Archive for April, 2009

The Real Value Deal: A Simple Recipe for Career Fulfillment

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Lakecia Carter, PMP

These days, we all are looking for value deals everywhere! We are not as quick to spend our money or time unless we are absolutely sure that it is well worth it. The same holds true for our profession. As Project Managers, some of us are searching for the value deal in our careers. We spend a great amount of time, money, effort and energy to realize a valuable return. The return can be money, success, career growth, just to name a few. Although these are awesome returns, I believe the greatest return you can receive is fulfillment. This is what I consider to be the “real” value deal! Well, get your appetites ready – I have a simple recipe for fulfillment just for you! (more…)

Tags: Leadership
Posted in Lakecia Carter, PMP, PDUs2Go Author Article | No Comments »

The Theory of Change

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Caroline Nightbird

Recently, an acquaintance of mine who has been searching for many years for a sense of direction and purpose revealed that she was waiting for that “unshakable vision”. I immediately thought of the work by a Belgian physicist named Ilya Prigogine who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his theory of “Dissipative Structures”, part of which he contends that friction is a fundamental property of nature and nothing grows without it – not mountains, not pearls, not stars, not people. (more…)

Tags: Project Performance
Posted in Caroline Nightbird, Corporate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder™, PDUs2Go Author Article | No Comments »

Dear PMPs – If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu!

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By David Nour

When you’re a candidate for a great role in the PMO that ends up going to a peer, are you left wondering “why them and not me?” Why were they promoted to manage or lead that great sales & marketing project, but not me? Why when I am the one who is more consistently and more recently invited to spend time with the VP of Operations, are they the one receiving the promotion?

As a project management professional, if this has happened to you, I recommend you take some time for careful introspection regarding why you didn’t receive this growth opportunity. To do this effectively, I offer you 10 points to consider. (more…)

Tags: Project Performance
Posted in David Nour, PDUs2Go Author Article, Relationship Economics | No Comments »

Negotiating During Challenging Times

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Mark Jankowski

As the economy tightens, effective negotiation skills become more important than ever. It is imperative to commit yourself and your organization to achieving “WIN-win” deals. Though overused and often misused “WIN-win” simply means: “the best way to get what you want, is to help them get what they want.” The simplicity of this phrase, however, is belied by the difficulty many people have in executing on it, particularly in challenging economic times.

To survive in the short term, it may be tempting to take advantage of the other guy. You may convince yourself that tough times call for tough tactics, and that the end justifies the means, but how will you feel when your ‘partner’ can’t or won’t fulfill their end of the bargain? One-sided agreements are often broken because players will either find a better deal or will be unable to keep their own doors open. (more…)

Tags: Leadership
Posted in Mark Jankowski, PDUs2Go Author Article, Power of Nice | No Comments »

Making a Difference—The Last 5 Minutes

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Mac M. Martirossian, CPA

The world around us has changed; the global workforce has shrunk and the survivors of the worldwide reduction in employment ranks are being asked to do more. Two ways of viewing the “global chill”-threat or opportunity?

In this author’s view, it is the latter, provided you are prepared to make an investment in yourself and your future. (more…)

Tags: Leadership
Posted in Mac M. Martirossian, CPA, PDUs2Go Author Article | No Comments »

Keeping Energy High During Business Storms

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Dr. Bob Rausch, PhD.

Keeping energy high and refueling others are imperative in business, especially during times when people are being asked to do more with less. A colleague stated it this way: “It seems we’re at a point where we just ’suck it up’ and keep on truckin’ … no matter how flat our tires or how little gas is in the tank.” I agree in principle, we do have to keep on truckin’; however, while we’re truckin’, we need to be particularly sensitive to how we use personal and enterprise energy. During difficult times it is critical not to waste energy on what appear to be negative circumstances. Focusing on the present circumstances can create a lot of fear, frustration, and energy drain. Although it may be difficult to do so in unfavorable times, you need to see what can be done differently. This was brought home to me clearly during one of my personal storms. A colleague asked how I was doing, and I said, “Fine, under the circumstances.” His response was, “Well, what are you doing under there?” He was right-I was wasting a lot of energy focusing on the circumstances. Here are a few ways to keep energy high when you find yourself in a storm. (more…)

Tags: Leadership
Posted in Bob Rausch, PhD., PDUs2Go Author Article, Physics of Performance | No Comments »

Ever Wonder Where the Term "Debugging" Came From?

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Tom Kellen

ENIAC

February 14, 1946 – ENIAC is turned on, and the term “debugging” enters the geek lexicon

ENIAC, an acronym for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was the first high-speed fully electronic general purpose digital computing machine.

Built for the United States Army’s Ballistic Research Laboratory, with its intial task being the calculation of artillery firing tables. But it was unique because rather than being capable of being used for only one single purpose, it could be “programmed”, and reprogrammed, to solve a full range of computing problems.

ENIAC filled an entire room, weighed in just short of 30 tons, and at a time before ‘transistors’ relied on vacuum tubes – thousands of them.

One of the problems with vacuum tubes is that they heat up. Warm vacuum tubes, emitting light, attracted moths. Flying – and dying – moths had a tendency to interfere with the operation of the tubes.

To ensure proper operation, ENIAC was regularly ‘debugged’.

The vaccum tubes and moths are long gone.
The term ‘debugging’ is still in use.

Thanks to Great Moments in Geek History – The Illustrated History of Geekdom for this tidbit!

Tags: Project Management
Posted in PDUs2Go Author Article, Tech Tools for PMP's, Tom Kellen | No Comments »

Love my Alliances, Hate Negotiation

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

How to Win Agreement and Influence Decisions without losing friendships!

By Dr. Drew Stevens, PhD.

Everything in life is a compromise; everything in life is a negotiation. We all seem stifled by the word and implications that surround negotiating. Yet what most of us do not realize is that we have been negotiating since we were born. From the time we wanted a bottle or refused napping our education in negotiation began. In fact, research for this article illustrates that 43% of the American workforce changed jobs since 2006. And, the divorce rate in the United States hovers at over 53%.

However, we become increasingly befuddled by negotiation. We hold strong beliefs that negotiation is meant to be a battle. We begin negotiations on the defensive and seek to end them in a similar manner. The most vital idea to comprehend about negotiation is its definition. Negotiation is nothing more than an exchange of ideas and values between two or more parties with different interests. Conceptually negotiation is a communication and critical thinking exercise inducing creative problem solving. This article seeks to address ways in which you can negotiate and still move away with your credibility and friendships in tact. (more…)

Tags: Project Management
Posted in Drew Stevens, PhD., PDUs2Go Author Article, Split Second | No Comments »

Communicate More Effectively and More Often

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By Pamela A. Scott

During tough times, people tend to hunker down, pray for the best, and expect the worst. That’s where you, as a PMP, come in.

People look to you for information and guidance. Therefore, you should be communicating with your people more often and more effectively. When our brains lack information, such as the status of a project, our brains make the information up. And it’s always negative.

Nobody’s uninformed brain is thinking, “Boy, Tom is on top of things with our project. I will just sit back and relax and not worry.” It’s not going to happen.

Here are some steps you can take to make communication more successful in your projects. These ideas will also help build morale and foster teamwork. (more…)

Tags: Project Management
Posted in PDUs2Go Author Article, Pamela A. Scott, We Know PMPs | No Comments »

Polish Your Performance-Diamond®

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

By MaryGrace Allenchey, PMP

At this time, in this economic climate, perhaps more than ever, it is necessary to make your capabilities as well as those of your organization SHINE…so you must polish your PERFORMANCE DIAMOND^®.

To enhance your performance, you must possess the knowledge required to optimally perform the tasks of your profession. Organizations must also provide associates with knowledge of enterprise specific products and services as well as the required life-cycle functions associated with successful delivery of those products and services. (more…)

Tags: Project Management
Posted in MaryGrace Allenchey, PMP, PDUs2Go Author Article, PM Diamond Dynamics | No Comments »

« Older Entries

Archive for April, 2009

The Real Value Deal: A Simple Recipe for Career Fulfillment

The Theory of Change

Dear PMPs – If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu!

Negotiating During Challenging Times

Making a Difference—The Last 5 Minutes

Keeping Energy High During Business Storms

Ever Wonder Where the Term "Debugging" Came From?

Love my Alliances, Hate Negotiation

Communicate More Effectively and More Often

Polish Your Performance-Diamond®

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