Many initiatives fail because the leader does not get behind the projects enough. Many leaders have an attention deficit disorder that rivals any teenager’s concentration span. An additional problem is that some projects are started and with proper counsel, would never have left the drawing-board.

Some ways you can make a difference in this area include:

  • Monitor all late projects each week and make it career-limiting for project managers to be on the “late project list” on a regular basis.

  • Have a projects-in-progress summary and review it at least twice a month thus ensuring the projects are finished as fast as new ones are started.

  • Set up a focus-group workshop to assess the feasibility of all new major projects—these focus groups typically are comprised of experienced individuals across the organisation. During the day they discuss the main problems; the technology that is being proposed, see a presentation of the proposed new systems, and brainstorm the main hurdles the project team will need to clear. If at the end of the workshop the focus group gives the green light, you then have 20 or so sales agents for the new system around the organisation.

You may wish also to read an extract from my Winning Leadership Whitepaper, this paper can be purchased from my website.