Eagles on the Course
I almost hit some eagles yesterday on the golf course.
No, the real kind.
(I have about zero chance of hitting a golf eagle, which is two strokes under par on a hole. I’m happy if I can manage a few pars in a round.)
I live part-time in the San Juan Islands, a glorious group of islands tucked between Washington State and Canada. Eagles have made a huge comeback here in the past 30 years, to the point where I’m almost disappointed if I don’t see one close-up on a given day. They perch on a tree near our house scanning the water, and regularly flap across our yard below the treetops.
I was out on our local golf course yesterday, and twice had to stop to let the eagles pass. On the 6th hole, there were a pair of them foraging in the brush just off the fairway, about 50 yards from the tee1. Eventually they noticed me, hopped out on the fairway, and then flew off. They’re big, powerful birds, a treat to watch at close range. Later, I was about to hit a long pitch (a high, arcing shot) on 11 and saw one lazily circling less than 100 feet above the green; I had to wait a few minutes for him — or her — to decide that the bunnies hiding beneath the trees next to the green weren’t about to come out and be lunch.
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Good project managers don’t ignore the eagles.
When unexpected things happen during a project, a poor project manager will shut them out. I’m not talking about ordinary distractions, like a rabbit — we’re overrun with them — scampering across the fairway; rather, eagles are unexpected events.
When unexpected events occur, don’t just bull your way onward as if they’re not there. Acknowledge them, and seek to understand whether they’ll have an impact, and what that impact might be.
On the course, it’s obvious, I hope. Don’t hit while the eagles are nearby.
On a project, too often the word is “oblivious” rather than “obvious.” When something happens, don’t be oblivious in the guise of staying focused. You need to understand what that something is, and what it portends.
Ignore the rabbits, but mind the eagles.
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1I wonder if they think lost golf balls amid the pine needles might be bird eggs. If so, I’ve offered them way too many chances at such confusion.
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