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\nChaos is a Ladder\n

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\nFrom time to time, I like to take a quote out of context, and examine what Project Managers can learn from it. 'Chaos is a Ladder' is a great quote to analyze.You may think this one is for Game of Thrones fans. In fact, despite its deep...\nFrom time to time, I like to take a quote out of context, and examine what Project Managers can learn from it. 'Chaos is a Ladder' is a great quote to analyze.

You may think this one is for Game of Thrones fans. In fact, despite its deep cynicism, this quote has a lot to teach all of us.

Chaos
In an exchange between two secondary characters, one says:
'Chaos. A gaping pit waiting to swallow us all.'
The other, Petyr Baelish, replies:
'Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder.
Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them.
And some are given a chance to climb, but refuse. They cling to the realm, or love, or the gods…
Illusions.
Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is. But they'll never know this. Not until it's too late.'

Let's address the cynicism first
In Project Management, the climb is not all there is. We reach the top, and it is often worth reaching. Call me a starry-eyed optimist, but if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't take on projects.
And, whilst I can't say every project has led to sunlit uplands, most have led to real, worthwhile change. They have made positive contributions to the lives of my stakeholders.

Chaos as a Metaphor for Projects
Chaos is a common metaphor for projects. My friends Elise Stevens and Glen Alleman run blogs called:
• Fix My Project Chaos (Elise - now renamed), and
• Herding Cats (Glen)
And Dan Bradbary and David Garrett wrote the book, Herding Chickens -

Chaos isn't a Pit
Where I agree with the Baelish character is that chaos isn't a pit we find ourselves falling into. It is the route out of the pit. There may be chaos, but Elise fixes it, Glen herds the cats, and Dan and David (coincidence?) herd chickens.

That's what we do, as project managers.
We take a chaotic, complex, uncertain, situation, and we climb upwards, one rung at a time.

VUCA
The acronym VUCA is getting a lot of attention, lately:
• Volatile
• Uncertain
• Complex
• Ambiguous
Check-out our video if you’re not familiar with the term.
   • What is VUCA? ...and VUCA' (VUCA Prime)  

But, isn't this just what project managers created our discipline to address?
VUCA Prime
And then Robert Johansen coined the VUCA Prime formulation to address a VUCA world with four responses. Wasn't he just describing our job:
• Vision
• Understanding
• Clarity
• Agility

So, I would argue that vision, understanding, clarity, and agility are our route out of chaos. The ladder is our route out of chaos. A less appealing quote, perhaps. But a better analysis to build your career upon.\n
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4:35
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Grade
10th - Higher Ed
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Career & Technical Education
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\nOnline PM Courses\n\n
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Date
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2021
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English
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For Teacher Use
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Concepts

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vision, cats, chickens, time, agility
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chaos is a ladder, chaos, risk, risk management, vuca, vuca prime, vuca', robert johansen, herding cats, herding chickens, game of thrones, petyr baelish, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, understanding, clarity, project management, onlinepmcourses, mike clayton, chaos is not a ladder, project chaos, project managers, peter baelish, dan bradbury, david garrett, cynicism, benefits, made, world, quote, learn, ladder, character, climb, real, projects, reach, worthwhile, stakeholders, call, achieve
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