No, I’m not talking about the 50’s song by The Platters.  I’m talking about people on your team or project who really aren’t ‘with the program’ and are putting your work and possibly your career at risk.

Most of us have seen the acceptance model below at one point or another, so I’m going to use it to illustrate my point and show you where you are most likely to find those pretenders.

WALKING THROUGH THE MODEL
Much of our lives, and especially our professional lives, involves change.  The studies I’ve read say any change, even a seemingly small one, pushes us through a process like the one illustrated above.  First, we tend to deny then resist the change largely because we are comfortable with what is.  That doesn’t make the status quo better, it’s just how our brains operate with change.  Next, most of us will take the challenge to explore the new thing and, having worked through our part in it, we are in a position to commit, accept and move forward.

THE PROBLEM CHILDREN ON YOUR PROJECT 
Since not everyone will move through the model process in the same way or at the same pace on your project, you as the leader need to understand where your stakeholders are and how to interact with them so the project keeps moving forward.  This is where the search for ‘pretenders’ intensifies.

The people who are still denying and committed are, frankly, easy to work with.  The latter group are fully engaged and you can count on them to help move toward success.  The former are probably lined up as ‘the loyal opposition’ and, in the end, they will not unnecessarily hold back the organization because they want it to succeed even if they aren’t too fond of your project.

The group resisting the change poses some level of challenge to you, but they really aren’t the source of the pretenders either.  They will often drag out their assignments, question why you are taking the approach you chose or interject some other conflict or roadblock.  But they will, for the most part, meet you head on.  And those that aren’t are pretty easy to identify by a seasoned leader anyway.  No, even the ‘silent resistance’ can be planned for and dealt with.  Which means the ‘great pretenders’ will mainly exist as …

DANGEROUS EXPLORERS
You will find two types of explorers in any organization.  Some are genuinely on their way to committing.  They engage you, ask questions and you can see them advance in their decision process.  They aren’t your pretenders and will, with some encouragement, become valuable as committed team members.

The pretenders are very good at playing the game of exploration.  They may pass subtlety undetected if you aren’t diligently looking for them.  And in doing so, they pose some significant risk to your efforts.

So rooting out pretenders is essential, and to do so means you need to identify them.  A savvy leader will look out for their ‘tells’ and make moves to counteract the negative impact.  In my experience, I’ve found at least six signs that can help you identify the pretenders and get them on your risk-resistant radar:

• Pretty Gantt Charts that lead Nowhere.
• Abundance of Meetings Without Decisions.
• Ready Excuses and Blame when Issues Arise.
• Projects NEVER go to “Red” Status.
• Retreat to Resistance when Challenged.
• Talk a Good Game but no Substance.

REDUCING THE PRETENDER RISK
Identifying them is only half the battle, but it can be the more difficult thing to do.  Once you know who is pretending, you can act to reduce the risk of impact based on the symptoms presented.  Among my favorites from the list above are the ‘never red’ and ‘no decision’ pretenders.  In the end, you challenge them with facts and attempt to take as much emotion out of the equation as possible.

The good news is that, having identified them and their particular flavor of pretending, you can work to mitigate the risks they bring by all the standard ways.  It’s just going to take some creativity on our part because we’re dealing with people.  And people are rarely as predictable as we’d like to believe.  But that’s another article for another time.

Bio:

Mark Moore has held multiple professional positions in IT and business for nearly three decades serving organizations both small and large, public and private.  With over half that time as a project manager, he has successfully managed major initiatives spanning multiple years with a cost of over $3 Million and teams of over 250 people.  He has been a Project Management Professional since 2002, served as President of the PMI Western Michigan Chapter, and presented at multiple NCPMI Annual Events.  Mark holds a Masters of Education degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in Adult Education and Training.  He is an experienced writer, speaker and presenter on project management and team building topics.  Mark is the Principal Consultant for Broken Arrow Associates, LTD.  He and his family live in a rural area outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.

To contact Mark for opportunities or questions, send an e-mail to info@baa-ltd.com.