The Eye of Sauron

Moments of intense pressure

Even before getting into management, I’m sure you’ll be able to recall the moments that you were under intense pressure to deliver.

Sometimes, this pressure can come from anticipation: your team just happens to be responsible for delivering the most important new feature for the company this year. It’s being announced on stage at an event that’s already booked. Argh! Pressure to deliver can also come from catastrophe: parts of your infrastructure may not have scaled as expected and are continually on fire, and unless a new solution is developed, your customers are going to go elsewhere.

In these moments, you’ll have felt what I like to describe as the gaze of the Eye of Sauron, the villain from Lord of the Rings. Yes, that flaming, piercing stare of the Dark Lord that follows you everywhere. Whichever way you turn, the entire business is looking toward you. It’s uncomfortable, and you can feel the heat. There are emails, chat messages, ticket comments, interruptions in person, you name it. It’s constant and stressful.

• “Is it looking okay for next week?”
• “Our clients are asking for an update. How’s it going?”
• “Is it fixed yet?”
• “Can we not put more people on this?”

Depending on your mindset, you can turn these tough situations into a challenging but rewarding experience for your team, or conversely, you can totally fumble. Handled correctly, you’ll be looking at career growth. Handled poorly, and you may find the next high-stakes project goes to another team instead.

Warning signs

You’ll know that the Eye has turned its gaze onto your team as a number of cues become more frequent and intense.