Never Mind the Resolutions, Here's the Outcomes!
Posted by [email protected] on Jan. 25, 2024 / Subscribe 0
Pardon me if I get a little personal, but January’s almost over; how are your new year’s resolutions doing?
Depending upon which internet source you are likely to believe, anywhere from 8% to 43% of people quit their resolutions by the end of January. Would you like to avoid this? Just do what I do and don’t make any resolutions. Don’t get me wrong. There are outcomes I am working toward, with objectives and goals to accomplish along the way. They just have nothing to do with January or the start of a new year.
Why do people quit their resolutions? I have some thoughts. Let’s review them:
- They’re not realistic. It’s too big a stretch or there were obstacles that weren’t considered that can’t be overcome.
- They’re not in line with what really matters. Maybe you set a resolution that sounded good, but after some investigation it turned out to be unimportant.
- You set too many resolutions and just can’t do them all AND keep up with everything else you need to do.
- Your circumstances changed and keeping the resolution no longer makes sense.
It’s easy to look at reasons like these and think that resolutions you quit shouldn’t have been made in the first place. That may be true, but it’s not the lesson you should take away from the experience. The takeaway is that if you’re doing the wrong thing, it’s okay to stop doing it, figure out what the right thing is, and then do that.
So, what does this have to do with project management?
Have you ever been on a project that just didn’t make sense but due to some overgrown sense of commitment or emotional attachment to the project it just couldn’t be stopped? Take a breath and repeat after me… It’s okay to kill a project.
What is the impact of killing a project? Hopefully, you will be able to stop wasting resources on something that adds zero value and they can then be allocated to more important work that has greater potential to deliver benefit to the company. It can be a morale booster and send the message that your time is valuable and valued.
As project managers, we don’t always get to make this decision. I can’t give you a surefire way to change an executive’s mind, but I can bring this discussion back to your resolutions. In your personal life, I hope you get to make executive decisions and can evaluate your resolutions to determine if they line up with your reality and will help you achieve the outcomes you are pursuing. If they don’t, end them. Now. Make sure you’re not trying to do too much at once and that you’re doing the things that will help you achieve your desired outcomes. You can do it!
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