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Today, we’re trying something new.

Every week, readers like you send questions. Not the theoretical, fluffy “What & why” kind of questions.

No. Real-world issues from real projects with real people.

Today, I’m answering a few in public (with permission). Because what’s the point in keeping this behind closed doors?

Now, I’m not Harry Potter. I don’t have a magic wand and can’t make problems disappear. I can’t tell you what you should do. But I can share my perspective and help you think about it.

Let’s dig in:

The executive dragging his feet

Sadly, a classic case. The executive, as Mia says, isn’t “not doing his job” but is also not involved at all.

The good news? He is probably not throwing any distractions or “great ideas” at her.

The bad news? Good luck getting any support or a decision.

Now what?

We spoke about this in a previous issue of the newsletter about project sponsors. You can’t force someone to be committed to your project.

So, what lever do you have? Aligned incentives.

Mia should try to get the executive on the same side of the table. Show him that if her project succeeds, he succeeds.

Whether that is him getting to show results in the leadership team, hitting a target, or making something easier for his team - anything. Once you realize you’re both working towards the same goal, you’re going places.

The second option she has is to find other ways to influence the executive. This is not about “playing games” but let’s face it: the bigger organizations get, the more politics become involved.

We can have our opinion about it, but we also have to face reality. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

How does that look in practice? Mia can go and look for other leadership team members that do see the value/benefit of the project, and see if they can help her get things done.

Not by going around the sponsor, but by subtly nudging someone in the right direction. A delicate game, but a very effective one.

Role conflicts with a team member

Jeff is in a tight spot here. He doesn’t want to step on the toes of a really good employee, but this is getting under his skin. And it’s probably rubbing off on others on the team too.

What can he do?

As with most things, I’d start with having a conversation with the employee. The better you understand why someone does this, the easier it is to deal with it. Ask broad and open questions, and try to understand - not to be understood.

My second question is about expectations. The ground rule of feedback is that you can’t give feedback on something you didn’t agree on up front. What does her role description say, and how does she interpret that?

Once expectations are clear and you understand her motive, you can start giving feedback on it using the framework from a previous newsletter on feedback.

While something like this may seem harmless, it’s important to draw a line somewhere. If you continue to accept behavior that is hindering progress, you’re unintentionally lowering the bar for everyone.

Creepy scope creep tactics

This is a dangerous one. Death by a thousand papercuts is a real thing. While the requests might be small, they’ll add up over time. And it’s just a matter of time until they clash with something else.

The hours add up, and you need to get paid for it. But there’s nothing on paper with the client… A recipe for disaster.

And not just that, but also the fact that people go around you. Big no-no. This is where you’ll have to step up and draw a line in the sand.

As with the previous two cases: align incentives and set expectations. Give people an alternative way to get it done, and give feedback on the behavior.

Look at your existing change process first. How clear is it? How well is it communicated? You can only stop what you don’t want if you offer an alternative. This previous newsletter walks you through change processes.

Next up, have a chat with your client. Is it the client PM who does this, or someone on their team? Depending on the relationship, I’d play this via the PM either way.

Point them to your change process and explain the consequences of what is happening. “By allowing this, our agreed deliverables will be late.”

You’ll also need to have a chat with your developer. Same idea here: explain that appreciate their service mindset, but explain that there’s a big issue brewing because of it.

Hope that helps Shanti!

That’ll do for this week! If you enjoyed this format, don’t hesitate and send me your questions. I read them all myself, and you always get an answer - whether we do this newsletter format again or not.

Until next week!
Jasper