Okay, imagine you’re stepping into a project that’s gone sideways. It’s like walking into a room where everyone’s arguing and pointing fingers, and the whole place is a mess. That’s what we call a “Program Recovery” situation. Now, to successfully navigate this chaos, you need more than just technical skills; you need a good dose of political savvy.

Think of it like this: you’ve got two battlefronts. On one side, you have the technical challenges – the code that’s not working, the missed deadlines, the budget overruns. That’s the obvious stuff. But then, there’s the other battlefront, the one that’s often hidden in plain sight – the politics of the situation.

In a Program Recovery, emotions run high. People are stressed, scared, and looking for someone to blame. It’s easy to get caught up in that blame game, to try and figure out who messed up and how. But honestly, that’s a waste of your time and energy. As the Program Recovery Manager, your primary job isn’t to play detective; it’s to be a problem solver.

Your focus needs to be laser-sharp, targeting the problems, the issues, the risks – not the people. Why? Because playing the blame game just creates more division and distrust. It makes people defensive and less likely to cooperate. Instead, you need to create an environment where people feel safe to speak openly and honestly about what went wrong.

Think of yourself as a mediator, a facilitator, a peacemaker. You’re there to bring people together, to help them understand that they’re all on the same team, and that the only way to get out of this mess is to work together.

So, how do you do that? By focusing on the facts, the data, the evidence. By asking questions like, “What’s the current status? What are the roadblocks? What are the risks?” By listening more than you speak, and by showing genuine empathy for the people involved.

Remember, in a Program Recovery situation, everyone is under pressure. Your job is to be a calming influence, a voice of reason, a beacon of hope. By focusing on the problems, not the people, you can create a more collaborative and productive environment, one where everyone is working together to find solutions and get the project back on track.