Keeping Perspective: "Seems So Small"
With many thanks to Carrie
Underwood for singing this beautiful song, it seems fitting during this holiday
season to reflect upon the lyrics and apply them to our world of project
management:
What you got if you ain't got love
the kind that you just want to give away
It's okay to open up
go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
you want to shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith
As project managers, many
people look to us for inspiration and leadership. At times it seems like we’re giving away so
much time and energy with little coming back, especially on those “rainy days”
when so much seems to go wrong. We just
want to chuck it all. Those are the
times when “opening up” and sharing our vision and passion for the project is
the light that shines through. We cannot
run away if we want to be successful.
[Chorus]
'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
seem so small
Problems have
solutions. I learned that early in my
career when troubleshooting difficult equipment problems. By sitting back, relaxing, and not forcing
the issue, the answer I was searching for popped into my head. It was there all along. I had to be open to receiving it. The same applies to working with difficult
people. When we attack issues and not
people, show respect, and are patient, amazing results can happen.
[Verse 2]
It's so easy to get lost inside
a problem that seems so big at the time
it's like a river that’s so wide
it swallows you whole
While you sit around thinking about what you can't change
and worrying about all the wrong things
time's flying by
moving so fast
you better make it count 'cause you can't get it back
I used to treat all issues
equally in our systems program. My
manager noticed that I appeared to be “drinking from a fire hose.” Then I realized the importance of
prioritization. Do not sweat the small
things. Allow some issues to work
themselves out on their own. Honor the
ebb and flow of team dynamics—sometimes pushing too hard stymies the natural
energy that needs time to develop. Team
discussions on issues far beyond our ability to change or control them were
futile, so we tabled those discussions…and kept our meetings on track. With a philosophy of “no regrets,” I can act
in a way that makes each moment count, instead of acting impulsively (or not
acting at all!) and wishing I could get that time back.
[Chorus]
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small
I came to realize during a
stressful team meeting moment, that a year from now we would probably not
remember this moment, because the issue is really not that important. So relax…and work with the people around me
in a loving way, because that is what matters, and everything else is not that
important.
Best wishes during this
holiday season and throughout the New Year.
Randy Englund, Englund Project
Management Consultancy, www.englundpmc.com
