Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Project Got the Blues?
Doug is the author of the landmark book, Extreme Project Management®: Using Leadership, Principles and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility. He works with clients who undertake projects in very demanding environments: those settings that feature high speed, high change, high unpredictability and high stress. Doug has lived in the trenches—from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Beijing, China—with over 275 project teams with budgets that ranged from $25,000 to over $25 million. He is one of the founders of the Agile Leadership Network, an organization dedicated to connecting, developing and supporting great project leaders. He is known for his hard-hitting and humorous keynote speeches that address vital issues facing today’s project-based organizations. You can visit Doug at www.dougdecarlo.com.
Think of a project you are currently managing. Any project. Ask yourself a simple question: “Is my project predominately in a good mood or in a bad mood?”
Most people come up with an answer in a split second; funny how we know this without having to do a lot of research and analysis. We can just feel it.
Jim Lewis, noted project management consultant and author (www.lewisinstitute.com) is fond of saying, “Projects are people.” That is, “people” as opposed to projects being Gantt charts, issue logs, requirements lists--or all the artifacts put together.
Because projects are people, by definition they have moods and mood swings. But if a project is primarily depressed, the project is in trouble. In my experience, “trouble” usually takes the form of lack of motivation and innovation, which shows up as:
-
Frequently missed deadlines
-
No-shows at meetings
-
Negatively charged meetings
-
Poor individual and team-based decisions
-
Whining and bad-mouthing leading to bad PR for the project
-
Persistent interpersonal conflict, even hostility
The bottom line of all this is a low level of commitment among team members resulting in a project that walks around in a zombie-like state. Commitment is made up of two components: desire and confidence. Desire refers to an individual’s …
Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.
ADVERTISEMENTS
|
"How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn't live there?" - Steven Wright |