Dot Connector Blog

Are you about to start a project with a popular, well-respected, brand-name company? Cool! Here’s a tip: don’t assume they “get it!”

A common mis-perception I’ve made, and I’ve seen others around me make, is that just because a company has a well-known brand, they always do really cool stuff, they “get it,” and they can always live up to their well-known and respected brand. Although this is often the case, it is not always the case – hence, my words of caution for you as a project manager.

Here are a few examples (without naming the culprits!):

• A major professional sports organization – who is publically looked up to by millions, seems like a dynamic place to be a part of, is always in the media, etc. takes longer than expected to execute even the smallest projects due to the extensive layers of bureaucracy they have.
• A company with one of the most popular websites on the Internet – who seems like they are always innovating and doing amazing things, sells “vaporware” (i.e. software that doesn’t yet exist) to it’s biggest advertising clients, only to acknowledge later that their tools could not do what their overzealous sales force had said they could.

Of course, if I told you who these organizations were, it would pack even more punch. But, I just can’t do that.

The real point here is that you should never blindly put your faith in an organization you are working with just because they have a strong brand. If they are communicative, competent, truthful, innovative, etc. sure, put your faith in them. But don’t let their brand fool you into thinking they are something they aren’t.

• Don’t Burn Bridges – It’s About People, Not Companies
• Companies Started in a Recession [Recession History]
• What’s Your Brand?
• Creativity: 3 Ways to Seize the Opportunity to be Creative!
• Recommended Reading on Project Management, Personal Productivity, and Business Strategy

Posted in: Personal Development, Project Management