Schemers

"They're schemers....schemers trying to control their little worlds..."
- From one of my favorite scenes in The Dark Knight | the Joker talking to Harvey Dent.

While watching The Dark Knight again over the holiday, I was reminded about an aspect to management that I often forget about - plans go awry. Schedules fall apart, projects are canceled, clients go bankrupt, and this all happens to the best of managers - managers that are putting together solid Gantt Charts, are regularly updating clients, doing an excellent job of scope management - great managers.

This certainly doesn't mean we bail on squeezing out every ounce of effort we can into maintaining the integrity of deadlines, expectations, etc. Rather, it means that as a good manager, we can deal with failure.

In fact, we should anticipate it. Be ready for our management plans to fall apart. We need to make the blueprints to build the house, and then plan for weather delays and budget pitfalls. Not every project will be this way, but our control does have its limits. Embracing that before it happens is a trait that needs exercising.

Plan for failure.