How do people go with what they perceive as making a huge mistake in their project management careers?
I've made a complete mess of a project I'm working on at the moment, purely through communication issues. I'm having trouble moving on and it's really got my confidence down
Normally I'm a very conscientious professional and am good at my job. But this situation has thrown me way of course it seems.
I'm not looking to make excuses for my situation (as it's of my own doing anyway), but would like to know if others have experienced this, and how they have got around it. Saving Changes...
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Anonymous
Good day.
Yes, I have made many, many mistakes. One of which cost me my job a few years back.
Number one, stop beating your self up over it. You have recognized the “mess” and the root cause, “purely through communication issues.”
Number two, if you have not already, confide in someone (outside of the project/work) that you trust and that can be objective to your situation. Hopefully they can tell you “you made a mistake.” And not sugar coat the situation.
I noticed that you said “at the moment”. This indicates to me that you are in a temporary state, and recovery will occur.
You are being honest with yourself. Continue to be honest (with project team members etc) and make sure that for you and for the project, the issue is noted in the lessons learned.
We all make mistakes. Just because we make mistakes does not necessarily mean that we are bad at what we do, or unprofessional.
If you drive looking into the rearview mirror, you can’t see where you are going. Stay positive and keep looking forward. All things have a way of working out.
Peace.
Out.
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Anonymous
Hi, and thanks for replying
Trying to move on is something I'm doing and it's making me feel better which is good. I attended a course today which has also helped.
To quote you: We all make mistakes. Just because we make mistakes does not necessarily mean that we are bad at what we do, or unprofessional. <-- this line really helped me. Thanks!
With the mistake that cost you your job, what happened? How did you recover from it?
PS: feel free to ignore that question - I only asked it as you posted anonymously. I'm just interested in the thought patterns that you employed to recover and continue as a PM Saving Changes...
Veer MohiteService Delivery Lead PMP Certified| IBMJersey City, Nj, United States
One of the reasons why we make mistakes is coz we don't really know how to manage a particular task/situation. In your case, its communication.
I've always learned that its easier to ask when in doubt.
There are always people around who have dealt with a situation we are likely to be in. With communication, where there is a higher risk of making mistakes, its always beneficial to ask your superiors / peers. Get them to proof read your drafts, use your team as a sounding board to know their reaction before you address your next meeting. Always get the facts right and when you need help, don't be afraid to engage the right expertise.
As a PM, make your own decisions. coz that is why you are in that position but asking or admitting that you don't know everything is NOT a sign of weakness. You should have the resources on your team or someone else's, when in need, just ask for help. Saving Changes...
Mistakes can happen even to the most Senior Project Manager. Strategic projects can also go terribly wrong total failures. What contributes to the failure could be many factors. As project managers we will learn and grow from mistakes, it is not a sin it is unfortunate but not the end of Project Management career.
It is the perceptions that need to be changed and that can be hard sometimes as people tend to remember the bad and not the good easily forgotten.
One way is to reflect back to your successful project delivery, what and how were those projects delivered. Project structure roles and responsibilities play a big part in communication that can also hinder projects if communication is not what is exptected.
I would agree with Veer, if in doubt always ask, check it out with another trusted colleague, 'two heads are better than one' in some instances.
Good luck
Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Anonymous, you asked me the following…….
“With the mistake that cost you your job, what happened? How did you recover from it?”
I have no problem in answering the question. My response will be a bit long winded, but it’s the truth, believe it or not.
Well………….the day I got canned, I got home, and was told by my ex-wife that she did not want to be married anymore and to get out of the house. WOW, double whammy you might think. Probably one of the best day’s of my life.
I packed up a few belongings and went out and got an apartment. Only took 1-2 days to get all approved and moved in.
Recovering from being unemployed was really not at the top of my list. Needed to do a bit more “finding” myself. Did allot of thinking, reading and re-connecting with friends that I had not spoken to in years. From that day to this day, still see (at least twice a month) my best friend of 35 yrs. known him since kindergarten.
Took 3 months off of work. Yes, did update my resume and had sent it out. Ended up contracting for a Y2K project. Then went full time with the company. Still here after 8 yrs. Ended up finding my sole mate here, (she’s 12 yrs younger than me…NICE!!!!).
In short, to answer your question, I found the important things in life, real friendship, honesty and fell deeply in love. I do believe in destiny, but not sure if things would have come together like they have if I had not made that mistake that cost me my job.
If you have made a huge mistake, my first piece of advice is to be honest about it. Usually the very first mistake that people make do not get them fired. It is all the mistakes and lies that they make AFTER that first mistake that cost them their jobs.
Chances are that you are much harder on yourself than anyone else. Also, if you work for a good company that takes occasional risks, then your management will understand and expect some of their employees to make mistakes. Enlightened companies reward employees who are honest about their mistakes, and ask for help. This viewpoint may seem idealized, but I have worked for companies that saw a failed project and said, "Well we learned something," instead of "Someone is going to be fired."
I have made plenty of mistakes, and I quickly went to my management. First I reached out to my team, peers, and anyone else who could help. I tried to come up with every possible solution or recovery plan that I could. Within a short period of time (a few hours or a few days, tops), I went to my management and sponsor with the news.
I told them what had happened, and what options I had come up with so far. Often they appreciated the advance warning of the problem or crisis.
My own worst experiences with mistakes were when I tried to fix it by myself. When my managers or sponsors heard about the problem, they were upset with me for letting them be embarrassed and surprised. They expected to hear these problems from me FIRST.
I have seen others get in serious career and ethical issue when they tried to hide their mistakes. I have done project audits and talked to financial auditors, and this is such a common pattern. As soon as you try to hide a mistake or loss, you start stepping over the line into lies. The lies lead to fraud, and the fraud can lead to firing or even jail time.
My advice -- stay focused on solving the problem and let everyone know what is happening. Saving Changes...
Admitting making a mistake is the first step to recovery as we enlist the help of our staff and peers. It should not however be an excuse to dismiss the individual. If we had a scenario where a major project with big financial impacts that was managed by a respected Senior Project Manager and its stakeholders were made up by Senior Management and for whatever reasons it failed or mistakes were made what then! would the company fire the lot of them? I doubt it, there are lessons to be learned and many discussions will undoubtly take place to ensure the mistakes are not repeated again in the future..
Is it such a horrific crime to make a mistake that our peers will view this as a sackable offence, we are allowed to make mistakes and as stated before there are many factors why we have project failures, it is not just about communication is it! The Projects organisation structure, roles and responsibilities all come into play and one can't possibly abdicate from responsibilities and push the blame button totally to the PM. Unfortunately what tends to follow next is a mistrust of the individual and that is detrimental to any further career progression.
My advice will be if it can't be fixed it is time to move.
