8. Be flexible...and stand your ground
Sometimes you know better than everyone else in the room. And, other times you don’t. When you do, you need to stand up for what you know is right…especially when time and money are at stake. How you say it matters. It can be hard to contradict the prevailing opinion. So, be sure to use tact. You may not like having to “sell” the obvious, but you still have to do what’s right for the project…and your client.
As important as it is to stand your ground, you have to know when to be flexible. You always need to keep an open ear and an open mind. Projects are collaborative efforts. The best ideas can come from unlikely sources. Through discussion, it may become clear that you don’t have all of the necessary information and your understanding is not complete. As a senior project team member, you need to know how to listen to your team and change direction if the project’s success depends on it. But you also have to know when to stand up for the client, especially when they don’t stand up for themselves.
Jeff Lowell
If you missed it, click here for the INTRO. To easily see all of the current posts in contiguous reverse order (newest to oldest), click on the "10 Observations" link under the Categories heading in the sidebar on the right side of the page. Be sure to catch the next chapter: 9. The train (and re-train) is coming.
I want to encourage everyone who reads this post to add comments (that tiny link at the very bottom of the post) and share their experiences as well. Oh, and please feel free to re-post and share (please use the buttons provided for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). If you're interested in doing a guest post or want to present an alternative view, contact me.
As important as it is to stand your ground, you have to know when to be flexible. You always need to keep an open ear and an open mind. Projects are collaborative efforts. The best ideas can come from unlikely sources. Through discussion, it may become clear that you don’t have all of the necessary information and your understanding is not complete. As a senior project team member, you need to know how to listen to your team and change direction if the project’s success depends on it. But you also have to know when to stand up for the client, especially when they don’t stand up for themselves.
Jeff Lowell
If you missed it, click here for the INTRO. To easily see all of the current posts in contiguous reverse order (newest to oldest), click on the "10 Observations" link under the Categories heading in the sidebar on the right side of the page. Be sure to catch the next chapter: 9. The train (and re-train) is coming.
I want to encourage everyone who reads this post to add comments (that tiny link at the very bottom of the post) and share their experiences as well. Oh, and please feel free to re-post and share (please use the buttons provided for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). If you're interested in doing a guest post or want to present an alternative view, contact me.
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