"I'm not cheating! I'm showing my genius!"

I couldn't help but see the irony of two headlines on my browser homepage this morning. The first is a reference to Bernard Madhoff, that he will plead guilty to swindling people out of billions of dollars through his Ponzi scheme.

How refreshing. Finally, a criminal who isn't claiming he's a victim....

The second headline reads "Why Student Cheating Has an Upside."

What?

The article talks about the disconnect between students who insist that being honest and honorable is important yet overwhelmingly admit that they lie to their parents and teachers as well as cheat on tests.

As author Martha Brockenbrough suggests, those who care about our future leaders should find this discouraging. "Kids are shredding their ethics, but not that many feel bad about it." In fact, many "reported that they thought cheaters were more likely to succeed in life."

Brockenbrough relates how cheaters are getting more clever. Indeed technology is providing opportunities to cheat in ways that were not available when I walked the halls.

Yet she goes further: there's an upside to all this cheating. It demonstrates creative genius! Though she points out she's not advocating cheating, she goes on to equate clever approaches to cheating with innovative advances for mankind.

Interesting. When do we cross the line from a healthy break from status quo to becoming a cheat. After all, aren't we encouraged by Marcus Buckingham to "break all the rules?"

Bernie Madhoff is a genius. He kept his scam going for years. He had an innovative approach but it ended up inflicting serious pain across a wide swath of people around the world. Creative genius? Sure. Cheat? Absolutely.

Innovation looks at status quo in a new way and makes the workplace, the world, or a product better, often for the long term. Cheating provides a shortcut to personal gain (or a way to avoid short-term personal pain) with long term negative consequences.

And those consequences are not just experienced by the cheater.

I take exception to the students who think cheaters are more successful. Though it could appear that way in the short term, just look at the headlines to find another cheater soon to be behind bars.

Tempted to cut a corner today? Feeling compelled to exaggerate contributions to accomplishments on your resume? Wondering if you should just slather some lipstick on a status report to management about a project that is really a pig?

Let's not kid ourselves. That's not creative genius. Let's call it what it is: cheating.

Labels: accountability, choices, innovation, integrity, Lipstick on a Pig

posted by Andy at 7:34 AM  

The Tech Disaster Awards

I enjoyed reading Jake Widman's recent article about The Tech Disaster Awards: What You Can Learn from ITs Biggest Project Failures.

Maybe it's just a relief that none of the listed belong to me or any of my clients!

Regardless, the reason I invite you to read it is that even the big failures have lessons that can be drawn from them. Do we really need to be reminded that it's important to know what we're building before we start cutting code?

Apparently so.

Enjoy the article. As a next step, here's a suggestion: Click here (or on the image to the right) to view a related clip from our popular Lipstick on a Pig keynote. Watch for the clip entitled Project Success and Failure. It has some valuable insights to help you and your team understand what leads to project failure (and how to better set your project up for success).

Here's to no Ig Nobel awards in your future!

Labels: crisis, Information Technology, learning, Lipstick on a Pig, project management

posted by Andy at 1:55 PM  

Clarification about my "Lipstick on a Pig" keynote :)

Just a quick note that our Lipstick on a Pig keynote does not intentionally or unintentionally refer to or demean any political or public figure, living or dead. :)

For what it's worth, I encourage you to keep your eyes open for leadership lessons throughout this year's US Presidential elections. Regardless of whether you live in the States or not, the lessons abound: both in positive and negative examples.

Any observations? Feel free to leave a comment.

Labels: keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig

posted by Andy at 5:48 AM  

Join me in Atlanta or Lacrosse for Professional Development Days at the local PMI Chapters

If you live near Atlanta, GA or Lacrosse, WI and have an interest in project management, I invite you to join us for a day of learning with the local PMI chapters!

Location	Date	Keynote	For More Information
Atlanta	8/16	Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis	Click here
Lacrosse	9/18	Beyond Time Management: 5 Keys To Getting More Done with Less Stress	Click here

I would love to have the opportunity to meet you! Check the chapter websites for details.

Labels: illusion, keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig, project management, Project Management Institute, time management

posted by Andy at 2:28 PM  

The Illusion of Knowledge

So what are you reading? I just started Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which is certainly a departure from the business books that typically keep me busy. I had to present a paper on Gibbon's classic back in high school and I’ve been wanting to re-read it. With trips to Europe and Africa in the months ahead, the timing is perfect for a book nearly 3 inches thick!

Daniel Boorstin’s introduction had an interesting quote: “For Gibbon, while human nature is anything but unintelligible, it remains only partly explicable. For him the menace to understanding was not so much ignorance as the illusion of knowledge.”

In my business of speaking and executive coaching I have the opportunity to help leaders become more productive by learning rich theories and models that explain personality styles and other aspects of human nature. Yet upon reflection, I’m probably less immune than I want to admit to the illusion of knowledge—that I can explain it all because “they’re an ENTJ” or “a High D”, when in fact I’m over-simplifying and perhaps being held back from greater understanding because of it.

I can too easily jump to conclusions about people. I can put people in a style box and not recognize when they're trying to be more versatile. I can try to apply simple solutions to complex problems.

What about you? Are you being held back from deeper understanding on something because you hold up the illusion of knowledge? How willing are you to take a fresh look at long held convictions? When was the last time you admitted, "I'm not really sure. I will look into that more."

As we discuss in our keynote "Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis in Real World Projects", reality has this annoying way of always winning. Here's to all of us gaining greater understanding by being more willing to combat the illusion of knowledge.

Labels: illusion, Lipstick on a Pig, personality styles, reality, uncertainty

posted by Andy at 10:52 PM  

Silence is deadly (for projects and teams)

If you've been around projects long enough you know the drill... There are real problems being encountered but everyone above you seems to either be unaware or uninterested in grappling with them.

Denial is a powerful defense mechanism but rarely an effective project management strategy.
Eventually there's a project crisis. Rinse and repeat.

Since we regularly help organizations deal with issues related to these, I was pleased to read some recent results from research performed by VitalSmarts and The Concours Group. They surveyed more than 1,000 executives and project management professionals across 40 companies in a wide variety of industries.

Their Silence Fails study found direct correlations between our willingness and ability to speak up about issues and how successfully we deliver projects. The five most lethal issues that don't get discussed are:

• Fact-free planning. Failure is nearly predestined through insufficient acceptance of reality when it comes to timeframes and resources. The problem isn't that the limitations exist. The problem is people won't discuss the reality.
• Absent without leave (AWOL) sponsors. What happens when the sponsor doesn't lead? Can we talk about that? If not, prepare for failure.
• Skirting. When people skirt around the predefined process, we're often left with the resulting scope creep. If we can't discuss how this impacts projects, we'll likely soon be discussing why the project failed.
• Project chicken. We know we're late but we also know another team is late so we don't speak up. It's a deadly game that happens way too often. And the result? It's not pretty.
• Team failures. Just because we put people on a team together doesn't make them a team. Do we perpetuate the dysfunction by pretending everything's fine or do we intentionally work to improve the team dynamics. The answer can significantly impact a project's success.

Does your team or organization struggle with these issues? Contact us today about our Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis in Real World Projects keynote. It's perfect for a company meeting, offsite, or retreat.

We discuss these dynamics in more detail, including practical ideas about how to break out of the rut of failure caused by illusion. Contact us today for more information.

Labels: crisis, denial, Lipstick on a Pig, planning, project management, project sponsors, risk management, teams

posted by Andy at 12:17 PM  

Join me for a Day at the Races!

If you plan on being in the Chicago area on September 12, I invite you to join me and other Chicago area leaders for the Daugherty Day At The Races at Arlington Park.

Come enjoy a great lunch and an afternoon of networking with other leaders. I'll be sharing our Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis in Real World Projects keynote. It's an outstanding event sponsored by the good people at Daugherty Business Solutions.

Click here for more information and to register. I look forward to seeing you there!

Labels: illusion, keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig, reality

posted by Andy at 10:02 AM  

Illusions in the Maine Medicaid Project

In a recent issue of CIO Magazine, Allan Holmes details the Maine Medicaid project. If you're tired of failed IT projects, I have bad news for you--it's another one. But don't let that stop you from learning from it....

In my Lipstick on a Pig keynote we discuss how you can often deconstruct a crisis to find fundamental illusions that eventually led to the disaster.

This story is packed with examples. Here's a learning exercise for you... Block out 15 minutes to read the article. If you have any leadership role on projects, it's a must-read. But don't stop there. Browse the comments that other readers have left. As you read both, note the illusions that led to this unfortunate crisis. I found the illusions in the reader feedback almost as interesting as those in the article.

OK, here's the link. Zap me a quick e-mail (or post a comment here) regarding your observations.

Labels: illusion, keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig, project management, risk management

posted by Andy at 10:44 PM  

Leaky Decisons: Illusions that Led to the Great Chicago Flood Crisis

Our Lipstick on a Pig keynote is based on an insightful quote by Jerry Weinberg: "It may look like a crisis, but it's only the end of an illusion."

For those of us who have a passion for getting things done, delivering projects, and leading people, there are powerful lessons to be learned by exploring the illusions we face.

Charles Leroux provided an entertaining and insightful look (Chicago Tribune link no longer available) into a crisis that gripped the Chicago area: the Great Flood of 1992. It clearly illustrates how illusions led to the crisis that cost the area an estimated $800 million.

Do you have an upcoming company or department meeting that would benefit from an entertaining, business-focused keynote? Give us a call to get our Lipstick on a Pig keynote added to your meeting agenda!

Labels: crisis, culture, illusion, keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig

posted by Andy at 1:46 PM  

PMI Chicagoland presentation feedback

Did you participate in my February 8 PMI Chicagoland chapter meeting presentation "Lipstick on a Pig?". If so, I'd love to hear your comments. What did you find valuable? What illusions did you identify? What questions do you have?

Click the "Post a Comment" link below to let me know. Thanks!

Labels: keynotes, Lipstick on a Pig, Project Management Institute

posted by Andy at 9:53 AM