(^186) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
You Are Not in Control
Patrick Kua
London, UK
I REMEMBER onE PRojECT TEAM I CoAChED. The project manager obvi-
ously had a desire to be the central point of control. He had what appeared to
be an almost obsessive need to be involved in all “critical” decision-making
discussions. He would actively direct the daily stand-up meeting, and he alone
would decide who got to talk during project retrospective rituals. The team he
managed was actually well formed by the time I arrived, and I noticed with
interest how the quality of discussions differed between those where the proj-
ect manager was present and those where he was not.
When I talked to a few people on the team one on one, they confessed they
hated all of the meetings the project manager would hold, because they just
wanted them to be over. They felt like their time was being wasted, as their real
opinions were not valued. They recounted times they said the things the proj-
ect manager wanted to hear to get him to move on. When they had issues that
needed addressing, they would go to the technical lead. He was more willing
to be part of an open discussion and, therefore, was more effective at solving
problems.
The lesson I learned from this team is that acting as if you control the situa-
tion is not the same thing as actually being in control. In fact, actively seeking
control sometimes creates the opposite effect. An experienced, well-formed
team will actively shun a person trying to take control for personal reasons,
especially if that control brings little benefit to the team.