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“All the responsibility and none of the authority,” is the motto of project management, or so it seems. Can anything be done to improve the situation? Yes. If one goes back to 12th century Italy, sound advice was given by Francis of Assisi. The purpose of looking at Francis is to see what wisdom is present rather than espousing a particular religious view. With that disclaimer, let’s move on!
How Much CAN You Do?
I had a client once who demanded all sorts of things. He was pretty much over the top at the time. In exasperation I responded to his demands by simply asking, “If I could do all you are asking would we be sitting here having this conversation? No, I’d be so rich I wouldn’t know what to do with myself!” We had a good laugh.
Inside that tense, humorous situation is a core truth project manager’s need to address. It has to do with humility, limits, and the generation of abundance.
How Are You With The Basics?
Francis of Assisi wondered what it meant to live a good life. Specifically, he was concerned about how it reflected in community. What he stated rings true to this day:
“First do what is necessary, then do what is possible, and you will awaken to doing the impossible.”
In project management terms he would be saying, “Stick with the nine areas of project management. Learn them well and practice them repeatedly in all project work. Beware of shortcuts. Keep things as simple as possible. By doing that something will be created which can be built upon.” He was talking about being humble and avoiding over-reaching.
Build a Mosaic
It goes further, though. When one gets the reputation of sticking to the knitting, being respectful and doing a good job consistently others who want to build are attracted to that person because they see something of substance being done. This is the payoff and the paradox of working humbly and staying within one’s limits. What do I mean?
A sense of being trustworthy develops. This leads to building a team. The positive energy present pushes the team to leverage its capabilities. The team can’t sit still! At this point a synergy sets in which leads to calculated risk taking. This is a foundation from which abundance develops. It is much like a mosaic. With a few basic shapes and colors plus the flow of ideas from the team awe-inspiring works can be created.
It is important to close with pointing out that being humble is different than being a wallflower or having false modesty. On the contrary, a humble person simply moves based on the principles present and really isn’t looking for approval nor trying to be rebellious. There is strength of character present adding to the attractiveness of the person. People want what they have. If they are willing to work on the team they have a shot at getting it. And the abundance continues to grow!
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