Your Name is Safe in My House

Ok, you’ll notice this entry is a bit of a break from typical Practical Analyst content on business analysis skills and techniques, but I think it is an important topic for BA’s, and one that I write about as much for my own benefit as for that of my readers.

A friend of mine once told me of an uncle whose “byline” – for lack of a better term – was, “your name is safe in my house.” What he meant is that you wouldn’t have to worry about him or others in his company speaking ill of you. People took the uncle at his word, too,  because he was never heard speaking poorly of others.

Successful BA’s Understand the Importance of Relationships

Business analysts don’t know it all – as much as some among us might like to act (or even think) like we do – but the good ones know how to find it. We rely on trust-based relationships with those “in the know” to gather the information we need to help businesses define and solve problems. Building and maintaining these relationships depends largely on our professionalism, including character attributes such as honesty, trustworthiness and consistency. Basically, you have to have integrity.

Don’t take the bait!

You might see where I’m going here. Delivering successful projects is a team sport with all kinds of players; all of whom have their own opinions on what needs to be done, how we need to go about it, and whose fault the whole darn problem was in the first place.

Analysts and project managers especially have lots of opportunities during the course of their work across groups to hear the business’s complaints about IT, and vice versa or one individual’s complaints about another. In some cases, you may feel inclined to join in, either because you agree, or because the other party (or parties) seems to want you to validate their comments.

My simple counsel here would be to not take the bait, when offered, to participate in conversations that focus on the weaknesses and shortcomings of others in a way that is not constructive. That same cross-organizational nature of our roles also gives us an opportunity to really help teams jell and reach their potential and – to steal a phrase – help bridge the gaps between individuals, groups and organizations. Steering clear of the gossip gutter will also help minimize the risk of burning bridges or committing a careless but costly “CLM” (Career Limiting Move).

I’ll wrap-up by paraphrasing a saying I once heard to the effect that trust is hard to win and easy to lose, and once it is lost it is even more difficult – if not impossible – to win it back. And face it, people know that if you don’t mind gossiping to them, then you won’t mind gossiping about them either.

I won’t pretend to have never been critical of others. I think it’s something most of us seem to struggle with. I just wanted to share the “your name is safe in my house” idea because I thought it was neat, and I’d like to be that kind of person and that kind of professional. I strongly believe that the ability to build and nurture trusting relationships is critical to being a successful business analyst, and it’s much easier to earn and keep that trust when our associates know that their names are safe in our presence.

Related posts:

1. Timeless Management Principles
2. JB Weekly Digest (07-45)