Set up for Success

Despite how hard we try, some pursuits are destined to flop, or at minimum drain us until something changes (usually for the better). I’m talking about situations that go beyond the ‘we can do hard things’ line in the sand, and into ‘it’s time to reevaluate’ territory. In ‘we can do hard things’ land, there is so much a good leader can do to course correct and overcome. I’ll talk more about those in the coming weeks. 

What I’ve found more difficult, particularly as a leader, is to realize that your team’s potential is limited by broader company-wide issues. I don’t want to believe I can’t solve my way out of any challenge. This is a strength and a weakness, and the source of an important professional learning. The more responsibility you have, the more your success correlates to the health of the company overall.

This may seem straightforward, but it wasn’t for me. When execution became challenging, I had to trust my own analysis and make hard decisions. Here are some signs it’s not you.

You’re Company-Wide Project is in Trouble When:

• You don’t have leadership buy-in

• There is no regard for identified resource constraints 

• There is no central hub for project management 

• Critical stakeholders disregard task dependences

• There is no accountability

• Duplicative work is a constant 

• Politics trump progress