Part 10: The Battlefield Doesn’t Stop Because You’re Busy#
We’re still outside Troy.
The Greeks and Trojans are fighting over the wall, the ships, and apparently every available square metre of beach.
Hector is having a particularly productive day.
He’s charging around the battlefield, leading attacks and generally being an absolute menace to the Greek delivery team.
From a frontline performance perspective, excellent.
From a programme oversight perspective?
We may have a problem.
😂
Because while Hector is busy being very good at fighting, other parts of the Trojan army are having a considerably less successful afternoon.
Commanders are injured. Units are struggling. The situation is changing.
And Hector hasn’t quite noticed.
Fortunately, Polydamas has.
Yes, Polydamas.
The same fellow who recently submitted a risk assessment involving an eagle and a snake.
Last time he raised a concern, Hector threatened to kill him.
And yet here he is, back with another recommendation.
Apparently, Troy’s whistleblower protection policy consists entirely of Polydamas being remarkably difficult to intimidate.
😂
This time, Polydamas points out that Hector is an excellent warrior, but that doesn’t mean he’s equally good at everything.
Different people bring different strengths. Some are better fighters. Others are better advisers.
And right now, someone needs to stop and look at what’s happening across the entire battlefield.
Here’s the interesting part.
Hector actually listens.
He accepts the advice and goes to check on the other commanders.
Which is a rather encouraging development for the programme’s internal communications.
Meanwhile, over on the Greek side, Nestor has been looking after the wounded Machaon.
An important responsibility.
Unfortunately, the rest of the battlefield hasn’t stopped moving while he’s occupied.
When Nestor hears the fighting intensifying, he goes to investigate and discovers that the wider situation has deteriorated considerably.
And here’s what I find interesting about all three of them.
Everyone is doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing.
Hector is fighting.
Polydamas is advising.
Nestor is attending to someone who needs help.
None of them is doing anything wrong.
But concentrating on one responsibility naturally limits how much attention we can give to everything else.
That’s not a failure of concentration.
That’s how concentration works.
And I recognise this in myself.
I love solving complicated problems.
Give me something that doesn’t make sense, something that needs investigating or untangling, and I can become completely absorbed in it.
Sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed.
But occasionally, I have to remind myself to zoom back out.
What’s happening elsewhere?
Have priorities changed?
Am I still working on the thing that needs my attention most?
Because being extremely effective at one part of a project doesn’t automatically mean you’re maintaining visibility over the whole thing.
And I don’t think the answer is to stop concentrating.
Projects need people who can get right into the detail.
They also need people who can see how those details fit together.
Sometimes someone else notices what you’ve missed.
Sometimes you notice something has changed.
And sometimes you simply need to remind yourself to look up.
For me, that’s where the wisdom comes in.
Not in somehow maintaining perfect awareness of everything at once.
But in recognising when it’s time to look up.
The battlefield doesn’t stop because you’re busy.
Neither does a project.
And if someone does tap you on the shoulder to point out that the rest of the army is having a terrible afternoon, perhaps listen.
Especially if it’s Polydamas.
The man has already demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to submitting feedback despite management’s rather aggressive complaints procedure.
😂