Well, that didn’t go to plan !


Sometimes we don’t always get what we want. For fans of English football it went that way last Sunday night when the national team lost on penalties against a victorious Italy in the final of European Championship. 

Since the defeat, a period of self-reflection in the media around the behaviour of the fans, racism within the sport of football and comparison of political and football leadership has unfolded. In many respects this refection would never have occurred if the team had won and the nation and politicians had barrelled towards a period of collective celebration. Yes, for every cloud there is a silver lining. It has allowed hard questions to be asked, all the consequence of missing some penalties.

The same goes for project management: often – ie: always, they don’t go to plan. 

So, what can you do to deal with life’s ups and downs that are interrupting your best laid plans ? 

Here are some tips based on direct experience of when it is not working out as expected. Additional practical advice around project management can be found here. 

  • Firstly, if you are a perfectionist and deviations from what is planned cause you angst, question whether project management or even a career in business improvement is one for you. As covered in previous posts, the world is complex and complex things change when you want them to stay the same, and bizarrely stay fixed when you expect them to move.

  • Secondly, have a large degree of perspective. Does the issue at hand really matter ? 
The singer Cher’s mother taught her a great life rule. Her wisdom was - ask yourself. 

“ Will this really matter to me in five years time ? “ 

If it won’t, then it probably isn’t and shouldn’t be a big deal now. Cher’s Five Year Rule is great for separating issues that really do matter ie: relationships, addressing bad lifestyle choices head on, family challenges, potential severe reputational damage to yourself, to things that just shouldn’t matter, such as somebody getting to that parking spot before you. 

Have a degree of perspective. Is this really a big issue, ask yourself ?

  • Fourthly, be realistic and live in the real world. The internet and a great extent some posts in social media ie: LinkedIn, sell a world that really doesn’t exist, with cliches to match.
o “ Winners never quit. “ – Yes, they do when they are ahead or the issue isn't a hill to die for.
o “With enough hard work anything is possible “ – No it isn’t. Eventually you will hit the barriers of either biology or physics.
o “Unleash the power within. Your path towards breakthrough thinking ! “ – Sometimes just plain thinking is good enough. 

Ground yourself in the real world not the world of hype. Explain honestly to your project sponsor what is achievable and what isn’t. They will appreciate honesty rather than bull. Build credibility and trust. Explore win: wins when events change. Change focusses us to rethink.

  • Fifthly, develop a mitigation plan for those unexpected events. If you are a born worrier then project management is actually a good fit. Develop Plan Bs, Cs, Ds.. 

Finally, the most important point

  • Learn from the past but don’t dwell on it. It has happened. The thing you said or didn’t do or plan for, cannot be undone, but you can learn from it. Become better, don’t become complacent. Yesterday has happened, tomorrow has not.

And keep practising those penalties. Because one day..



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