“What is the purpose of your visit to the United States of America?” The US Custom and Border Protection officer was a big guy. He asked the usual questions in a deep and hoarse voice and was sitting on a rather tall chair behind his counter, which made him look somewhat dominating if not menacing. […]
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How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions Using Project Management
If you are like 50% of Americans, you must have made your New Year’s resolutions recently. And if you are one of those “new-year-resolute” folks, then you could use some help right now: over 40% of new year’s resolutions do not survive past one month.
When Ethnic Jokes Can Be Exchanged and Enjoyed
Once upon a time, well before Obama and Trump as we know them, and when pretty much everybody still smoked tobacco, I was having a lunch break with guys from the Lab and Production. And it must be noted that our frontline workforce was more diverse than the United Nations has ever been. In the […]
Humble Leaders and Other (Oxy)morons
In the summer of 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill summoned Sergeant Ward, a New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross, to congratulate him on his exploits. The fearless pilot was struck dumb with awe by the experience and was unable to answer the Prime Minister’s questions. Churchill regarded the reluctant hero with some compassion. “You must […]
Project Management Master Class: the Fifth Project of Heracles
Storytelling is an effective coaching technique, but it is rarely used in project management. Fortunately, the history of mankind is replete with wonderful examples of projects delivered by individuals who lived long before project management as we know it was born, so we can learn from their mistakes.
Positive Reinforcement for Engineers
A young manager in a major industrial company, trying to explain their reporting procedures, had trouble pronouncing the word “hierarchy.” When I did it for him after his third attempt, he was grateful – but not at all uncomfortable: “I am an engineer, you know, long words is not really my cup of tea.” Indeed, […]
The ROE: Return On Engagement
A traveler passes a construction site and sees three men working. He asks the first man what he is doing and gets a reply: “I am laying bricks.” The second says: “I am building a wall.” Finally, the third man answers: “I am building a cathedral.”
PMP Certification: Facts and Thoughts
A couple of weeks ago, I asked fellow PMs in three LinkedIn groups to share basic data on their academic background. I received 280 responses, out of which 268 contained meaningful data. As promised, I am sharing some results with you.
The End of Project Management as We Know It
“How many project managers would it take to build a Pyramid? – None: we are all going Agile now.” Did you hear this one before? Neither did I, as I just made it up.
7 Tips to Ensure Your Meetings Never End
Meetings are a vital part of a manager’s daily routine. The number of meetings you have booked on your calendar defines the level of your importance in the corporate food chain and is a good indicator of your future potential in the organization. Therefore, every aspiring manager must do his bit to expand the number […]