Well, maybe not literally a Collie. But after having raised Collies most of my adult life, I can attest that they consistently demonstrate a variety of instinctive behaviors that would serve managers well in a business setting.
Exhibit A for this assertion has to be their unfailing loyalty to their Team. Their highly-developed senses are constantly scanning the environment for potential hazards or dangers and, if discovered, will immediately and directly address the hazard to resolution. Members of a Project Team who perceive that their manager is willing to tolerate a condition or individual within said Team that represents a threat to either accomplishing the Project’s scope on-time, on-budget, or (worse) is a menace to their professional advancement, will almost certainly lose faith in that manager, or even the entire Project.
Collies are also famous for their uncanny ability to figure out the optimal technical approach to problems they face. In 1954, a Collie named Tang planted himself in front of a milk delivery truck, barking and refusing to budge. The driver could not figure out how to get Tang out of the way until he checked the back of the truck, where a two-year-old girl had climbed into the truck, and would have certainly fallen out and spilled onto the street had the truck moved.[i] I’ve always found this particular hero-dog story compelling because of what Tang the Collie didn’t do. He didn’t go to the back of the truck to bark and raise the alarm – he went to the front, seemingly aware that the truck would leave going forward, and that he had to stop that from happening. And, of course, Collies are also famous for being easily trained in the herding behaviors, knowing just when and how to circle, bark, or feign stalking/charging techniques to keep their charges relatively confined. I shudder to think of the number of managers with whom I’ve worked who fail to identify a superior (or even workable) technical approach, opting instead to use some familiar, canned PM strategy when undertaking new scope, even when such an approach is clearly not appropriate.
When my wife was expecting with our boys, our Collie would not let her out of his sight when she was home. It’s as if he just knew that she was in a special, more vulnerable condition, and made it a point to be hyper-vigilant when she was around. This behavior was so acute that, when my wife would get up to go to the restroom, the dog would follow close behind and sit staring at the door until she came out. He would then closely follow her back to the sofa, and resume his place at her feet. Compare and contrast this natural behavior with those PMs who fail to closely monitor the most vulnerable part of the schedule network, the Critical Path, or review the progress of those tasks almost casually, not realizing the potential implications of poor performance.
Collies were originally bred in Scotland, and I remember reading about the sheep pens in those highlands. They were roughly circular, with a single gap in the fence for access, but no gate. Instead, either the shepherd or Collie would sleep across the gap, so that nothing could go in or come out without their knowing about it. Along those lines, I find it maddening when a so-called PM of anything but the smallest of projects refuses to implement an Earned Value Management System, or EVMS. Earned Value systems can be rather simple, but they are absolutely necessary if the Project’s cost and schedule performance is to be measured and relayed to management. Eschewing such systems is essentially broadcasting to the management world that it’s okay for the wolves to come trapsing into the pen the PM doesn’t care about bringing the Project in on-time, on-budget.
I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of this next aspect, but I have read that working Collies who have been trained to herd cattle should never be re-purposed for sheep. I guess the more aggressive techniques needed for bovines don’t work well for the rams and ewes, and might actually harm them. Referencing last week’s blog, where I discuss some of the negative management manifestations stemming from organizations that have moved from great original idea to monetization to keep-it-going-just-to-keep-it-going phase, managers who thrive in this last organization type may not be suitable for organizations that are more closely aligned with their founders’ original vision. The sharp elbows needed to thrive – or even survive – in highly politicized Project Management Offices are usually out-of-place in high-performing Project Teams, aiming at on-time, on-budget scope delivery. Such managers may actually harm high-performing Project Teams.
On the other hand, you should probably cut ties with your new PM if he steals socks from your sock drawer, and defiantly runs around the house with them, or gets into the trash only to regurgitate onto the rug later, or engages in a shedding-blast that overwhelms your vacuum cleaner’s ability to keep your floor clean, or…
[i] Retrieved from https://wellsmerecollies.com/the-hero-collie on December 27, 2024, 13:48 MST.
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