Drama = Excitement.
I think a lot of people believe that.
That’s why I see friends courting drama in their relationships with affairs, and the manufacture of complicated situations.
Some families are addicted to drama, because… I don’t know why.
A psychologist probably has the answer.
But having listened to many of our callers in my capacity as a volunteer listener, and having lived through so many projects, I believe the opposite to be true.
You can have an exciting relationship, without the drama.
You can work on an exciting project with amazing people, without the drama.
The key thing is to try and understand the reasons for the crazy things that are happening.
What’s ailing this project?
Is it the ambitious goal?
Or the aggressive personality of the Client-side Project Manager?
Maybe it’s the culture that celebrates aggression?
Or it could be the clash in dynamic between personalities….
And a thousand and one other reasons.
I’ve been a contractor before, and have walked away from lucrative projects, especially if I spot systemic issues that cause ‘drama’, and have no obvious success markers.
Examples might be:
– no business case, or clear goals about what they want to achieve
– infighting between divisions about whose processes should be adopted over the others
– different personalities with hidden agendas
– lack of ownership within business
… the list goes on.
When someone tells you, “Come and join my exciting project!”
Make sure you ask if it’s full of excitement, or just drama.
I know which one I’d prefer!
#nodrama
#leadership
#projectmanagement
#zenhaoprotip
#personaldevelopment