From the course: The Top 10 Project Management Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

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Tip 2: Saying "maybe" or "I'll try"

Tip 2: Saying "maybe" or "I'll try"

From the course: The Top 10 Project Management Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

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Tip 2: Saying "maybe" or "I'll try"

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- So the second mistake that people make, and I think this is also really common, is saying "maybe" or "I'll try," when they're asked to do a project. So when your boss says, "Can you do this for me by Christmas?" You say, "Well, I might be able to. I'll see what I can do" or "I'll do the best I can. I'll give it a go." And if you say to your boss, "I might be able to do it by Christmas." What do they hear? And they probably hear "yes." If you say, "I'll try, I'll do the best I can." They hear "yes." I actually hear "no." And I don't know whether that's because I'm a project manager and I'm naturally cautious, but if somebody says "I might come to your party," I know they're not coming. But for some reason at work, if you say, "We'll see what we can do." They hear "yes." And that's really risky, because what if you then don't succeed? You've kind of promised. And sometimes there's a lot pressure. They say, "You will do it, won't you?" And there's this implication of if you can't do…

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