Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
I am genuinely surprised by the number of posts regarding honesty.
Honesty in both professional and personal life is one of the key morals to live by. As Project Managers, we are tasked with planning, controlling and communicating every step of the way.
Yes, there may be difficult conversations, decisions and problems ahead, but that is OUR role to identify, communicate, discuss and resolve.
Without honesty, there is no foundation of trust and without trust, how will anyone respect you and your decisions as a leader and a Project Manager?
Thoughts? Saving Changes...
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Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Karl
I absolutely agree with your reflection and your surprise
I joined PMI on Jan 2011
The only reason why I joined this Association was its Code of Ethics
I attended several Conferences organized by Chapter Local and, amazingly, not a word about ethics or the PMI Code of Ethics
I was excited when I watched a video of Mark Langley (ex Presidende to PMI) about the code of ethics
I've tried to find this video but unfortunately I can't find it
Looking at the world around us Ethics and Principles do not govern many people's behaviors and attitudes
I hope PMI is not contaminated by such behaviors and attitudes
Bringing debates to this forum about Ethics and the Code of Ethics is, on the other hand, very productive for our community Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
I cannot provide any additional insight there, Karl, though, it does sometimes beg the question of the motivation behind the post. Regardless, you are correct, honesty is certainly a key attribute of any professional (not limited here, but in the context of the forum). But, as we all know, not always the case.
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1 reply by Karl Twort
Oct 09, 2019 7:05 AM
Karl Twort
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I agree - it sometimes appears that posing this question is almost looking for reassurance/permission/approval/validation, that even the smallest untruth is acceptable. not aiming that at any individual on the forums here, but I do find the question a strange one.
In my experience, always, "truth will out" and cloak and dagger techniques are a dangerous game to play.
Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Oct 09, 2019 7:02 AM
Replying to Drew Craig
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I cannot provide any additional insight there, Karl, though, it does sometimes beg the question of the motivation behind the post. Regardless, you are correct, honesty is certainly a key attribute of any professional (not limited here, but in the context of the forum). But, as we all know, not always the case.
I agree - it sometimes appears that posing this question is almost looking for reassurance/permission/approval/validation, that even the smallest untruth is acceptable. not aiming that at any individual on the forums here, but I do find the question a strange one.
In my experience, always, "truth will out" and cloak and dagger techniques are a dangerous game to play. Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Karl,
Many of the questions posted in the forum are gamification driven, in other words, their primary purpose is to increase one’s influence score. It’s part of the dynamic in this forum/site, and seen as a positive by some and a negative by others.
It’s helpful to make a judgment (i.e. a finding) on the intent of a question and then engage/ignore it. So, a question on honesty MAY simply be gami-driven and not rooted in an actual problem/issue being encountered by the submitter of the question.
The question of “honesty” is obviously important from all points of view, and I’m not trying to diminish its importance; I’m just saying it is also important to make a finding regarding intent when one is surveying questions.
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1 reply by Karl Twort
Oct 09, 2019 9:15 AM
Karl Twort
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In that case, I would rather keep my interactions here relevant. I hadn't considered that maybe some were playing "the game".
I think Luis Branco posted about whether PMI forums are social media (edit: found the link..... https://www.projectmanagement.com/discussi...n-we-consider-) - your comment RE gamification supports that some people are more concerned with their own "Social Persona" than valuable contribution.
Thanks for this view, it has helped. I would rather my contributions be reflective of my input, than a number that is skewed based on a desire to have a high score.
Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
The questions make sense if we consider the situation of the people asking them. We in the affluent West have the luxury to practice ethics, for we have little to lose by doing so. We have ample job opportunities available if we are fired for being ethical, and many laws in place to prevent that from ever happening. In contrast, professional jobs in many countries are scarce, and not doing what a manager or client demands could get a person fired and even blacklisted, so that finding another job of any sort would be almost impossible.
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1 reply by Karl Twort
Oct 09, 2019 9:18 AM
Karl Twort
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An interesting viewpoint and one I hadn't considered.
Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Oct 09, 2019 8:04 AM
Replying to George Freeman
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Karl,
Many of the questions posted in the forum are gamification driven, in other words, their primary purpose is to increase one’s influence score. It’s part of the dynamic in this forum/site, and seen as a positive by some and a negative by others.
It’s helpful to make a judgment (i.e. a finding) on the intent of a question and then engage/ignore it. So, a question on honesty MAY simply be gami-driven and not rooted in an actual problem/issue being encountered by the submitter of the question.
The question of “honesty” is obviously important from all points of view, and I’m not trying to diminish its importance; I’m just saying it is also important to make a finding regarding intent when one is surveying questions.
In that case, I would rather keep my interactions here relevant. I hadn't considered that maybe some were playing "the game".
I think Luis Branco posted about whether PMI forums are social media (edit: found the link..... https://www.projectmanagement.com/discussi...n-we-consider-) - your comment RE gamification supports that some people are more concerned with their own "Social Persona" than valuable contribution.
Thanks for this view, it has helped. I would rather my contributions be reflective of my input, than a number that is skewed based on a desire to have a high score. Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Oct 09, 2019 8:54 AM
Replying to Eric Simms
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The questions make sense if we consider the situation of the people asking them. We in the affluent West have the luxury to practice ethics, for we have little to lose by doing so. We have ample job opportunities available if we are fired for being ethical, and many laws in place to prevent that from ever happening. In contrast, professional jobs in many countries are scarce, and not doing what a manager or client demands could get a person fired and even blacklisted, so that finding another job of any sort would be almost impossible.
An interesting viewpoint and one I hadn't considered. Saving Changes...
PMs are often in the position where we have the responsibility to get things done, without the direct authority to tell people what they must do. Influencing others becomes a key part of our roles.
Some people are adept at influencing others while maintaining honesty and candor. Others take a more Machiavellian approach. It is not at all uncommon for PMs to adopt an attitude that the ends justify the means. That can move you up the corporate ladder, or make you the subject of a case study from the Ethics Department following your termination.
Personally, I have built a reputation for honesty even though what my bosses need to know is not what they wanted to hear. In some ways, that may be career limiting. On the other hand, when there is a difficult situation and people need to trust that the leader is making the right decisions, my teams know they can trust me to support the team over my own personal interests. Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Keith - this sums up my view completely:
"Personally, I have built a reputation for honesty even though what my bosses need to know is not what they wanted to hear. In some ways, that may be career limiting. On the other hand, when there is a difficult situation and people need to trust that the leader is making the right decisions, my teams know they can trust me to support the team over my own personal interests."
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly 98 million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea..."
