For the past year, each day as I walk my dog, I have stopped in the same location and taken a picture from precisely the same angle.  The beauty of the experience is that no two pictures are alike.  In fact, some don’t look anything like the others.  Yes, it’s the same mountain.  Yes, it’s the same set of trees.  Yes, it’s the same road.  No, it’s not the same view.

The old saying is that “if you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” Not true.

The view always changes. It’s a matter of appreciating the change.

The hundreds of pictures of the same location teach me how much I relish the sunny days, the warmth of spring, the snow and the snowplows, and the occasional intruder on our otherwise vacant street. From dense fog to crystal clarity, I’ve been known to wear a headlamp to avoid becoming rural roadkill.

What We Learn from Pseudo-Sameness

We like to believe that we function in a consistent world.  And we do.  The familiarity of the frameworks in our environment afford us a degree of constancy and consistency that afford a level of comfort and assurance.  But it is that same constancy that allows us to try new things and to break out into different perspectives on the work that we do, the processes that we follow and the innovation that is essential in today’s workplace.

One of our daily missions should be to establish what’s truly part of the framework, and what’s as ephemeral as a snowflake. First and foremost, know the elements that can and do remain static, so that we can use them as anchors for our day-to-day behaviors. In my daily dog walks, I know where the road suddenly steepens.  On a clear or sunny day, it doesn’t matter.  There’s no peril.  On a snowbound January bluster, it’s definitely a risk consideration. 

In the office, knowing what will always be there can be both a source of comfort and a potential indicator of risk. We all work with others in the course of our day-to-day.  You might think they’re always there, like a familiar road.  We know how they’ll interact and behave.  Until they don’t. 

I had occasion to talk with the snow crew one day as they rested along the roadside here on Haystack Mountain.  I made it a point to let them know the depth of my gratitude for digging out our remote little corner of Appalachia.  I acknowledged their contribution.  Why?  The view had changed, and they were doing their darnedest to restore it to familiarity and sameness. 

We need to take inventory of the things around us that are the same:

  • Coworkers and Peers
  • Facilities
  • Attitudes
  • Processes

In doing so, we open the door to acknowledging how those elements of sameness are working in our favor. It’s an opportunity to apprise others of what we value about the structures around us, and how we appreciate it when they can remain unchanged.  Sometimes, even if we’re not the lead dog, we’re good with the view.

How Does an Unchanged View Work in Our Favor?

If you are reading this, you likely have had at least a brush with project management and the Project Management Institute. They are the arbiters of what constitutes best practice in the project management arena. And while they come out with a new version of The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) every few years – the 8th edition is currently in the works – their goal is to create a healthy and consistent view of the profession, its processes and its practitioners.

Those who are, like myself, certified Project Management Professionals (PMP®) believe that we know what elements need to be consistent from project to project and from organization to organization.

The interesting components about the sameness around us is that we have direct influence over both their nature and longevity. When the PMBOK Guide® was gearing up for its fourth edition, I volunteered to be a lead chapter author (risk management).  Why? Because the view didn’t need to change, but it could use a little tweaking here and there. If the view was going to shift slightly, I wanted to be the one doing the shifting.

Leveraging the “view” is completely within our individual level of authority.  First, we determine what the view is, and what the core components are.  Then we establish and affirm the elements that we truly appreciate.  We share with those around us that they are our allies when they contribute to the sameness we crave. And lastly, as we realize which elements of sameness are not in our favor, we seek out the opportunities to tweak it to mirror our professional interests and needs. 

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Carl Pritchard, PMI-RMP®, PMP® lives for a high degree of sameness in a relatively low-risk environment, high on Haystack Mountain in the Appalachian mountain chain.  He welcomes your comments at carl@carlpritchard.com  And he’s teaching a virtual session on new perspectives on succeeding on the PMP exam, coming up April 3, 2025.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pmp-certification-exam-philosophy-class-tickets-1248480521849