The Perils of Wishful Thinking

by Kathy Seaton

Authored by Janet DiVincenzo

Recently a work colleague and I were discussing a project that has gone from bad to worse. Because she was in the thick of things, and I was only peripheral to the project, I was able to see the forest and the trees. My colleague was stuck in the trees. Maybe even the branches. In an effort to get the project back on track we consulted an important stakeholder who has power and influence in the organization. This person was even further removed from the moments of irrationality this project has bestowed on us and the advice offered I can only describe as wishful thinking.

Wishful thinking. Hmm. You see that a lot in organizations. Sometimes, people just want something to be true and so even in the face of a long list of issues and yellow flags on the field, they blissfully offer remedies that have no hope of working.

Today I came across this quote in a blog:
• “Because denial and wishful thinking enable a company, project, or product team to self-destruct, it’s critical that CEOs, project managers, and product managers relentlessly discipline themselves and everyone else in the company to be rational at all times. Everyone in a company should continuously be checking their own thinking to detect and correct illogical thinking.” (emphasis added) (http://www.blog.voximate.com/blog/article/910/idiot-denial-wishful-thinking/)

Wishful thinking is a common occurrence among newbie project managers. You just SO WANT something to work that you ignore the fact that your lead programmer has been late on every deadline (you NEED him! maybe he won’t be late the next time!) or that your graphic artist has flaked out on you every time. Be mindful of this tendency. As the blogger above says, check yourself for illogical thinking. Don’t let your unbridled optimism take hold. Wishful thinking will not buy you time. It steals time. Keep it real.