It was my honor to be included with so many of the people I truly admire in Project Leadership, a new eBook sponsored by AtTask. This free eBook is an excellent resource. I am learning so much from the contributors and I think you will too. To see what I am talking about check it out here:
?There is something wrong; the conversion does not balance. We might have to call it off.? These were the words my team member blurted out as I approached. Unfortunately, not far behind me was my boss, the chief information officer. My boss was trailing me from desk to desk, because this was a large conversion involving most of our major applications. If one failed, they all failed. We had been rehearsing this for months.
I calmly asked my team member to tell me what had happened. He showed me the conversion report and the out-of-balance totals. On his face, I saw fatigue; at that moment, I could see that he thought the weight of the entire project was on his shoulders. I knew that he was smart and committed. He did not need me or my boss to jump in and start reviewing reports and issuing orders. He needed time to step back, take another look, tell me the nature of the situation, and offer a potential solution.
I looked at him and said, ?Okay, go take a quick break. Walk away from your computer and your desk. After your break, come back and revisit the report. I will check back with you in one hour.? Then, I walked away.
My boss trailed me; in not-so-hushed tones, he barked, ?Take a break? That?s how you solve a problem that could bring us to our knees? Take a break?? I looked at him and said, ?Just trust us and give us an hour.? In less than an hour, my team member called me over to advise me that everything was in fact fine and that in his nervousness and fatigue, he had transposed two numbers.
In this scenario, trust made all the difference. My boss grudgingly trusted me. I had to trust myself and stand firm in my approach, I had to trust that my team member could resolve the problem, and my team member had to trust in the fact that I believed in him.
Key Lessons 1 2 During projects, trust makes all the difference. Trust yourself, and stand firm in your approach. ?On his face, I saw fatigue; at that moment, I could see that he thought the weight of the entire project was on his shoulders.?
Thank you for reading one of my important lessons learned and do not forget that you can hear from 39 other experts by accessing Project Leadership http://slidesha.re/1o725bn