Specialization and the Project Manager
A few years ago, I ran across this quote: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze [...]
Tone Deaf Communications
A few years ago, I led a study called The Alpha Study. The full results were published here. The study looked at 860 project managers and approximately 5,000 of their stakeholders to understand what made the top-performing project managers more effective than their counterparts. Some of the findings were surprising. There were many areas in [...]
Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?
My dad valued luck. I have fond childhood memories of him backing the car out of our garage on warm spring evenings and unfolding the ping pong table. We would go at it for hours sometimes. Dad had an uncanny knack for hitting the ball to the very end of the table so that it [...]
Flying First Class – 32 on the Upgrade List
2 weeks ago, I’m traveling from Atlanta to California. I drive to the airport to catch my flight, go through security, and walk to my gate with plenty of time to spare. I look up at the monitor and see that all 26 seats in first class are full. This tells me that everyone has checked [...]
Conflict and the PM
The past couple of weeks, I’ve had a front row seat to some organizational conflict occurring in a couple of different companies. One of the groups has asked me to get involved to help resolve it, and I’ve been loosely involved with both sides in the other company. Looking in from the outside, you can [...]
If You Don’t Know, Say So
People are flat out crazy. And, I’ve got a story to tell… I enjoy playing tennis, and Atlanta is a great place to be with over 100,000 enthusiasts signed up for league play in ALTA, USTA, League Tennis, T2…lots of options. But, some of the people who participate are c-r-a-z-y. Recently, I’m playing a double’s [...]
Agile and The US Coast Guard
Last week I had the privilege of visiting with the United States Coast Guard in Charleston, SC. One of the highlights was the time spent in the Seahawk Interagency Operations Center with Commander Priebe. This center has the daunting mission of coordinating the efforts of over a dozen different law enforcement agencies, national, state, and [...]
Where Do YOU Draw the Line?
Are you risk averse, or risk tolerant? I am thinking that this is a difficult question to answer. Just like so many questions that could appear on the PMP® Exam, we wish there was more data provided to better respond to such a question. My first answer to many questions like this is, “It depends.” OK, without [...]
“I Need Some Air!”
Yesterday I began my checkout procedures for driving the Air/Light support truck for my local volunteer fire department. This truck carries a generator for powering scene floodlights for emergency situations. It also has many rehabilitation supplies for the support of emergency personnel, such as cooling chairs, temporary shelters, ice water and drinks, as well as [...]
Marriage & Pistol Licenses: Some things just don’t go together…
As I’ve mentioned, I have 1 sister. She has 3 awesome kids. One recently climbed the Herndon Monument, and one just got married last Saturday – congratulations to Alysse and Mike! Alysse and Mike make an amazing couple – they are devoted to each other, loving, generous…and they’ve both got a great sense of humor. [...]
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