Comments on: Management By Optimism http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:38:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: coldclimate http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/comment-page-1/#comment-20361 coldclimate Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:08:12 +0000 http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/#comment-20361 You have put in words something I have been trying to formular in my head for ages. I'd got as far as "you're bloody idiots focussed on delivering no matter what the cost", but this is a little more eliquent. You have put in words something I have been trying to formular in my head for ages. I’d got as far as “you’re bloody idiots focussed on delivering no matter what the cost”, but this is a little more eliquent.

]]> By: John http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/comment-page-1/#comment-8334 John Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:05:48 +0000 http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/#comment-8334 Once the leadership breaks their organization's planning process and can start managing by fiat/enforced optimism then there is nothing short of a total crash and burn to dissuade them to stop doing this to themselves and their people. One response is to bring the price of what this sudden deadline will cost the organization. Outline the projects which will be jettisoned or shelved until the suddenly top priority project is complete. Better to make the point early than explain later or be trying to get everything done. Get it out on the white board. It can be a sobering moment for the optimist to face and frees you to surprise this person with getting more done than you expected. Even if it all ends with an unreasonable 'you can do it all' then it is a benchmark against which to refer as things go wrong. Once the leadership breaks their organization’s planning process and can start managing by fiat/enforced optimism then there is nothing short of a total crash and burn to dissuade them to stop doing this to themselves and their people. One response is to bring the price of what this sudden deadline will cost the organization. Outline the projects which will be jettisoned or shelved until the suddenly top priority project is complete. Better to make the point early than explain later or be trying to get everything done. Get it out on the white board. It can be a sobering moment for the optimist to face and frees you to surprise this person with getting more done than you expected. Even if it all ends with an unreasonable ‘you can do it all’ then it is a benchmark against which to refer as things go wrong.

]]> By: Brad http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/comment-page-1/#comment-273 Brad Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:46:32 +0000 http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2007/03/12/management-by-optimism/#comment-273 I've seen examples of this in action, though I usually refer to it as "management by fiat" -- that is, "do what I say and that's that". Examples include: "This one is very important, coming straight from the CEO and must be done by X. Nights, weekends, whatever it takes to get this one done." -- The main issues being that "this one" happens at least once a month, with no reasons specified other than "the CEO needs it" and that practicality is not factored into the date at all. My only real advice is: make sure the CEO or whoever the unreasonable party is <strong>knows</strong> that their dates must be based on feasibility and practicality in addition to other factors. I’ve seen examples of this in action, though I usually refer to it as “management by fiat” — that is, “do what I say and that’s that”.

Examples include: “This one is very important, coming straight from the CEO and must be done by X. Nights, weekends, whatever it takes to get this one done.” — The main issues being that “this one” happens at least once a month, with no reasons specified other than “the CEO needs it” and that practicality is not factored into the date at all.

My only real advice is: make sure the CEO or whoever the unreasonable party is knows that their dates must be based on feasibility and practicality in addition to other factors.

]]>