By Eugene le Roux, mechanical engineer, one of his regular online articles on general project management principles.
There are many common mistakes made by project managers. Here we discuss just two: not setting goals, and dictatorial, aggressive behaviour.
Eugene le Roux, retired mechanical engineer.
© RACA Journal
Not setting goals
If goals are not set, could we make the deduction that the manager does not have the capability to set goals, or does not see the necessity to do so? If goals are not set, could it be compared to putting someone on the road, and not saying to which destination he or she should drive?
Could it be that the absence of goals gives the manager more freedom to change their ‘expectation’ at any stage?
What results could one expect under these circumstances, and how often do you see this? Must the goals be complete, consistent, and measurable, and to what level of detail must it be defined?
Please let us have your valuable views.
Dictatorial, aggressive behaviour
What deduction could we make if a manager exhibits dictatorial, and aggressive behavior? Does he or she want to build a psychological barrier around him or her, to keep people at a distance? Does this person have insecurities and inconsistencies which they want to hide, and cannot defend?
Or do they feel that their subordinates would not understand the complexity of the situation? But were their subordinates ever informed of the complete management picture?
Could one judge the quality of management by the ratio of times they act proactively, versus reactively?
Why must it become necessary to hammer a square peg into a round hole?
