot chocolate while taking in all the Christmas lights.

Just say no: And I don’t mean saying no to cookies and egg nog; nobody needs that kind of negativity in their life! It’s okay to say no if it is something that doesn’t bring you happiness. I know we all have things we must do out of obligation, but sometimes you need to just say no. Decline politely, and don’t feel guilty about your decision; people understand everyone is busy this time of year.

Me time: This one goes hand in hand with saying no. The holidays generally mean a lot of parties and other commitments. It’s always fun to spend time with your loved ones, but I find the nights I stay in wearing my fuzzy slippers while reading a book and sipping a glass of bubbly are the best ways to refresh during such a hectic time.

Ask for help: Too many gifts to wrap? Invite your friends over for a gift wrapping party! You kill two birds with one stone by spending time with your friends while you wrap gifts. Bonus if your friends can tie a mean Martha Stewart-like bow!

Have fun: What good is it celebrating the holidays if you’re overly stressed and not able to enjoy yourself and have fun? Blast some Christmas music and dance around the living room while decorating your tree. Not only is it fun, but you’ll burn a few calories. Burning extra calories means more cookies, so it’s a win-win situation.

Wishing you a joyful, healthy, and happy holiday season!

PS –I’m serious about that money tree!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Crash Test Buddy

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Meagan Turner

Fifteen years ago, I was holding my breath in the backseat of our beloved red Camry. My husband was in the passenger seat giving a driving lesson to my 16-year-old sister Emma. She had just gotten her permit and wanted to learn how to drive in the city. We were returning from a nerve-racking tour around the block and we were about to learn how to park in the empty space next to our truck. I had resorted to just looking down at this point. My nerves couldn’t take it, but I promised I’d keep quiet. She needed to learn and I didn’t want to make her nervous.

Emma was nervous – grip a little too tight, body a little too short and leaning forward, and a little too young to be driving, I thought. While pulling into the spot, with the angle not quite right, she ended up hitting our car with our car! I wanted to yell, I wanted to tell her to be careful, but I stayed quiet. My husband calmly described how to pull into the space and how her current approach was flawed. She followed his lead and parked. While parked, we all talked about the drive, things that she could improve, and we made a point to talk about the things she did well. We checked for damage (totally minor), then Emma put the car in reverse and backed out of the space for another white-knuckled tour of the neighborhood.

I often look back on this memory as a lesson on how to deal with failure, patience, and growth. It’s a reminder that we were all new at something once. When we’re teaching children to walk, read, or drive, we make a point to encourage them. That encouragement propels them and puts the focus on their accomplishments rather than their fears. Accomplishments sometimes are on the other side of that fear.

This peer encouragement tends to dissipate when we become adults. Sometimes it is replaced with judgement or disappointment, which can squash the intellectual curiosity needed to try new things. As adults, we’re expected to know what we’re doing. However, in order to learn new things, we must be willing to admit that we don’t know something, and we must also be willing to try, fail, and try again.

Your network of people is also important. Just as a network of supportive teachers, family members, and friends is important when encouraging children, this same network can exist as adults. The possibilities for this supportive network are endless as we have more control over who we surround ourselves with. Whenever you’re learning something new you are going to make mistakes, but you can’t let that hinder your ability to learn and grow. If I had let my emotions loose, I could have easily discouraged Emma from trying to do something new. Learning from family was a safe way for her to learn to drive, and a safe way to fail (crash). Today, Emma is a good driver, though she is not much taller than she was that day, she is no longer nervous, and I no longer have to stare at the floor as her passenger.

Posted in Learning | Comments Off

I Jump-Started My Car for a Better Work-Life Balance

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Ron Munroe

I was leaving my house to drive to Day 1 of a conference in Burlington, went to start my car and … it was dead! Not even a whimper. Yikes, I’m going to be late! I belong to AAA, but it would take an hour to send a truck to start my car. So, although it had been over 20 years since I last jump-started a car, I thought I remembered how to do it: 1) Find where I put the jumper cables. 2) Connect a red clip to my positive battery terminal. 3) Attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other car. 4) Connect a black clip to the other car’s negative battery terminal. 5) Attach the other black clip to some beefy exposed metal in the engine bay of my car (which is hard to find as so much is covered by plastic). 6) Start the other car. 7) Start my car. It worked! And it cost more anxiety than time; I was on my way in 15 minutes and got to the conference on time. It felt good to start the day by solving a problem quickly.

… Which allowed me to learn more about work-life balance in one of the hour sessions at the conference.

It was led by Neal Whitten, an ex-IBM project leader, and a popular speaker on leadership and project management. Like many of us, he has struggled with work-life balance, which he sees as achieving an acceptable harmony between your work and personal lives. It seems like a growing challenge to juggle the demands of the job and non-work life, especially with technology making it harder to disconnect from work, and our lives feeling overbooked. We all want both achievement and enjoyment, and an acceptable balance helps.

What struck me from this session?

First, figure out what you want. If you could design satisfying work and weekend days, what would they look like? How much work, recreation, relaxation, family time, social activities? That’s important because everyone is different. Some people enjoy spending most of their waking hours doing their work; it energizes them. Others crave more down time. It helps to model how you think you’d like to spend your time.
Neal really emphasized this – Many of us have a to-do list, but know your top three priorities and make sure you make progress on them each day. You can have other priorities. Maybe ten total. But successful people focus on their top three.
Limit time-wasting activities. Most people know places where they do not use their time well.
Limit time in meetings. If possible, attend meetings only if: 1) they will provide information you need or 2) you have information someone else needs. This suggestion could be hard to pull off.
If your work life is too dominant, make it a goal to create a personal life that has more meaning.

These seem like helpful suggestions to me. You’ve probably heard some of them before. What have you found helpful in finding a satisfying work-life balance?

Posted in Work Life Balance | 1 Comment

Rudyard, Montana – Population 596 Nice People and One Old Sore Head [sic]

Posted on October 12, 2017 by admin

When entering the town of Rudyard, Montana, visitors are greeted with this sign. . .

The last official sorehead died in 2014, so the town recently held another election. As is the custom, people were nominated and coffee cans were set up with the candidate names to collect the “votes”.

Each vote cost a dollar. Proceeds from the election support the town’s senior center, but the benefits don’t stop there. Having an elected sorehead puts this tiny town on the map. Number 59 on the Montana bucket list is to “shake the hand of Rudyard’s old sorehead or in the very least have a cup of coffee in the Sorehead Café”; and people do show up from time to time to get their pictures taken with the old sorehead.

So, what does this story have to do with project management? Hmmm. Initially, I just thought it was totally fun and worth sharing, which made me determined to find a way to fit it into a PMO blog. Let me ask you something. Have you ever had a sorehead on your project? Come on now. If these cube walls could talk – oh wait – they can. I once overheard a conversation – “If so-and-so is on the project, then I don’t want to be on it.” I have been very fortunate with my projects at DFCI, but not always in my career and in my life. Dealing with a difficult team member can impact productivity, morale, and progress. So what do you do?

I like to take the person aside and open up a dialog to listen to that person’s side of the story. I try to determine if the complaints have merit or if something else is going on in their lives. I once managed a young woman who had been a star performer and then all of a sudden she was missing deadlines and became very moody. I took her aside and gently mentioned that I had seen a change in her work and I wondered what was going on. I went on to say that it just wasn’t like her – she was a star performer. She promptly burst into tears and poured her heart out to me. She had been dating one of our co-workers and he dumped her, totally breaking her heart. Thankfully, her work quickly improved after our discussion.

On occasion, I have seen resentment and stress lead to “sorehead-like” behavior. The team member may resent that they have to learn something new, and at the same time, are stressed that they need to keep up with their regular work – already a full-time job. They may be covering for a lack of knowledge or skill. They may have had a bad experience with someone else on the team.

It could be that they resent that you are their project manager, and they believe that you don’t know anything about what they do. They wonder – “How can you possibly manage the project?” (Ouch!)

Clarify your role as project manager versus their role as team member
Be very clear about expectations/tasks and set deadlines
Monitor progress

Does your team have anyone who looks like this?

I certainly hope not, but if so, Harvard Business Review has an excellent article by Amy Grant, How to Handle the Pessimist on Your Team. Amy’s principles to remember:

Find the source of the pessimism
Differentiate between the person and the behavior
Involve the whole team in setting norms for team behavior

Don’t

Single the person out in front of the whole group
Allow negative comments to go unaddressed
Assume all pessimism is unproductive

I’d love to hear what your experiences have been so feel free to add a comment. And if by chance you wish to learn more about Rudyard, Montana, you can check out this Today Show Video – This small Montana town is about to elect its new old sorehead.

Posted in Communication, Motivation, Productivity, Team, Uncategorized | Comments Off