Comments on: Why Politeness Can Kill A Project http://www.vertabase.com/blog/why-politeness-can-kill-a-project/ Project Management, Project Management Software, Technology and the Workplace. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:35:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Michael Krigsman http://www.vertabase.com/blog/why-politeness-can-kill-a-project/#comment-6335 Michael Krigsman Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:12:55 +0000 http://www.vertabase.com/blog/why-politeness-can-kill-a-project/#comment-6335 The very human propensity to avoid conflict and difficulty is at the root of many project failures. Unfortunately, the desire to avoid facing tough issues leads to denial, which is frequently part of the composition of failed projects. Thanks for writing about this important project management issue. Michael Krigsman <a HREF="http://projectized.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://projectfailures.com</A> The very human propensity to avoid conflict and difficulty is at the root of many project failures. Unfortunately, the desire to avoid facing tough issues leads to denial, which is frequently part of the composition of failed projects.

Thanks for writing about this important project management issue.

Michael Krigsman
http://projectfailures.com

]]> By: Bob Donaldson http://www.vertabase.com/blog/why-politeness-can-kill-a-project/#comment-1274 Bob Donaldson Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:53:57 +0000 http://www.vertabase.com/blog/why-politeness-can-kill-a-project/#comment-1274 I think you have correctly hit on communications as the key to <a href="http://hither-and-yon.blogspot.com/2006/11/why-projects-fail.html" rel="nofollow">why projects fail</a>, but I'm not sure that "politeness" <i>per se</i> is the problem. I believe that as a project manager, it is essential to be polite, but it is also essential to be direct and specific (and to require your team members to be direct and specific). Vague answers do not help ... unless you count "helping to avoid blame". Ditto for letting "consensus" determine due dates. Jim Collins wrote a great article for Harvard Business Review a few years ago entitled "The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve". He was addressing executive leadership, but I think the title could easily become the motto of a successful project manager. Even a polite one. I think you have correctly hit on communications as the key to why projects fail, but I’m not sure that “politeness” per se is the problem. I believe that as a project manager, it is essential to be polite, but it is also essential to be direct and specific (and to require your team members to be direct and specific). Vague answers do not help … unless you count “helping to avoid blame”. Ditto for letting “consensus” determine due dates.

Jim Collins wrote a great article for Harvard Business Review a few years ago entitled “The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve”. He was addressing executive leadership, but I think the title could easily become the motto of a successful project manager. Even a polite one.

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