No matter how you slice it, being super-human may not be enough. By all accounts, whether you were an ancient Greek or Roman, Hercules was "the man." Hercules' legendary exploits were so popular, ancient Romans like Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) wanted some of that Hercules mojo for themselves. Antonius went so far as to invent a son for Hercules, named Anton, to make the connection to his family tree.Despite his divine parentage and his incredible strength; in the end, it was an act of jealousy that took his life. Poisoned from an arrow that had previously killed one of his enemies (the centaur Nessus) was administered by his wife, Deianerira, who thought he had fallen in love with another woman. Even his father (Zeus or Jupiter depending on whether or not you were Roman or Greek) couldn't save him.
I have observed that the same is true when "Herculean" efforts are required, or even perceived to be required, for project success. No matter how incredible your personal stamina may be, if every project you lead takes heroic efforts to successfully accomplish, you will ultimately crash and burn just like Hercules. (Whether or not your spouse administers poison to you.)
I came across an interesting article from CIOZone a couple of months ago, Be Honest About YOUR Boundaries, in which the author suggests that the problem with the expectation of 24/7 availability by your boss may be self-inflicted. The author describes a common scenario with a new boss, a critical project, and working extra hours to impress. Over time, he or she just expects that you carry your Blackberry or iPhone at your hip and will answer emails at any time day or night. "Whose fault is this?" she asks. "It's your fault, isn't it?"
She continues, "You were so eager to make a good first impression that you forgot that setting expectations is a two-way street. You have now set an expectation that you are available 24/7. You didn't necessarily ask for it. But you did demonstrate willingness to work-related communications all night and all weekend."
My wife has kicked me in the pants dozens (if not hundreds) of times over the course of my career for this same thing. I'll admit that even now, every time my iPhone chirps at me, I look to see what it is. And, as I glance up from my iPhone to my beautiful wife sitting across the table from me at our favorite restaurant, I think she wants some of that centaur poison for me.
Of course there are times when extra effort is required to accomplish a critical project. However, those times should be the exception rather than the rule. If your boss sees you working long hours all the time, he or she might think that's just how you work. Or worse, that you don't know how to effectively manage your time. Either way, it will be taken for granted that you are going to work that way all the time.
That being said, the need for heroic efforts all the time could indicate that your project is in trouble. A project running on schedule should really require little or no overtime. Working long hours is often just a quick fix, leading to poor employee health from too much caffeine, too many late nights, and too much junk food. I have also noticed that the ratio of mistakes to accurate work increases exponentially for every hour or two you're in the office after nine or ten hours.
Leverage project management software or other project management tools to help you manage projects more efficiently and ease the burden on your schedule. Engage the team in helping establish legitimate time-lines and milestones—giving them a greater sense of ownership and you a few extra minutes to tackle one of the dozen other things you need to accomplish right now. Don't try to do it all yourself. I once worked with a fellow who felt he needed to do everything himself. It wasn't long before he was burnt out and ineffective. Don't let that happen to you.
Remember, super-human strength wasn't enough for Hercules—and it won't be enough for you either.
What are you doing to minimize the need for heroic project efforts on a regular basis?
