Understanding Project Pressure and Tension

I constantly wonder why situations arise where pressure and tension are generated in projects. One reason is that most projects are simply complex—you have to coordinate several, sometimes dozens of people, anticipate and plan in advance what will happen, and determine what resources will be needed. As a species, we’re not very good at detailed long-term planning (see: David Rock – Your Brain at Work).

The Adrenaline Junkie Syndrome

Another mechanism that contributes to chaos is the adrenaline junkie syndrome. This term was originally coined in a sports context and refers to people who consciously seek activities that raise adrenaline levels—slightly dangerous situations that many would prefer to avoid. They love when something is happening, when situations get out of control, because then they become indispensable, adrenaline levels rise, and it’s fun. The situation becomes more subtle when the adrenaline junkie wears a suit and tie, or at least hides behind a managerial position—then they have a high level of influence, which provides ample opportunities to create confusion. This behavior isn’t conscious—it just happens. (In the context of IT projects, this is described in the book Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies.)

A Day in the Life of an Adrenaline Junkie

How can you recognize an adrenaline junkie? Consider this scenario:

7:00 AM: Wake up. Just 5 more minutes. Snooze. Another snooze. Another. Okay, it’s 7:30; I have to get up because I should be at work by 8:00. I have a meeting scheduled. There’s practically no chance I’ll make it on time. I quickly jump in the shower, brush my teeth, and hastily get dressed. Damn—I still need to iron these pants. I leave at 7:53. I definitely won’t make it. How late will I be? 20 minutes? Maybe I can make it. I call the person I’m meeting: “I’ll be there at 8:15.” I get on the bus. Damn, traffic jams. Of course—there are always traffic jams. The bus is crawling. I probably won’t make it by 8:15. I keep telling myself not to stay up until 4 AM. Today, I’ll definitely go to bed earlier. I arrive at the meeting at 8:25. My counterpart is annoyed. I try to defuse the situation with jokes. The meeting ends at 9:30. Then I have another. Then another. Then another. I have meetings until 4:30 PM! When will I work? 4:35 PM: I should eat something. No time. I go to the nearest store and buy three candy bars. What a day! We’ve generated so many ideas; new project topics are emerging. The fact that after a whole day of meetings, I still have to compile everything, send emails, write reports… But now I’m rushing home—or rather to school—to pick up my daughter. A moment for family. In the meantime, someone calls. I had to clarify a few details that couldn’t be settled during the day. I try to play with the kids, but the day’s events keep coming back, and I start analyzing what else could be done. The phone rings again. An upset client wants to terminate cooperation because they’re dissatisfied. I stop playing with the kids. After half an hour, I manage to appease the client. Alright, now if only the kids would go to bed quickly—I still have so much work. 9:30 PM: Phew. Finally, peace. I need to review what I still have to do. Probably a few hours of work. No point complaining—gotta act. 10:30 PM: My eyes are closing a bit. I’ll take a short nap. Wake up at 11:00 PM. I really don’t want to get up, but I manage. I make some tea. Browse Facebook. After half an hour, I’m up and running. First email, second, third. I feel the wind beneath my wings—I love this job. Hours pass without notice—1:00, 2:00, 3:00 AM. I didn’t notice when I fell asleep. I wake up with a neck ache, sitting at the computer. Okay. Time for bed. Tomorrow at 8, I have a meeting—I can’t oversleep this time.

Characteristics of Adrenaline Junkies in Leadership

This is a typical day for an adrenaline junkie. It’s a typical day for many project managers, company owners, or ambitious leaders. For these people, what’s happening is okay—they need something to be happening to push topics to completion. They’re always short on time, but they constantly generate new topics, challenges, tasks. When the level of activity, and consequently adrenaline, drops—they become apathetic, uninterested, bored. On the other hand, these are often people who drive actions, are the engine of change, love being uncomfortable, and devote themselves 150%. That’s why many of them become managers or directors, but very often they expect similar dedication from others.

The Adrenaline Junkie as an Antipattern

An adrenaline junkie is an antipattern in the context of working on projects or products because, for such individuals, the product or project is secondary; it’s mainly a pretext to generate energy and tension. Questions about the sensibility or value of actions take a back seat because “something has to be happening” is more important. Of course, during the execution of actions, when a lot is happening, this isn’t noticeable, and there’s a clever illusion that what we’re doing is immensely important and we must do it. The plus side of this attitude is generating energy and driving others to action.

Addressing the Adrenaline Junkie Behavior

The question arises: what can be done about it? I must admit, I don’t have an easy answer. The first impulse might be to say: “fire them,” “get rid of them,” “replace them with someone more balanced.” This can be difficult if the person is a sponsor or the originator of the venture. We won’t be able to convince such a person of their destructive impact on the whole. Changing this type of attitude is very difficult, even if the person wants to do something about it. It largely stems from the structure and specifics of the nervous and hormonal systems. Much of this pattern is encoded in genes. One might suggest they channel their energy elsewhere—running marathons, triathlons, or Thai boxing sessions. But we won’t suggest that to the CEO, unless we’re drinking vodka with them. Personally, if I found myself under the jurisdiction of such an individual—I would either practice setting boundaries very firmly (“Okay, dude—if you want and it excites you, generate a ton of tasks, but I want to work 8 hours. Period."—said in this or a more tailored way) or simply move