Reframing to avoid frustration

When I'm in a project management engagement, it can be hard to feel great when people don't do what they said they would. When I'm in a position where that's happened, I take a step back and think about what just happened and how to avoid blame and scapegoating. First, I remind myself that everyone is doing their best. Today, Jordan told me they had ordered supplies on 1/17 and they got the order wrong.

In this case, Jordan had never done this before and was overconfident. I reached out to step through this with them, and confirmed it was done. I communicated back that a delay was expected, and the customer confirmed that it was OK. This was extra work, yet it's worth it. Next time Jordan will go ham with their new skill and the customer thinks I'm competent.