Cheetah Project Manager – It’s “ALL” Just Information
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, CAC, PMI-ACP, CCPM, RYT
In a world going increasingly insane, the mantra “It’s All Just Information” is what keeps me on this side of the sanity line. Thirty years ago, I adopted this philosophy when dealing with the country building department on my first home. Their lack of clear direction made every visit there excruciatingly frustrating. When I started to view going there as simply information gathering, rather than attempting to resolve some issue, it became less of an ordeal. My project also moved along more smoothly as I was able to keep a clear head engaging my executive functioning brain rather than reacting with my fight or flight brain.
Encountering obstacles can trigger the fight or flight brain in proportion to the level of attachment with how to achieve the project goals. The reality is there are many twists and turns on the way to achieving a goal. Projects by their very nature are unique endeavors so there are often no clear paths to achieving its objectives. Seeing obstacles as ‘just information” can help find more effective approaches, faster. The key is not to get too attached to any one way to achieving the overall goal of the project.
The stronger your attachment to how you’re supposed to achieve your goals, the less you will be open to approaches that could be far more effective.
The above diagram shows five levels of attachment from most attached – at the fanatic level to least attached at the authentic self level. When you see any situation as “just information” without the attachment to a pre-conceived idea for achieving your goals, you can remain flexible in your approach and better go with the flow. When you can accept whatever is arising, this allows for spontaneous approaches that work better for situations that can be difficult to predict in advance.
Cheetah Agile Certified project managers learn a project management process designed to avoid being hijacked by attachments. Having a flexible mindset increases the chances for discovering the most effective and efficient approach to achieving project objectives.
“The first thing my boss said when I told him I was interested in getting my PMP certification was that if I was going to do it, he’d heard Cheetah Learning was the best.”