I know it’s not fair to write about your grandchildren. Like, who wants to hear about somebody else’s kids? But I’m compelled and I promise there’s some value here so hang with me. I just received my first ever cell phone call from my oldest granddaughter from her new phone. She called me to say I should be sure to watch American Idol tonight. We’re both loyal fanatics. We watch the show and compare notes and debate about who will be voted off tomorrow night. (Trust me when I tell you I’m not old enough to have a granddaughter old enough to have a comprehensive discussion about American Idol contestants, let alone be talking on the phone. Suffice it to say I was young—very young—when I had my daughter and she was even younger when she had her girls.) Anyway, I’ll be certain to watch.

So, now to the meat of it. What is it about American Idol that keeps us coming back for more? I think at the heart of it, it’s the same thing that keeps project managers coming back for more. Projects, especially new projects when they’re just starting out, are exciting. There’s so much promise and so much potential. Wow! Won’t we look good when we pull this thing off? Each week, we’ll progress through the project schedule delivering on milestone after milestone to the cheers of the stakeholders and the team members we hold dear. Checking off a completed deliverable is probably the equivalent of applause for most project mangers. I know that I feel good when I successfully finish and deliver on a major project milestone. Much like American Idol fans, witnessing the maturing and blossoming of the contestants each week, marching closer to the ultimate goal of “project complete” keeps us coming back for more.

The excitement of implementing a new product or service that no one else has done before (at least in our department or organization) has an alluring effect. After all, no one has done this before in this way, at this time, in this environment. What a great opportunity to let our professional abilities shine. Like the Idol contestants, we can try new things, stretch our wings, and push the limits. While we don’t play to the same audience the contestants do, our stakeholders are just as important as Idol viewers. And don’t our stakeholders have the final vote? If you do well, they bring you back. If you don’t, um, let’s not go there. As a leader and as a project manager, the votes ultimately rest with your stakeholders, peers, and team members. That’s the audience you need to please. So go forth and make your project sing!