ON THE EDGE
Transitions: A Lesson from My Sons
by Carl Pritchard, Pritchard Management Associates
This is a month of huge transitions in my personal life, and I'm seeing them all through a project "lens." My eldest son just left for college. My youngest son just started high school. These are major life events. Each represents a shift from one environment to another. Each represents a huge transition.
In our projects, we need to take lessons from our own lives to ensure that we understand the nature and impact of transitions and prepare for them. My wife and sons are wonderful exemplars of this. For months, my wife has been working diligently to prepare for the big days (Wednesday was "off-to-college" day and Thursday was "back-to-school" day). She has braced our eldest for college, talking about the environment he'll be entering and gathering information ad nauseum about all aspects of the transition, including everything from bookstore charge accounts to homesickness. It is her idiom. The transition is not something deep and hidden that is only discussed in hushed whispers. She strives to provide a clear vision of what the world will look like once Adam (our eldest) becomes the college's "project", rather than ours. This does not mean the emotions are not intense or the transition is less painful, but it means that she has a clear understanding of what he will expect and wants to ensure that he sees it as well. All too often, as we near the end of our projects (and our lives), we don't want to talk about the mechanical aspects of handing off the project or about how the "world" will function without our involvement. It's uncomfortable. It can be phenomenally awkward. But it's important. My wife has known that for years.
Over the past year, my wife has been gathering data about the college, amassing information and filing it away for Adam's use. Similarly, for our youngest son, she has saved every mailing, every note and every form (photocopied upon arrival at the house) to ensure that all of the information is at hand. I used to think this was beyond anal-retentive. Now, as it is happening, I realize the incredible gift she has granted to our sons. There are no surprises. We can focus on their personal needs and interests. We need to take a similar tack with our project lives. If we prepare the client for life without our support and presence, we empower them to be more comfortable about their relationship with us in the here and now.
These communications need to be handled with some sensitivity, and can be. If we're willing to talk about the future with our clients, we can take the edge off the discussion.
What would make it easier for you to work without us at your side? How can we support you now to make that happen?
Those are not depressing questions. They're optimistic! They're hopeful. They're envisioning a better world thanks to our involvement. But they also accept the logic that the client will not always have us with them. As project organizations, we acknowledge our temporary role. As such, we have the option of making our last time with the client a frustrating wrangle over who's responsible for what, or to make it a clear, clean understandable transition by predicting their needs and proving ourselves to be outstanding transition managers. What does it take? It takes communication. Extensive communication needs to take place to clarify some critical notions—
- When do you anticipate you'll become fully responsible for the deliverable?
- What kind of background support (if any) do you think we (as the project organization) should have in place for you after the project is over?
- What documentation will be needed to address—
- process,
- ownership,
- history, and
- future relationships
- How early do you want all this in place for review before the actual transition takes place?
The answers to these questions clarify a great deal and ease the transition, improving the relationship. My wife seems to know that all too well. She's an amazing woman. Because of her extensive preparation, she was able to spend the last weeks of our sons at home taking the eldest to the Zoo and allowing the youngest to "rock on" with his band in the basement, rather than challenging them with administrivia. Instead of spending her final days with the boys wrapped in administrative hassles, she was spending time with them on her terms. She is able to reflect back on her two "projects" positively and with a clear vision of how she has staged the world for life after her direct involvement is ended. Would that we could all say the same for our projects…and our lives.
©Copyright 2000-2008 Emprend, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
About us Site Map View current sponsorship opportunities (PDF)
Contact us for more information or e-mail info@projectconnections.com
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy