The Monty Python Kipper

Tell it straight or have your project fail.

I've been thinking recently about some of the change programmes I have led or been part of over the past ten years (and damn, there have been a lot) trying to identify those things that helped make them succeed - and those that made success difficult.

And something came up and slapped me in the face like a wet kipper wielded by a Monty Python extra: Every time a project had gone wrong, it was because someone wasn't being honest.

Every time.

And this doesn't mean that I work with dishonest scumbags seeking to lie and cheat their way to success. On the contrary: the people with whom I work (colleagues and clients) are amongst the most stand-up, ethical and well-intentioned people found anywhere. In fact, this is part of the problem.

The dishonesty to which I refer is that driven by good intentions. In almost every case, the dishonesty arises because the organisation needs to change - and those making the change happen are worried about hurting those affected. A person is not performing, say, or their role is going to have to change in some significant fashion - and no-one tells them.

Until the last possible moment.

And then only with weasel words that talk around the topic - they aren't fired, they are redeployed. Their performance wasn't bad, it was just constrained by the environment.

But when someone isn't performing, they know. They feel guilty that they aren't delivering. Guilt breeds anxiety; so does change. Anxiety - when the person feels out of control - can quickly turn to (quite reasonable) paranoia. And if you lie to a paranoid person, they can tell.

And, by lying to them, you give them something else (not the change) to vent about - and immediately what you are trying to do gets derailed.

The most successful projects, on the other hand, don't pussy-foot about - they identify the people affected early and tell them straight. Most people get it; most people want to do the right thing.

Really. They do.

And when we fail to recognise this, we fail.

- Mike