Reporting for Duty, Sir. Sisyphus

Jim’s status on his instant messaging app was “Reporting for Duty, Sir -Sisyphus”. Not knowing who Sisyphus was, let alone what this message meant, Jim’s manager asked him about the cryptic message. 

“Oh, yeah, that…” said Jim, a bit abashedly. “Sisyphus was the mythical king of an ancient Greek city who cheated death twice. The Greek god Hades punished him by forcing him to roll an immense boulder up a hill. The problem was, “Jim continued, “that as soon as he neared the top of the hill, the boulder would roll back down and Sisyhpus would have to start over again, every day, for eternity!” 

“What does that have to do with you?” Jim’s manager asked. 

“Well, sometimes it feels like that here, sir,” commenting on the work being doled out to him. Sad, but true. 

Do you feel that way at times as a PMO Leader or Project Manager? Doing the same thing day in and day out but not feeling like you are making any progress? 

What are the Symptoms of a Sisyphean Workplace? 

It’s easy to succumb to the demands of the PMO or be overcome by events. The projects keep coming, the demands continue growing, and there’s rarely enough people, let alone time, to keep up with everything. It’s like you get the boulder up to the top of the hill each day only to have it roll down to the bottom to start over again. 

How can you tell if you have problems like Sisyphus?  

• You Keep Banging Your Head Against the Wall - Day in and day out, you have the same conversations that go nowhere. Decisions are made, people agree, and even notes of meetings are sent out for everyone to reference. Yet, a few days pass and it’s like those decisions were never made. You may scratch your head at first, but in the long run, this pattern leaves you feeling like you’re just banging your head against a wall. 
• Your Stress Levels are Rising - Would your stress levels rise if you were Sisyphus? Of course, they would. When you’re so close to accomplishing something and find that you have to repeatedly start over again from scratch, mounting stress is a Sisyphean-type symptom. Your shoulders become tight. It’s hard to sleep. The thought of that boulder sitting on your desk causes anxiety. 
• You’re Disconnecting from Others - A third symptom is that you no longer maintain the close relationships that helped you accomplish so much up to this point. You become more withdrawn, choosing not to engage in conversations or social events with team members. You already know how disappointingly these conversations are going to end, so choose not to start them in the first place.  

Getting the Boulder Over the Top 

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, you can do something about it as a PMO Leader. It all comes down to doing things differently. Easier said than done, but not really. Start with a list of activities that feel like boulders. Remove yourself from the weeds and details and ask yourself what you can do differently. Then, do those things differently! 

For example, one common problem many PMOs experience is getting timely project updates from team members. You email them and ask for updates only to receive radio silence. So, do something different. Like what? You could instant message them in the morning, or put a standing reminder on their calendar; try cc:ing their manager on the email, talking to them in person; or, pull a weekly mandatory status update meeting together. Those are just a few ideas. They’ll know you are not going to be ignored, and that it would be easier to give you what you want than deal with the extra meetings and escalations. 

That’s just one simple example. You’re going to have your own list of complicated and thorny issues. It’s up to you to do things differently and push that boulder over the hill once and for all, for all time!