There are two extremes in the continuum of project management styles. One is to be merciless, so that resources don’t run all over you. The other is to be permissive, giving in to demands and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of. Neither approach is very good. There are pros and cons for each, as well as right and wrong times to use them. Let’s look at what they are.
There’s an old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I don’t know if that’s true or not. As a matter of fact, after spending way too much time Googling this aphorism, it seems people are split 50/50 about what works. The one thing that is guaranteed to lure flies, however, is a bug zapper.
We’ve all seen their unearthly blue glow emanating from a small box hung precariously from the side of a house or ledge. Within moments of being plugged in, the contraption’s reassuring hum beckons insects of the night, and the airspace is soon filled with winged creepy-crawlies who come in closer, closer, closer…until… ZAP…CRACKLE! Another wing bites the dust.
Similarly, there are project managers who appeal to unsuspecting resources with a false sense of confidence and then shut them down with a million volts of sarcasm. Their disdain is as deadly. Or, they ply their craft with a side of honey. Which side is better to err on? It’s not as black and white as you would think. Is there a place for the bug-zapping manager in project management?
Condemnation vs. Commendation
Keith has a force field of negative energy around him. He always has to be right. He takes great delight in backing people into a corner. Furthermore, his line of reasoning often makes others look like idiots, as his conversation below demonstrates.
Keith: “Is it true, IT Guy,” he says, “that on the aforementioned night you made the decision to change the name of a database field?”
IT Guy: “Yes sir. That is true.”
Keith: “How long have you been around databases and development work?”
IT Guy: “About 15 years.”
Keith: “Then, you are quite knowledgeable about what you do. Dare we say, almost an expert?”
IT Guy: “Well, I wouldn’t quite say that, but yes, I do know my way around.”
Keith: “Then why didn’t you know that one little change to the production environment brought the WHOLE system down for 20 minutes until someone more expert than you traced it back to a ‘_’ being replaced with a ‘-‘….huh?”
And just like that, IT Guy has been verbally taken out. Zapped.
To make matters worse, Keith’s style is to watch as people careen toward precarious professional cliffs and go right over the edge. He could save them, and even has the power to prevent a disaster from happening in the first place, but he has no problem sitting back and watching.
Keith is a real project manager in a real company. Question is, why is he still around? Because…he knows his stuff and is able to get things done; he just has ZERO tolerance for people that don’t know what they are doing and it comes across as caustic and vitriolic.
At the other end of style extremes is Roger, who works for the same company as Keith. Roger is sweet as honey. His goal isn’t to prove that he is always right. He welcomes team members into in his office to talk about what’s on their mind. He is frank when they need direction or correction, but everyone knows he has their best interests at heart.
Roger tries to avert disasters if and when he sees them coming. Sometimes he allows a resource to go over the cliff, but his reason is different than Keith’s. He doesn’t do it to prove that he was right; he allows it to teach a valuable lesson.
The Pros and Cons of Vinegar vs. Honey
It seems logical that you would want to deal with the people on your team like Roger did. But, there are pros and cons to both Keith and Roger’s style. Let’s look at both.
Vinegar
- [PRO] It’s Faster – Telling people when they did something wrong or what they could have done better is far more efficient than waiting until somebody does something right. It takes time for people to go above and beyond their jobs to do something worthy of praise and commendation. You can generally find something that needs fixing almost immediately.
- [PRO] There’s no Guesswork – When you zap someone with negative feedback, it leaves no room for that person to wonder what you meant. All guesswork is removed and the person will be very clear on what they did wrong, and what not to do next time.
- [CON] Results are Short Lived and Non Sustainable – A fly can only be hit by a zapper so many times; once is usually enough. High performers who are not used to getting zapped may look for employment elsewhere. Plus, you end up with a team that is motivated by fear (a short-term motivator) and not pride, loyalty, and a sense of accomplishment.
- [CON] It’s Bad for Your Reputation – If the only light you bring into the room is an iridescent bulb of high voltage negativity, your reputation will nosedive and people will stop having you around.
Honey
- [PRO] It’s Longer Lasting – A gentler approach with resources produces longer lasting results. They’ll appreciate the fact that you have their best interest at heart and will respond favorably time and time again.
- [PRO] It Creates Loyalty – Commendation breeds loyalty. People are drawn toward those who want them to do well and express it. You’ll find that people will follow you from project to project, department to department, and many times even company to company.
- [PRO] You Gain a Good Reputation – Your reputation precedes your professional progress. A good reputation will be a reason why your career even advances. You’ll be known for your ability to build solid, functioning, and positive teams.
- [CON] It Takes Longer – Results are not as apparent as quickly when you manage your team with positivity and recognition of accomplishment. It takes time to catch someone doing something right, be specific about what you like, and explain how their contribution helped not only them but the organization.
Is There a Place for a Bug Zapper?
I’m not saying that you should never give negative feedback to team members. It depends upon the project and the circumstances. For example, you may have a very short-lived project with brand new resources. New employees will make a ton of mistakes. There’s not enough time to wait until the team gets the hang of it, nurture everyone, and then put them on a career path of fulfilment and opportunity. It may be a team of temporary workers hired for one specific task, in which case it would be better to fire up your bug zapper than catch your flies with honey.
However, you should never be accused of being outright mean, as was Keith. Don’t delight in watching people squirm. You can be firm and fair at the same time.
