We had spent well over a year constructing a school, and we had finally reached the point of connecting to utilities – when – I got a huge surprise!
It was a moment that with a fixed mindset, may have resulted in a lot of finger pointing and deflection, and in my client incurring potentially insurmountable burdens.
But with a growth mindset, we muddled our way through – as a team.
Our plan went out the window
The surprise was that the main gas line which we all believed was located merely feet away under a major thoroughfare, wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere along that street.
After the initial shock, we did determined that a viable source was a block away.
However, it was obvious that connecting to it was going to be complicated, slow, and expensive. As the project manager, I knew every detail of the schedule and the budget – I didn’t have any buffer time or that kind of contingency funding left at that point.
Continued to be guided and motivated by the goal
When an unforeseen, daunting obstacle obliterates your well-laid plans, you need to lean on your determination, and your connections.
For the gas line situation, I needed to pull together a lot of creative energy and willpower to find ways to keep the project moving forward.
Conversations went in all directions: Exploring cost-sharing plans. Engaging with the neighbours to support digging up their street, right now. Reaching out to key subcontractors without knowing which entity would ultimately hire and pay them but getting them scheduled.
Everyone was motivated by the value of this school building to the neighbourhood, and believed we’d get there, if we kept working together.
Reaching a destination is about the people, not the plan
And yes, the school opened on time.
It was incredible proof that reaching your destination isn’t about the plan you have when you set out.
It’s about how you keep moving when the plan becomes irrelevant. And in particular, about the clarity of your goal and the strength of the relationships you’ve built to work as a team.
Exercise for strengthening relationships
Here’s an exercise to help nurture relationships.
- Today, remember a time when something fell apart, or a deadline was suddenly at risk – for yourself or someone you rallied to help. Think of the various people who contributed to keeping things moving.
- Every day this week, tell someone that you appreciate they’re an available resource if/when a snafu happens. Maybe it’s a savvy site superintendent, a well-connected Board chair, or a mentor who’s been through it all.
- At the end of the week, notice how you feel about the available support around you.
