Flibbertigibbet

Stressball

Some people make their own stress. I loathe these people.

I think it's because when times get crazy, I tend to swallow my anxiety and detach from the urgency. I focus on questions like, "What's the worst possible outcome?" or "What are the next immediate steps to completion?"

My current job is that of a sort of technical project manager. This means that on most all of my projects I work with someone else who is a client manager. They manage client communications and the non-technical aspects of the project.

Well, I work with one such client manager who is VERY high-strung. Imagine the combination of the two of us in a high-stress situation. Conversations frequently go like this:

Flibby: An unfortunate outcome for our project is nearly certain. I am working on it, though, and I have a plan that may allow us to avoid it. It's a long shot, so I want you to be prepared for the eventuality that this may not be done until Monday instead of Friday.

Stressball: AAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!! THIS PROJECT MUST STAY ON TRACK! IF IT GOES WRONG WE WILL BE FIRED AND THEY WILL BURN DOWN THE BUILDING BEHIND US AND THEY WILL SLAUGHTER 666 INNOCENT BABIES AND WASH US IN THEIR BLOOD!! WE CANNOT DELAY THIS PROJECT BY EVEN A SINGLE DAY.

Flibby: Um. Well, there's a chance it won't be delayed and I am going to do everything I can to avoid that. I will know by this afternoon if --

Stressball: AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!

Flibby: Ok. Well, before you freak out, let me go back to my desk and find out if this will work.

Stressball: AAAAAAIIIII--

Flibby: Stop. I am going to work on this. Do not do or say anything else until you hear from me. I'm going to my desk now.

That's almost an exact transcript of a project we had yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon, I called a meeting in which I explained that it looks like the situation has changed and our project will be on time, but it will be the last minute. If it doesn't work, then I also explained that I have a back-up plan.

In spite of that, the stressball wrote an email to me late last night and copied my boss and his boss asking for an update and talking about how the client was agitated about the project.

That pissed me off in a big way.

I wrote an email back to her and the rest of the world expressing my confusion since I provided such an update yesterday afternoon. I also provided some advice about how to manage client communications in such a way to avoid "agitation" and I closed with high praise of the other teams I've been working with who've supported us in meeting the client's expectations. A shared sense of urgency about this project is clearly not lacking.

So, my day today will be spent mostly keeping a lid on that snotty little pressure-cooker of an project manager that I have to work with on this. Woo.