More Things I've Learned Along the Way: VII

When I learn something, or when I witness someone else learning something, I sometimes wish I had learned it long ago. If it could have saved me trouble, or led me somewhere I find appealing, I write it down. Here's another installment from my growing collection.

• When composing messages — email or text — be brief. The period is your best friend. Full stop.
• It's good to tell them when you need it by, but it might be more important to ask them when they think it will be ready.
• Make no important decisions when your brain is all aflutter — or totally panicked.
• When something is badly broken, and fixing it isn't your job, move on. Adapt. If you choose to move on, the first task is managing the risk that you might circle back and try to fix whatever it is that's broken.
• Valuing something that helps our world is good. Consciously living that value is better. Living that value in ways so others can see how you do it could be better still.
• If you don't know what you want, you probably can't figure out how to get it.
• If you don't know what you want, you probably can't recognize it when you stumble on it.
• If you don't know what you don't want, you probably can't figure out how to not get it.
• When someone does you wrong, mentally cursing their existence or repeatedly reciting to yourself the complete catalog of their faults does nothing good for them or you. And wallowing in your pain intensifies it. Breathe. Set it all aside for now until you can think clearly enough to learn something from the experience.
• Two leaps per chasm is fatal.—Chinese proverb
• Avoid giving a name to any policy you might have to violate yourself someday.
• Most people are right about a lot of things, but nobody's right about everything.
• The task of Engineering is to find solutions that satisfy enough of the constraints well enough. The task of Science is to find out why all the other solutions didn't work. The task of Business is to find solutions before someone else does.
• Beware of the tyranny of the "right" way.—Virginia Satir
• Look at the past; don't stare at it.—Virginia Satir
• It's not wrong to distrust the untrustworthy.
• When a tough problem has stumped your team, ask yourself what they're not asking questions about. If you can't find a reason why the team isn't asking those questions, consider asking those questions intentionally. More
• Beware those who insist that they can reduce a project's Budget, tighten its Schedule, or expand its Scope without affecting Quality. They probably know they can't do that. They'll make their changes and then blame the team for problems with Quality. MoreThe more we disagree, the greater
  the chance that at least one of us
  has it mostly right.—Anonymous
• Project Manager and Project Sponsor are partners. The Project Sponsor defines the objective, names the Project Manager, sets the budget, and often provides resources. The Project Manager makes estimates, manages risks, and manages the team. Trouble comes when one tries to do — or has to do — the other's job.
• Inexperience can lead to overconfidence. Experience can temper overconfidence, if it's based on incidents relevant to the work at hand.
• Confidence and relevant experience are a powerful basis for credibility.
• In a newly formed group, some group members have ambitions to become leaders; some have the leader's talent and skills; and some have the leader's disposition. Trouble comes when ambitions, talent, skills, and disposition don't all reside in one person. More
• Most people choose familiarity over comfort, especially during times of stress.—Virginia Satir
• The problem is not the problem; the coping is the problem.—Virginia Satir
• Victory awaits those who have everything in order: People call this luck.—Roald Amundsen
• The powerful would be wise to accept a courageously and honestly spoken "No," and then work around the obstacles, instead of accepting a fearfully and dishonestly spoken "Yes," and then crashing into those same obstacles.
• One way to seem to make up for lost time is to create a delusional schedule. But if the old schedule was delusional, creating a new delusional schedule just replaces one delusion with another. More
• The greatest organizational impact of workplace bullying occurs when bullies coerce people into committing to reach an objective that they cannot reach with the resources and time available. More

Last words

You probably have a collection like this, but maybe it isn't written down. Something magical happens for me when I write them down. I tend to remember them when I need them. If you haven't written down your collection, try it.   First issue in this series   Top    Next Issue

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More things I've learned

Some Things I've Learned Along the Way  [October 19, 2005]

When I have an important insight, I write it down in a little notebook. Here are some items from my personal collection.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way  [December 11, 2013]

Some entries from my personal collection of useful insights.

Still More Things I've Learned Along the Way  [March 30, 2016]

When I have an important insight, or when I'm taught a lesson, I write it down. Here's another batch from my personal collection.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: IV  [July 31, 2019]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I write it down. Here's Part IV from my personal collection. Example: When it comes to disputes and confusion, one person is enough.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: V  [March 30, 2022]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: VI  [April 19, 2023]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is.

More about scope creep

Some Causes of Scope Creep  [September 4, 2002]

When we suddenly realize that our project's scope has expanded far beyond its initial boundaries — when we have that how-did-we-ever-get-here feeling — we're experiencing the downside of scope creep. Preventing scope creep starts with understanding how it happens.

Scopemonging: When Scope Creep Is Intentional  [August 22, 2007]

Scope creep is the tendency of some projects to expand their goals. Usually, we think of scope creep as an unintended consequence of a series of well-intentioned choices. But sometimes, it's much more than that.

More Indicators of Scopemonging  [August 29, 2007]

Scope creep — the tendency of some projects to expand their goals — is usually an unintended consequence of well-intentioned choices. But sometimes, it's part of a hidden agenda that some use to overcome budgetary and political obstacles.

The Perils of Political Praise  [May 19, 2010]

Political Praise is any public statement, praising (most often) an individual, and including a characterization of the individual or the individual's deeds, and which spins or distorts in such a way that it advances the praiser's own political agenda, possibly at the expense of the one praised.

The Deck Chairs of the Titanic: Task Duration  [June 22, 2011]

Much of what we call work is as futile and irrelevant as rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic. We continue our exploration of futile and irrelevant work, this time emphasizing behaviors that extend task duration.

The Deck Chairs of the Titanic: Strategy  [June 29, 2011]

Much of what we call work is about as effective and relevant as rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic. We continue our exploration of futile and irrelevant work, this time emphasizing behaviors related to strategy.

Ground Level Sources of Scope Creep  [July 18, 2012]

We usually think of scope creep as having been induced by managerial decisions. And most often, it probably is. But most project team members — and others as well — can contribute to the problem.

Scope Creep and the Planning Fallacy  [February 19, 2014]

Much is known about scope creep, but it nevertheless occurs with such alarming frequency that in some organizations, it's a certainty. Perhaps what keeps us from controlling it better is that its causes can't be addressed with management methodology. Its causes might be, in part, psychological.

Scope Creep, Hot Hands, and the Illusion of Control  [February 26, 2014]

Despite our awareness of scope creep's dangerous effects on projects and other efforts, we seem unable to prevent it. Two cognitive biases — the "hot hand fallacy" and "the illusion of control" — might provide explanations.

Scope Creep and Confirmation Bias  [March 12, 2014]

As we've seen, some cognitive biases can contribute to the incidence of scope creep in projects and other efforts. Confirmation bias, which causes us to prefer evidence that bolsters our preconceptions, is one of these.

On Planning in Plan-Hostile Environments: I  [April 23, 2025]

In most organizations, most of the time, the plans we make run into little obstacles. When that happens, we find workarounds. We adapt. We flex. We innovate. But there are times when whatever fix we try, in whatever way we replan, we just can't make it work. We're working in a plan-hostile environment.

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The Politics of the Critical Path: II

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High Falutin' Goofy Talk: III

Workplace speech and writing sometimes strays into the land of pretentious but overused business phrases, which I like to call "high falutin' goofy talk." We use these phrases with perhaps less thought than they deserve, because they can be trite or can evoke indecorous images. Here's Part III of a collection of phrases and images to avoid.

See also Workplace Politics for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

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And on July 9: On Being Seriously Funny at Work

Humor is such a valuable tool at work that it ought to be recognized as an official contribution by team members who provide the laughs that keep some teams from auto-destructing. Even if you're not known for bringing the funny, there are a few simple techniques that can change your image. Available here and by RSS on July 9.

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