Progress, ManagePro & Sins of Omission

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Progress, ManagePro & Sins of Omission

Yesterday was one of those days, not a bad day at all. Just one of
those days when several points of reality line up and “bonk” you
over the head, saying “So… What About This?” So a quick
blog about best intentions, confronting reality and our aversions.

Well, actually here’s the 15 second sound byte first.
      On the road to improvement,
      we encounter what we are adverse to address,
      yet it turns out that addressing what we wish to avoid
      … is key to improvement.

So here’s how it started. Well at least most recently. First I get
Patrick Lencioni (author of books like the Death of Meetings,
and 5 Dysfunctions of Team), latest blog talking about “sins of
omission” in the organization. Here’s a brief quote:

“See, in most organizations, the biggest problems arise not because
leaders are actively promoting the wrong behavior, but rather
because they’re passively doing so by allowing people to get away
with this behavior without impunity.

The most common reason that leaders commit sins of omission is
simply because they just don’t feel comfortable confronting people
about what they are or are not doing. Instead, they look the other
way and hope that the problem goes away… This is a moment of
great humility. And a moment of truth.”

OK, first gut check. Are you, like most people, adverse to giving
feedback, does it make you uncomfortable, do you avoid it?
… do you get the “clutchy feeling” and look for a hole in the floor?
… especially if the person is likely to get defensive?

hole in the floor

I think the answer is, the world over… ABSOLUTELY.
What was your answer? _____________

So then I get another email from a CEO who said that he got
too busy to deploy ManagePro, where ManagePro represented
his intention to get his organization to improve, progress, and be
better at delivering accountable results.

What was quite obvious, is that being busy, was correct, but only
partially so. What was really happening was that along the
road to his best intentions, some members of his management
team resisted, even defied his intent to improve things, and he
stopped the process, in this case deploying ManagePro, so that
he wouldn’t have to confront members of his team.

OK, second gut check. Do you, like this CEO, stop short of
improving things if it means you have to confront people
on dysfunctional behavior at work?

Again, I think the answer is, the world over… ABSOLUTELY.
What was your answer?_____

Yes confronting stuff that doesn’t work is not fun. It makes a
majority of people turn the other way… or tip toe out of the room.
However it is a necessary part, right along with affirming what is
working, to succeeding on the path to improvement.

What’s obvious in our business is people buy ManagePro explicitly with the
intent of using it to improve their organization. You know, hopefully get
rid of or around the effects of those behaviors we are adverse to address.
Instead, deploying ManagePro seems to make those dysfunctional attitudes
and behaviors all the more obvious, as you create a transparent platform,
for documenting plans, follow through and results. Oh boy. Now what are
you going to do?

Bottom Line:
So here’s what I would like you to consider. On behalf of the survi-
vability of your own aspirations, on behalf of the healthiness of the
organization you invest your life working at, on behalf of just a
healthier world… steel your nerves, uncurl your toes, keep breathing
and start to tell a little more truth about what works and doesn’t at
work. We’ll all enjoy work more if we do.

Project Management + Task Mangement + Performance Management = Strategic Management