The Project I Could Not Believe In

In 2010, I was asked to deliver a project I did not believe in.

That created a conflict I could not solve with a project plan. I was responsible for the project, but I did not have the inner drive to do the work well.

I could accept the assignment and perform the role. I could refuse it. Or I could speak with the sponsors and try to understand why the project mattered to them.

I chose the conversation.

The sponsors explained their point of view. They trusted my ability to deliver the project. I understood their position, but I still could not create the conviction I would need to give the work my best.

Then I changed the problem.

My responsibility did not have to mean that I personally executed the project. It could mean making sure the project reached someone who believed in it and could deliver it well.

I asked for the freedom to determine how the project would be completed. I found another person who wanted the work and handed it over within about a week. The project was completed about four weeks later. The sponsors got the result they needed, and the new project lead gained a successful assignment.

The choice worked in that situation. That does not make it a method.

There are projects a manager must execute despite discomfort. There are assignments whose purpose becomes clearer after a difficult conversation. There are also times when a lack of belief is information. Ignoring it may produce compliance, but not responsible ownership.

The question I would keep from that experience is this:

What does responsibility require here?

Sometimes it requires doing the work. Sometimes it requires challenging the work. And sometimes it requires finding the person who can carry it better than you can.