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Proven Techniques for Glorious Failure:
# 4 Ninja Invisibility!

by Kevin Christ

Aspiring Project Assassins take note. While you have learned a few devasting techniques to provide projects with premature death, there are still so many attacks to learn (bwaa ha ha). Amazingly, the tool of lesson 4 takes no effort on your part… literally, no effort.

You see, we assassins must move silently and in the background so that people never know we are there. Essentially, we are invisible. Mastering this discipline can kill a project and ensure that you are around in the future to kill many more. For more wide-spread devastation, mentoring others in this discipline can have a terminal effect across many projects in your company. What makes this approach truly special is that it is remarkably stealthy in its execution.

You can easily hide in the shadows behind the misinterpretation of a plethora of leading “how to” management literature and buzzwords. You must openly speak of empowerment, delegation, accountability, and responsibility. My personal favorite is "Leadership development opportunity!" These words are so powerful that they are practically embraced as scripture across the business community; they can be a sirens’ song. As a bonus, everyone will want to work for you because you are so “enlightened." Let’s further explore how invisibility can support your mission.

• Practice the three "A’s" - abdication, abandonment, and absolution. As an executive sponsor, the key is to make sure that you can cleanse yourself of all forensic evidence related to the project when needed. To delegate (abdicate) and empower (abandon), simply entrust the project manager with total control over the project. Trust them wholeheartedly with all scoping, budgetary, and issue management matters. Meet with the PM as sparingly as possible–afterall, you have annointed them. When you are approached for decisions, advice, sponsorship or communications, always respond with, "It’s your call… that’s why I chose you!" If the project somehow actually succeeds, you are still the sponsor and will bask in glory. But if it fails, you can blame that “weak” project manager and maintain your spotless record. Human sacrifice need not die with the Aztecs.

• Punish all judgment calls and risk taking that doesn’t pan out perfectly - even when smart low-risk chances are taken with strong rationale. Public humiliation is best. In this way, as a sponsor you can spread the power of invisibility throughout the project leadership group. They too will begin abandoning and abdicating, and will begin looking for someone lower in the food chain to leave holding the bag. The only thing more devasting to a project than an invisible sponsor is for several layers of leadership to become invisible.

• Everything you need to know, you learned in kindergarten. Really, with a simple combination of "Tag (you’re it)" and "Hide-and-Seek (invisibility)", you can rise rapidly in your organization while projects all around you fail. It never hurts to study-up on your "Leap Frog" skills as well! Let me close by digressing to a true story... Ninja’s honor. I once met a manager at a Big 3 automotive manufacturer who had seventeen years of tenure at the company. He claimed that over his entire career, he never signed a single document. He always found a way to have his boss or a subordinate make all requests, expenditures and approvals. Having seen career carnage all around him during his tenure when others took risks, he credited his "strategy" for his relative longevity. He was the black belt master of invisibility.

In parting, the following phrase admirably captures the essence of this article.

Playing dead not only comes in handy when face-to-face with a bear,
but also at important business meetings.
- Jack Handey

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Avalion Tip: Active, visible sponsors are often critical to project success. Certainly, sponsors should not be involved in each and every project decision. However, an active sponsor can expedite decisions, assist in the tough calls that must be made, eliminate roadblocks, and inspire change. Project managers are most effective with strong "air cover."

Avalion Tip: Appropriate risk-taking, whether or not it pans out. Many studies show that if a risk-taker stands alone, risk-taking will die in the organization. Eventually, the organization will fail to innovate and change, and it will ultimately fail altogether. Ironically, long term risk-avoidance leads to certain long-term failure.

Avalion Tip: The opposite of invisibility is actually transparency. Be very open about who is involved from a leadership perspective and the roles they play. Be a champion for the project and a champion for change.

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About the Author: While the identity and whereabouts of the Project Assassin remain unknown, Kevin Christ, Vice President of IT Services with Avalion Consulting, has spent his career battling the evil forces of the Project Assassin and his forces in program management, project management and project rescue. He is known for his business acumen, his technical insight and a troubling sense of humor. Kevin has been a management consultant for almost 25 years and his full profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/kchrist. He can be e‑mailed at kchrist@avalion.com.