Project Management Integrity – At least try to fake it

Integrity is one of those old-fashioned words. It gets thrown in with words like horseless carriage, nifty and swell, house calls and milkman. It has been replaced by ideas like politics, expedience and sales calls. One sales guy I worked with summed up integrity in the work place by saying, “Pick us ‘cause we aren’t as slimy as the competition.”

Maintaining your integrity is a full time job. But can make all the difference in affecting your reputation.

Here are a few reminders to help you out…..

Wikipedia defines INTEGRITY as consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations and outcome. As a holistic concept, it judges the quality of a system in terms of its ability to achieve its own goals.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, especially when no one is watching.”

“Integrity is doing what you say you’ll do, and saying what you truly think, even if unpopular.”

Be on time. Do you show up to meetings when you get around to it – arriving 5-10 minutes late? Or dial into conference calls late? Are your meetings back to back?………why not start your meetings 10-15 minutes past the hour to give people time to walk from one meeting to the next. Kind of like Highschool – remember? I was taught that “if you are not early – you’re late” — and that is so true!

Do what you said you’ll do. Is your “yes” really a yes? I know people that say “yes” but have no intentions of doing it. That is not being accountable. When you commit to a deadline – meet it. If you anticipate a problem – then tell the PM and they can help mitigate things. Else you are late – making others late – and so on! It is a vicious cycle

Take Responsibility. As the PM – you own the success of the project. I once heard a statement at a PMI seminar: “If it is to be, it’s up to me”…..and that is as true as you can get. That doesn’t mean doing everything – but it does mean that you need to remember that if a project team member fails or stumbles – you are there to help them succeed, mitigate the issue, come up with Plan B, C, …. You are responsible for the project’s success

Put in an honest day’s work. Do you work 40 hours/week – or do you come in late & leave early? Do you surf the web at work or talk on phone or IM, tweet, or blog? Your employer pays you to “be productive”…take the initiative to seek for out. I hate to be bored with slow work….so find a need and fill it – or ask forsomething more to do. Do you really think people around don’t know you are slacking off – They Do !

Report accurately. Be honest – with your timesheet, status report, budget, schedule, milestones, risks, etc. State it positively – to keep your team informed and management as well. Nothing is worse than surprises – when you knew it might happen.

Think about it – would YOU hire YOU – knowing what you do?

Like any habit – fake it for while….before you know it you’ll be doing it without even trying.

I’d love your feedback on my article.  Please take a minute to share your thoughts below — all input is welcome