Sometimes it's not you

Photo by Basil Lade on Unsplash

There are occasions where you are an absolute arse.

The amount of effort you put into the work you do, could easily be summed up by the phrase “Sweet FA”!

But there are other times, when no matter what you do - the tears spilled, the sweat poured or the guts turmoiled – the net result is the same as if you really didn’t bother.

Why?

Put simply, there are times where project/engagements are just designed to beat us.

No one does this on purpose. Well, not maliciously.

You may find timelines, budgets, scope, people – are all impossible to work with, but it is very rare for a person to set any of those because they are evil. Departments have to spend money in fixed timeframes; people are people – as a four piece from Essex once sang.

So when the self-doubt creeps in, or your ability to manifest (please, never manifest) a successful outcome escapes you, don’t always assume that you are the problem.

It’s the systems fault.

A lot of this can stem from any number of things, but let’s look at a few examples:

Next cab off the rank – you landed on a project because you were the next available person, but you may not have all of the skills or experience to just take the punches and roll with it. That’s on them, unless you don’t work out how to get the best from you. Then it’s on you.

It was set up for you – classic Delivery challenge. DM meet disaster, disaster meet DM. Most situations where you have had absolutely no influence over how it was launched can be summed up by the following joke: A tourist visiting Ireland stops the car, winds the window down and asks a local for directions to – let’s say Monaghan. The local replies “You want to go to Monaghan? Well sir, if I were you, I wouldn’t start from here.”

If something has been set up badly, you’re unlikely to reach the end destination in one piece.

Culture/Personality Clash – I am 6’1” and weigh something in the region of an immovable object. I am not Alpha in anyway, but am loud, gregarious, charismatic and hirsute. Basically, every time I come up against the Alpha mindset they tend to see me as a Silverback threatening their domain. My job is to make them look good – their reaction is to assume otherwise. Again, you need to be the one to overcome this particular hurdle.

And finally – sometimes you get thrown under a bus. You either have to accept it and move on, or be forever wary that there will be another bus and assailant on every future project. Always keep the receipts. Serve them on a platter of Foxes Glacier Mints. You will have your revenge in this life or the… wait, don’t do that. Grudges are a terrible look for a DM.

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So there you go. It’s not always you.

At times it will be. We will hate you for it, but not always. Sometimes your immovable object will meet an irresistible force. At other times you will be more bus lane than fast lane to stardom. You just need to know how to take the metaphorical punches and come back again. Not every project will be the same and you just need to maintain the belief in your skills and ability.

If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will.

/END