Article: “As long as you put your Feet Under my Table” - If the Project Manager Leads Differently than I Would

[sweinzie]

After 1.5 years solely “Zühlke project teamwork” a colleague transferred to a project team with people from several service providers. After a few days he complained the way of working and the approach in his new project was so completely different compared to what he was used to work with Zühlke teams. He was afraid that this will not become a successful project following this approach.

Another colleague switched from several Zühlke-led projects to another project in which he was the only Zühlke employee. After one month where procedures within the project seemed to have changed arbitrarily on a daily basis and with inexistent internal communication, he was frustrated and wanted to leave the project.

I joined and supported this project team during the transitional period for 2 months. After a few days only it became already clear to me that I would not be able to work efficiently in this project because leadership and communication were so different from how I would have set up and managed the project.

These are three real examples from my close environment and three times the question is: Is it bad just because it is different and how do I best deal with this “differences" without running away?

To use the words from Henry Ford I see three ways of how to act: “Love it, leave it, or change it”

The most gallant way to deal with the situation is to accept it. But not only accept but support the way of working, the maybe different mindset and change to own behavior in a way it will be aligned to the others. The benefit of this approach is that it will cause little friction within the project. But the most important point from my point of view is, that you are able to try different ways of working, new approaches and have the possibility to learn and increase your personal level of growth as you are on a new path you would maybe never chose by yourself and you have the possibility to gain further experiences. Key point from my point of view is, to remain true to yourself and to show your integrity always.

If the situation will change in a way you are no longer able to deal with it won’t help just to talk about it in a negative way. Then it is time for a change. Change starts with each one of us with small things. The way we share or ask for information, we talk to each other, we act within meetings and how we support team members or maintain our network. By enforcing change, you have the possibility to bring the project to the next level of maturity. But there is also a certain risk that you force a change that is not appropriate just because you are used to work in that way. And you have to keep in mind that most people are not enthusiastic about hearing that someone questioning their way of working and that they should change anything by themselves. Worst case they try to make your life worse than before, reduce your involvement and so on. Just be prepared what may happen. Therefore, I suggest handling people with care and take them into the flow of change by showing them what they can gain and why they will benefit from the change.

You may have tried to adapt to your teams’ way of working but then you found out that this will not satisfy you. And you tried to change the way things are going, but instead of finding a solution that fits for all, you simply found rejection and resistance. At this point of time best alternative is to leave the court. Not as an escape but as a protection for yourself and the team if this situation is not acceptable and proposals are not welcome.

At the end of the day you will have to be able to look at your mirror and decide for yourself whether you can take the decision or not. Was the action of the others fundamentally wrong or just different? Was I too comfortable to get involved in the new approach or did I try my best to be efficient in the project? Were my suggestions for change appropriate or did I offend my colleagues rather than motivate them? All these questions can help with the decision - love, change or leave - to be at peace with myself.