Where Has the Respect Gone?

I remember when I joined the job force y mother and grandmother had to get use to me calling my boss by their first name.  They grew up either calling their boss "Mr." or "Mrs." then their last name.  This was a sign of respect.  Something that is lacking today.  Today, it's okay to curse on phone calls, be condescending or even cut people off that are talking on the phone.  As BA's we deal with this sort of thing daily.  Unfortunately sometimes these sort of behaviors are coming from the project champions, business leads or even executive sponsors which makes it very hard to know how to respond when these sort of things happen.  So as BA's can we handle these situations?

1. Do not react to the person with the behavior the same way.  Instead do the exact opposite, if they are get loud on the phone then you get softer, if they are condescending then kill them with kindness.  If you react in the same way, especially if they more credibility than you do on the project, then you will look as being confrontational.  This will produce a negative perception on you which is not what we want.
2. Do not confront the person with the behavior in front of a group.  Pull the person to the side or have a one to one conversation at a later time. Ensure to take emotions out of it when you need to have that crucial conversation.
3. Leverage that network.  If you find you are in a situation when you need re-enforcement and you happen to know someone who is close to this individual then you may want to leverage that person to help mitigate this situation.  Ensure this individual you reach out to is someone you can trust because that is critical to this.
4. Know what battles to fight and when to fight them.  Not everything needs to be fought.  Some things you let go past and then other you don't.  Understand your organization's culture to understand what battles to fight as the culture may drive some of the behaviors you are seeing.
5. In all things remain true to you.  Don't lose yourself trying to deal with difficult people.  Maintain your integrity, work hard and continue to build your credibility.

The interpersonal skills are just as important as the hard skills.  You need both to be a successful BA.  I have seen a lot of BA's struggle because they have one but not the other, but essentially the majority of our job is building those relationships and maintaining them so we can help to build solutions for our business partners that are efficient and successful.

So I encourage you, as fellow BA's please don't lose who you are in the midst of what may be some of the most disrespectful situations.  I know this is EXTREMELY hard not to do but if you don't your job as a BA could be so much harder.  I am by no means saying be a doormat but I am saying be strategic in all you do and understand your organization's culture.  More to come on how to understand your organization's culture.

Regards,

Paula Bell

Tae Kwon Do

One activity I currently do with my family is Tae Kwon Do, specifically focusing on life protection and not competitions.  I had to do Tae Kwon Do Testing this Tuesday to test for my orange belt which is the 3rd belt for my class.  During the test Renshi Dickey had us repeat the 5 tenents which are: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit.  These are the tenents we should live our life with. It's not just saying the word but rather practicing these tenents throughout our life.  These tenets are vital to becoming a successful business analyst as well.  Let's take the definition (all taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) of each tenent and relate it back to why it is important to business analysis:

1. Courtesy

a.    Meaning: Behavior marked by polished manners or respect for other

b.    Application: As business analysts there is a level of respect we are given and a level of respect we must give to all project partners we work with.  It’s important that we respect our stakeholder’s opinions and ensure they feel that they are heard.  This kind act will make your job as a business analyst easier.  It’s easy to get so caught up in the work and forget some of the fundamental things that are needed to ensure people feel respected and valued.

2.  Integrity

a.    Meaning: Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values

b.    Application: Integrity is the moral fabric of who you are.  Without integrity what do you have.  Without integrity your credibility and character are questioned.  It’s EXTREMELY important as business analysts we are integrous.  No matter the situation, it’s important we don’t lose this because once this is lost it’s very hard to get it back.

3.    Perseverance

a.    Meaning: Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering

b.    Application:  I do believe every business analyst, whether you are new to business analysis or have in business analysis for a while, you know you have to persevere through all the challenges and difficulties that come toward you daily.  A lot of the business analyst I know are passionate about business analysis and that can help to drive your perseverance because when you do something you are passionate about it helps you to make it through the difficulties, failures and/or opposition.

4. Self Control

a.    Meaning: Restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires

b.    Application:  There are many a days have to restrain myself from saying what I really want to say on projects I am on because it could result in career suicide.  As business analyst we have to ensure we have self control.  We need to know which battles to fight and which ones not to fight.  This can be very difficult but we have to be very strategic in what we do as business analyst, considering there are many organizations out there that do not know how to effectively use business analysts.

5.    Indomitable Spirit

a.    Meaning: Incapable of being subdued : unconquerable, indomitable courage

b.    Application: In Tae Kwon Do this allows you to overcome your fears.  When you do testing it can be overwhelming and you may have fear because you don’t know what to expect but you know you have the courage to do because you are out there doing it.  The same thing with business analysis.  There have been times when I have went into meetings not knowing what to expect or not really feeling that I’m totally prepared due to the audience I will be in front of.  However, when I get into the element it always comes out better than I thought. That indomitable spirit (the courage) outweighs the fear.  As business analysts we need to have this trait.

So you make ask, how do you gain these things if you don’t already possess them? More blog posts to come on this. ;-)

Regards,

Paula Bell

History Repeats Itself, But It Doesn't Have To

New article published on BA Times


www.batimes.com/articles/history-repeats-itself-but-it-doesnt-have-to.HTML

Disturbed

I read a very disturbing article that I decided to share with my blog followers.  I am attaching a link on an article that I read in the Des Moines Register, but I want to focus on one paragraph directly.  I want to attach the link so you can read the article in it's entire context but I am very disturbed.

Here is the actual link:  New education report highlights weaknesses in Iowa schools

Here is the actual paragraph I am disturbed by:
"Schools are teaching an increasingly diverse student population that is at greater risk for failure. The number of low-income, African American, Hispanic and English-language learners has increased in recent years. Unlike other states, Iowa has failed to make progress in closing the achievement gap between those students and their peers, the report says."

I am disturbed because if you are of a diverse student population you are already labeled to have a greater risk of failure????  Where did these facts come from?  When I first read this sentence I went in with the thought that diversity is not just about race but it's about the things that make us different; however, the second sentence is the sentence that made me change my interpretation of diversity based on the author calling out specific races.  Just because you come from a low income family, African American, Hispanic or learning English as your second language doesn't automatically mean you are going to be a failure.  I can't even deduce logic in that.  I met some students who are going for scholarships and some are from low income homes and they have 3.8 or high grade point averages in high school.  I didn't grow up rich by any means but have done well for myself because of my motivation, discipline and ambition.  I studied hard and worked hard and no matter what when you put your mind to something you can achieve it.  What type of message is this sending to our children?  This is sending a message that if you fit any of these categories you are already stereotyped and put in a box.  African Americans and Hispanics are not the only ones from low income homes either.  People of all races and walks of life can be low income.

I speak at conferences and events on diversity and this article has really ticked me off because:

1. Diversity is not just about race - diversity is inclusion and embracing differences because when you put different people together the ideas generated are powerful
2. No matter where you come from if you set your mind to something you can achieve it.  No matter the adversity
3. If you fit into any of the above categories you are already labeled before you can even start. That is not even fair.

I am very disturbed by this article.  This article also points out individuals with disabilities.  It's 2011 and we need to get past this way of thinking.  Instead of putting people in boxes and labeling them before they have a change, let's encourage each other to be the best person we can be, even if that doesn't fit into your definition.  People are different for a reason and some have challenges in areas that others don't.  Instead of stereotyping and literally saying they are a failure, take the time to take your knowledge and help them out.

One of the reasons I moved to Iowa is because of their education system.  My children have had challenges in this system but my husband and I are advocates for them.  Parent's DO NOT let people, like the person who wrote this article, label your kids.  Everyone learns different but we must be advocates and examples for our children.  They break through this barrier and encourage our kids to be their best, after all they are our future.

I know this post doesn't relate to business analysis directly but how many times have we been judged as BA's before we even walk into the room or conduct our first meeting?  How did that make you feel?  Now imagine how that would make a child a feel.

Regards,
Paula Bell

Dynamics

One of the hardest things on projects is not actually implementing the project but rather dealing with the project dynamics to get the project implemented.  If the project is complex the dynamics are even worse. Personalities, styles and approaches are some of the hardest things to manage on projects.  This is exceptionally true if you have multiple business analysts, project managers, test leads, etc... So how do you manage through the dynamics to get the job done?

1. If a new person comes on the project team (i.e. business analyst, project manager, etc...) ensure there is a conversation with that individual to find out how this individual works as well as communicate to them how others on the team work.  This may also require the individual to talk directly to the project manager or business, etc...to really understand the style.  This will eliminate unnecessary angst later on.
2. Understand that you may need to tweak your style to fit the project.  This does not mean that you change who you are, but you may have to tailor your approach due to the audience.  This is EXTREMELY important.  As you deal with different stakeholders, different approaches may be required.
3. It's not about you but rather about successful completion of the project.  If you always remember the end goal it's easier to remember that flexibility will be needed.

People may chalk this up to politics but this is not a political situation this is a situation where the project team needs to figure out how to work with each other.

Project dynamics is something that occurs on every project therefore everyone has to figure out how to navigate through it opposed to fighting through it along the way.

Paula Bell

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Published Article in BA Times

BA times is a business analysis trade magazine that is read all over the nation. I'm very honored to have an article I wrote published.

Check it out:
http://www.batimes.com/articles/why-versus-why-not.html

Paula-Tics

So why does politics make "Paula Tick"?  Because it can make my job so much harder than it needs to be. The hidden agendas and personal motives are sometimes less to be desired. It would be nice if everyone could get along and truly work towards the same end goal, but that is more a fantasy than a reality in this industry of business analysis and project management. I have found that this sort of thing is heightened if you are involved on projects where what is being developed is replacing jobs, which leads to positions being eliminated. This is when individuals get real creative on how to play the hidden agendas card as they are in self preservation mode, that is providing they are even told which is political in itself in some cases. However, this self preservation mode is what brings pain to those working these projects because it's like walking on egg shells to get what you want because there are certain things you can't say or trouble will come upon your head and it's even worse in cases where people don't know because you can't let anything slip. So how do you navigate through all of this to get your job done? There is really no easy answer to this because you can't control people but you can control how you react to this and you can control yourself.

1. Don't heighten the political game by having your own personal agenda and joining in the politics.
2. Stay focused on your end goal which is project success and partnering with you business partners to obtain that.
3. Try not to get emotional (as you can tell I struggle with this sometimes so I'm preaching to myself right now)

I will admit that politics ticks me off. I'm not the one to really season my words and I'm pretty direct and honest. I'm not the one to hide things from the stakeholders and sponsors, which might be the reason I'm in business analysis and not project management where a lot of this conversations occur. I do believe that despite how good or bad you MUST be honest with your project sponsors to allow them to make good decisions. Don't get caught up in the hype of politics to the point you lose yourself, integrity, ethicsa nd credibility. Do what you know is right though others may not agree. They may get mad but eventually they will be glad you did it. Poltics to me equals personal agendas and hidden motives. No one wants to look bad or fail so the politics card comes in. Whether that means finger pointing to take the focus of you or manipulation to get what you want. Remember the boomerang effect, what you do to others will come back to you in some shape or form.

So let's stop the madness and work with each other to meet the end goal. Let's be strategic, critical thinkers, visionaries and problem solverss. It will make everyone happier and stop ticking people off, like me. 

Regards,

Paula Bell