Ron Krukowski's Blog

"Daddy What Are You Thankful For This Thanksgiving?"

2011-11-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

So the other night, my 6 year-old daughter Isabelle, had a homework assignment where she had to articulate what she is thankful for this year. When she finished with her list of things she looked at me and said, "Daddy, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?" "Isabelle, daddy is thankful that he has so much to be thankful for," I replied. She rolled her eyes and gave me this look as if I didn't really answer her question. Isabelle then said, "No really, what are you thankful for daddy?" I knew she wasn't going to let me off of the hook so I replied, "Daddy is thankful for everything in his life!" She contemplated my answer for a moment and then said, "that's cool." And with that, there were no further questions. However, my little 6 year-old had planted a seed that led me to reflect and think about the things I am truly thankful for. Here are a few things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my loving wife Esther, who stands beside me and supports of all my ventures, is the mother of our children, brings order to our household out of the daily chaos and most of all is an attractive woman and overall beautiful human being. She challenges me by getting me out of my comfort zones in order to help me grow as a person, inspires me to want to accomplish more and increase my sharing with others, provides unconditional love as my partner, friend and Soulmate. I am also thankful that she is finding her passion and is setting a direction for herself aside from being "Mommy." Already this year she has played a significant role in helping a few not-for-proffit organizations complete some major initiatives and has begun the creation of her own business.

I am thankful for my six children Ryan (23), Kristin (19), Orielle (15), Gabrielle (12), Isabelle (6) and Noelle (2)! The challenges that my older children present as opportunities for me to be an effective parent as well as the pleasure that I feel when sharing in their accomplishments. As for my younger children, the feeling that fills my heart when they have no expectations other than me just being "Daddy" ...and now "Grand Daddy"!

I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. Although I have always been thankful for my health, there has become an even greater appreciation since my motorcycle accident three years ago. I cherish the air that I breathe, the fact I can fill my lungs with each breath, that the pains I do have are manageable and remind me that I am alive.

I am thankful for my parents (who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this year) and grandparents who have brought me into this world, provided for me as a child and taught me valuable life lessons, instilling key core values within my being.

I am thankful for my brother and two sisters who have been there for me as supportive siblings and have challenged me when I needed to be challenged.

I am thankful for my mother and father-in-law, brother and sister-in-law (and son) who are very sharing individuals always ready to provide assistance, guidance, support and friendship.

I am thankful for all of my aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who have been there for me as a child and the ones who are still around today. In some way, they have all played a role in teaching me valuable lessons and provided me with memories I will cherish forever. Yes, and I am thankful for Facebook which has helped me reconnect with family members and meet new ones!

I am thankful for my doctors and trainer who keep my body healthy as well as my spiritual teachers/community who tend to the health of my mind & soul.

I am thankful for all the men and women who have served our country to defend its' freedoms and keep the liberties that I enjoy today. I have quite a few family members and friends this especially pertains to.

I am thankful for my Circle of Friends who have been there for me, accept me as I am and share in many happy times through our parties, memorable vacations, family get togethers or just knowing they are there.

I am thankful for my past/present Business Associates and Clients who keep me accountable as a business professional, allow me to exercise my management creativity, accept my talents in bringing solutions to their business needs and ultimately contributing to my livelihood.

I am thankful for all of life's challenges that have been put before me thus far. Though some of them have been pretty tough, they have not killed me but have made me stronger.

I am thankful for opportunities that have presented themselves where I was able to share with others and make a difference for them in some way.

In closing, I am extremely Happy and Appreciative that I Have So Much to be Thankful For!

Have a Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

All the Best,

Ron

Peace thru Project Management

2011-08-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of those horrific events that took place on September 11, 2001. As a result of these events, Americans bonded together as a family toward a common resolve. We became friendlier, had more tolerance for others, were more respectful, assisted and looked out for each other, there was more tolerance in the workplace and our overall appreciation for what we had was at it's highest...but this was temporary and did not last.

Today, we are in the midst of many issues; challenged economy, wars overseas, civil unrest in many cities around the world, unemployment numbers still on the rise and just an overall feeling of unrest. Even people who have jobs are more disgruntled than ever with their employers because they feel like their management "just doesn't care."

There are however many organizations out there who's mission it is to bring Peace to the World. Many organizations such as Green Peace, Peace Corps, Action Without Borders, Spiritual and Religous organizations just to name a few. If you Google "Peace Thru" as your search you will find additional organizations that are looking to bring peace in some fashion.

One thing I noticed is that there is nothing found regarding Peace Thru Management or Peace Thru Project Management. It is my experience that peace in the workplace starts with effective managers who are solid leaders and have mastered the "soft skills." Fair and Effective Leadership, Team Building, Motivating, Communicating, Influencing, Decision Making, Political and Cultural Awareness and Negotiating sets the foundation for success. Mastering these skills is essential in making the work environment much more enjoyable for all. Managers who are willing to take these skills to the next level can truly be "ambassadors of peace".

On September 21, 2011, the world will be observing The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day"). It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. This day provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.

Many organizations will be honoring this day by conducting or participating in the many events that will be taking place throughout the world during the week of "Peace Day".

I am actively working with small/medium businesses, corporations and organizations and presenting "Peace thru Project Management." This presentation will contain "interactive" discussion, "real life" stories and "eye" opening examples of utilizing our project management interpersonal skills and going beyond to create more peaceful work environments, communities and who knows...maybe even have global impact!

If you have any comments or thoughts, don't hesitate to respond.

All the best!!!

Ron

"Being Humble Really Helps You Become Better!"

2011-07-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been grappling with joining Toastmasters International. For those of you who are not aware, Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development.

I have been working in Corporate America for more than 25 years. I have had 15 years of success as an employee within major financial firms rising through the management ranks. Since 2001, I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy much success as an independent management consultant. Along the way, I have given many PowerPoint Presentations to various levels of management both as an employee and now as a consultant. I continue to get asked to speak at various events and really enjoy sharing my knowledge, insights, and stories from my life and business experiences. It really inspires me when someone comes up to me and says that something I have said is relatable and helpful to them.

I have been getting requests to increase my speaking engagements. With that, the thought occurred to me that I want to get away from the traditional PowerPoint Centric type of presentation and be more Keynote Oriented and use other Creative Presentation Methods.

I thought for a moment that I really should get involved in a Toastmasters Club to increase my speaking effectiveness. Then I thought, "Why do I need this? I have done many successful presentations in various venues, received great feedback and feel comfortable doing them". My ego was getting the better part of my consciousness so I decided not to join a local chapter. My ego along with my already busy schedule kept me from being a part of Toastmasters.

Fast forward to the last 8 weeks, and I have the opportunity to increase my speaking engagements once again. While going to the cafeteria at my current client site, I saw they had a table set up for people interested in becoming a Toastmaster member. I was intrigued because now it was right there in front of me. This newly formed group would be right onsite. I wouldn't need to rush to another location after my end-of-day commute. I would just need to go up to the 19th floor at lunchtime every Tuesday to be part of Toastmasters. So I joined.

I decided to leave whatever ego I had outside the door and attended the first meeting in a more humbled fashion. I was impressed with the structure of the meeting, how it provided a supportive environment for people who have not ventured into public speaking and the fact that there are evaluations done to help you improve your public speaking competence. As the Toastmaster states, "Eventually everyone becomes confident but we don't want you to be confidently incompetent!" I am a very active participant, and look for every chance I can get to speak in front of the group. I continue to get great feedback for the presentations I have done for the group and I am humbled by the fact that I have received some great pointers from my Toastmaster peers that have helped me where others have not been able to. Applying these pointers as well as other techniques that we are covering, I am taking my public speaking to an even higher level.

So if you are new to public speaking, want to gain some powerful tips to increase your leadership effectiveness or are looking to tweak a few things in your current public speaking repertoire, you should really consider joining a Toastmasters club near you!

And remember, it never hurts to let go of the ego, be a little more humble and get back to the basics. For this is what ultimately helps us propel to our full potential.

All the best,

Ron

The Cost of A Meeting…Do Your Meetings Add Value?

2011-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in a meeting that was totally out of control? In that meeting, did you notice that there was no formal agenda? In that same meeting, did it keep going off point and end up going down the road of too many tangents? During this time, was someone allowed to pontificate on things that had nothing to do with the advancement of the current meeting? In that meeting, was it apparent that the key people needed were not there since every item needed to be followed up on with someone who wasn’t at the meeting? Anytime during this meeting, did you feel that this meeting was going nowhere, your time was being wasted and that you should be doing something more productive? After the meeting, did you notice there was no communications regarding what was discussed, no key decisions or next steps? And finally, at the next follow-up meeting, were you totally "checked out" because the same things were being re-hashed from the last meeting with no evident progress? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you are living first hand the 25%-50% of wasted time in ineffective meetings.

Next time you are in one of these meetings, count the number of people attending and multiply that number by $100. This is roughly the cost of that hour long meeting to your company. So let’s take an example of one of the meetings I have been running at a previous client site. It was a weekly meeting and 20 meetings were conducted for the year. With 35 people on average attending this meeting, it comes out to about $3,500 (the time of the resources attending the meeting). Multiply that by 20 meetings for the year and it costs the company $70,000 for that one meeting. Additionally, it is taking key resources away from doing other critical work. If you then think about the effect of poorly run meetings and the ripple effect of the amount of follow-up, ineffective communications, re-work, degradation of quality and eroding of morale, the cost becomes exponential.

Project Managers and PMOs need to keep this in mind when running meetings. When you see the expense of just one meeting, it is our jobs to ensure the company is getting their monies worth for this investment. Although it should be common sense, here are a few things to ensure meetings are creating their added value:

* Meetings must be designed to create a forum for advancing an agenda and progressing forward. Therefore, a clearly defined agenda must be set with a clear goal in mind. Envision what the outcome of the meeting should be and what it will take for it to be considered successful.

* Meetings should be a short as possible. If needed, break the meetings out.

* Time box the meetings to no more than 1 hour. If it is 30 mins end in 30 mins. If 1 hour, end in 1 hour. The longer the meeting is, the more ineffective it becomes.

* Ensure that key members will make the meetings or will have a proxy there who is ready to discuss their area of responsibility. Also ensure the SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) are there for topics where they are needed. Only invite the members that are needed for the meeting and will make a positive contribution.

* Items to be reviewed in the meeting should be provided to the teams well in advance of the meeting to allow for prep time.

* Effective minutes must be captured and distributed to the group. Actions items must be captured with clear follow-up point people and clear target dates defined for bringing item to closure.

* Follow-ups, decisions from the last meeting must be documented to limit the need for a detailed re-hash of the same items from prior meeting.

* Reach out to the team before the meeting to see if there are any items they would like to discuss at the meeting. These can be planned into the agenda and will help limit “surprise” topics tabled at the meeting.

* Keep meeting on point, limit tangents, items not adding to the progress of the meeting should be tabled for future meeting or handled offline.

* Keep a log of areas that continue to be a “no show” to the meetings. Especially if they are needed for key topics. This could lead to delays in project schedules depending on whether these areas are part of the critical path.

* Do assessments of yourself (or someone else who is facilitating the meeting), the meeting’s overall effectiveness and attendee’s general satisfaction with meetings. Also, reach out to attendees to see if they have any suggestions to make the meeting more effective. Tracking this information will help in refining the meeting to achieve higher level of effectiveness.

* Keep attendees engaged. Ask questions, reach out for status, something that will have people paying attention. This is easier when everyone is in the conference room. However, in today’s “network connected workforce”, everyone is multi-tasking during meetings while their phone is on “mute” so we need to find ways to keep them paying attention and engaging in the meeting at hand.

If your responsible for setting up and facilitating meetings, keep in mind the costs associated with it. Then ask yourself, "Did I do everything possible to create the most value for the money spent on this meeting?" This mental checkpoint can be the difference between successful meetings, or ones that just waste people's time and burn corporate dollars.

All the Best,

Ron Krukowski, PMP

Project Management: "Metrics That Matter"

2011-02-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have personally managed many projects and now in my consulting practice work for clients assisting them in the Creation, Buildout and Management of Project, Program and Portfolio Management Offices. In my experiences, I have been amazed at what various organizations accept as a means to determine the health of a project. I have witnessed organizations where a verbal, "We Are On Time, On Budget and There Are No Issues to Report" statement by a project manager as an acceptable status without any quantification. I have also seen the reverse where a panic is created based on a manager stating, "We Are Behind Schedule, Over Budget and There Are Major Issues!" Again, based on a verbal status update without providing the evidence to support the statement. Conversely, I have witnessed organizations rally around the Earned Value concept which is widely taught to project managers. Crunching numbers to eventually come up with the Cost Performance and Schedule Performance Metrics of a project were thought to be the "Holy Grail". However, even though project managers are responsible for the success and failure of a project, they are not always provided accurate details to factor into these calculations. So here is the dilemma. What should project health status be based on? It appears we can't rely totally on the subjective "gut feel" of the project manager and detail data to feed into scientific calculations may not be readily available. In a recent presentation that I conducted for the PMI NJ Chapter (NJ PMO Local Interest Group), I eluded to the fact that the secret can be found within project assets and extracting additional "Metrics That Matter".

Cost and Schedule

These metrics remain as important as ever with regard to knowing where the project is from a budget and time perspective. Although this is vital information, there are additional metrics that factor into the overall health of an initiative.

Project Plan Quality

How many tasks, activities or milestones are showing a past due start or finish date? How many tasks are behind schedule? How many times have dates slipped and the plan had to be re-baselined? Are %Complete updates being done and are they trending upward? When was the last time the plan was updated? Knowing this, one can determine whether the project plan is being managed effectively.

RIADs (Risks, Issues, Actions and Dependencies) - Close Rate

Do these items get effectively logged with clear understanding and actionable steps? Are due dates assigned? Is it clear who the owner is and when the follow-up will be completed? How many are being closed by their due date? How many keep getting extended and how long? Capturing these metrics will help you evaluate whether the issues of the project are getting the proper attention. Also keep in mind, if a project has too many issues, it may be a sign that it is in trouble. Too few, can be a sign that the project is not being managed properly.

Risks Identified/Planned Mitigation

Ensuring they are planned for and not just checked off as completed item on a central repository. These must have actual mitigation steps within the project plan with assigned resources, and start/end dates assigned. An effective practice is to conduct a formal review to ensure the mitigation steps will effectively resolve the risks that were identified.

Meetings/Attendance

Tracking the number of meetings scheduled and how effectively they were attended will help in determining the effectiveness of project meetings. If there are too many meetings, too few or they are not effectively covered, this could be a sign of trouble. Additionally, if these meetings are not effectively documented (formal published minutes), with key decisions, actions steps, follow-ups and clear lines of responsibility a manager will need to correct this.

Communication Consistency

Has the project manager outlined the communications plan outlining “what” communications would happen and “when”? How many communications were planned and are they being carried out? For example, if the project manager commits to having meeting minutes, risks/issues logs and updated plans distributed to the group (or providing a link to a central repository), are these happening consistently? Since a project manager's job is 90% communication, lack of measurable consistency here should be of great concern.

Decisions Requested/Received

Many times a project incurs a delay due to a key decision that needs to be made. In addition, when these decisions are made there are times that this information is forgotten, or was never communicated to the entire team. By tracking these decisions in a central repository and monitoring decisions requested, who is on the hook to deliver the answer, the the decision received and tracking time it takes will also help determine potential bottlenecks. More importantly, it will show how engaged the stakeholders are to the project. Oh yes, and do be sure to communicate this information to the teams involved.

Project Plan Monitoring

Along with watching target date slippage, I look for %Complete updates. I will trend these statistics from week to week to see if there is a consistent increase in major milestone %Complete. If the %Complete stalls for a few reporting periods or decreases, then I work more closely with that line of business to see what issues they are experiencing and how we can remove the constraints.

Change Control

The number of new requirements, how many have been approved by the Change Management Committee, how many days are added to the plan that was previously baselined and how far the critical path gets extended are key metrics to capture and track. It is also critical to consistently loop this back into the overall project communications. We don’t want to lose sight of the impact caused by decisions to allow “new” or “changed” requirements to enter the project scope.

Resource Tracking Metrics

A key part of the project planning is to have a Roles & Responsibilities Matrix. Tracking resources as they are added or re-assigned out needs to be monitored. Time must be allocated for on-boarding, task turnover and/or training. Many times the impact to project schedules caused by the changes in resources is overlooked. Illnesses, especially during flu season could create delays to the project that were not foreseen and accounted for.

I’m certain that if you look hard enough, there are quite a few more "Metrics That Matter" that will help you keep initiatives progressing in the right direction.

All the Best!

Ron Krukowski, PMP

Twas’ The Night Before PMO Christmas...

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before PMO Christmas and more projects could fail,
They seemed to be on track, but then started to derail.
Management was concerned but figured it could get through,
But how that would happen, no one really knew.

Business stakeholders were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of revenue danced in their heads.
But they didn’t realize, they were in for a mess,
For they had no Best Practices to ensure their success.

Now the projects became hindered, falling short of their goals,
And it seemed not everyone even knew their roles.
Milestones were not clear, delivery dates came and went,
Funding was dwindling and not tracked on how spent.

There was no rhyme or reason for how things were assigned,
And the projects in progress were not business aligned.
For what was being worked on was not the right mix,
And no one was capturing any meaning-ful metrics.

Requirements were running wild, revisions being stacked,
Status Reporting was meaningless, for nothing was tracked.
Risks were not captured, so there were no mitigations,
Which set the stage for some future ugly litigations.

Now the stakeholders were upset and clients were mad,
Vendors were not held to the dates that they had.
There was no longer pretending that things would be fine,
For critical projects were now falling behind.

The teams were disgruntled, their energies were spent,
What they needed was help in Project Man-age-ment.
When one of the employees shouted, “Hey, I know!”,
We need to set up our first P-M-O.

Then outside the conference room there arose such a clatter,
They all sprang from their chairs to see what was the matter.
Toward the windows they ran like little girls and boys,
Opened the levelours to see what the heck was that noise.

The lights in the conference room were now brightly lit,
And all went back to their chairs where they would now sit.
When, what to their wondering eyes put them in shock,
But two seasoned PMPs and their trusty PMBOK!

The twinkle in their eyes made them all know,
They knew how to set up an effective P-M-O.
More rapid than eagles process groups they came,
And they whistled, and shouted and called them by name.

We’ll Initiate, we’ll Plan and we’ll Execute we suppose,
Then we’ll Monitor, we’ll Control and finally we’ll Close.
We’ll set around the table and review lessons learned,
And we’ll celebrate our victory, project value that was earned.

We’ll focus on the key Knowledge Areas so no one gets lost,
Integration, Scope, Time and we must manage Cost.
We’ll manage Human Resources, Procurement and Risk,
Communication and Quality, the pace will be brisk.

We’ll all begin to use effective templates and tools,
For those who don’t are nothing but fools.
We’ll embrace Best Practices in our day-to-day,
For something is needed to guide our way.

Project plans, status reports, and an effective issues list,
Risk assessments and mitigations this time won’t be missed.
Meaningful dashboards will be of our choice,
Capturing metrics-that-matter reported out with one voice.

Conducting effective meetings, following up on key actions,
Being sure to be succinct and limiting distractions.
Our goal will be milestones and not just activities,
And when we’re successful, we’ll enjoy the festivities.

These new management practices are not just for show,
With these new processes in place, we now have a P-M-O.
This PMO will be a partner and will not dictate.
It will be one that is effective, ready to col-la-bo-rate.

As things progress, the teams will pull together,
And the project success rate will surely get better.
So now that projects are on a path that is right,
Happy PMO Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Have a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!!!

All the best,

Ron

HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR GAME PLAN?

2010-09-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

As football season is upon us, I can't help but notice all of the interviews I have heard on the sports news, read in the paper or seen on the internet. If I had one dollar for ever time the words "game plan" were used, I would have a nice sum of money put aside. Many coaches credit their team's win or loss for the week as a direct result of the preparation and their game plan. Although execution on the filed of play is the ultimate in what makes a team win or lose, it is amazing to see the weight a football coach attributes to the game plan.

In football there are budgets, salary caps, drafting to obtain the most talented players and goals set that map to the ultimate destination...the Super Bowl. Head coaches are appointed before the start of training camp and the coaching staff is selected. Team and individual assessments are performed to determine strengths and weaknesses in the team and where training or new personnel are needed. Prior to the start of the season, final selections are made for the individuals that will play on the team and then the season is officially started. Each team with their eye on victory.

Weekly game plans are drafted, reviewed, tailored for the upcoming week's opponent and then executed on game day. These game plans contain a strategy for offense and the plays that will be executed, one for the defense and its' plays, and one for the special teams unit. The game plan contains rosters of the players and the position they play, broken down by first string squads and backup units, who is on "active" status and who is on "injured reserve" and many other components and statistics that help the coaches maximize their team's performance. The game plan starts with a core philosophy of the coaching staff and allows for adjustments depending on the opponent, weather, what team mix is on the field and any other variables that may arise. Dependencies are built in. When something is working, then do more of the same. If something is not working then another set of plays, players, etc. may be needed. Many things must come together for a football team to have a successful year. Team owners expect a winning team for the money they are spending...and the game plan plays a significant role in a team’s success.

In corporate, we face many of the same situations. Funding is obtained and budgets are put in place. Goals are set, and aligned with corporate strategy. Management roles are appointed and critical team members are re-organized into positions where they will be assets and contribute to the upcoming initiative. Charters and high-level roadmaps are presented to clients for their approval and “buy in”. All this is done with the ultimate goal in sight... A Successful Initiative.

In my consulting practice I am usually brought into the game after my clients and their project teams have suffered some very painful defeats. Missed deadlines, budget overruns, poor quality, de-motivated teams, lack of communication, high stress levels, unhappy stakeholders and overall chaos. I usually perform an assessment of what has been done up until the point of attack. When they exist, I review Charters, SOWs, High Level Milestones and meet with the initiative's Champion as well as key team members to find out what the overall goals were. I then perform an assessment of where the initiative is in relation to its' original goals. Finally, I focus attention on their detail game plan...The Project Plan(s). It is here that I usually find the reason that the effort is suffering.

A solid project plan is the blueprint or a game plan that charts the entire project's course. Here are the most common issues I come across that are making project teams headed for major losses.

Consistent, formalized process & templates not being utilized.
Assignments are not clear & measurable.
Durations / estimates are not accurate.
Assignment start & end dates not well thought out.
Assigned resources are not specific enough.
Dependencies not defined.
Risks identified & mitigation steps not accounted for.
Signoffs/Checkpoints/Quality Gates are missing.
Plan has not been baselined.
Metrics tracking is inadequate.
Plan is not kept current.
Plan is not communicated effectively to all the teams.

Well, your game plan may not be needed to ward off 300 lbs. linemen chasing you who want to put a major hurting on you. (However, I don't want to assume this because back when I was a new project manager, I had a 300 lbs. boss chasing me due to issues in my project plan). However, you need to ensure that you have the best chance of delivering that successful project that you have been asked to manage. Always remember when it is time for your game day..."How Effective Is Your Game Plan?"

All the best,

Ron

Sharing Responsibilities Makes a Great Leader!

2010-07-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

The following is from the writings of one of my spiritual teachers Yehuda Berg:

Great leadership comes with trust and with giving over responsibility to the people behind or under you. The more successful we want to be, the more we need to find a way to share some of that pressure and control with the people under us, and encourage them to do the same with those under them and so on.

The universe works in such a way that a bit of everything we have and we work on cannot be for us, enjoyed by us, benefitted by us, used by us. Trying to hold onto everything only makes things smaller.

Today, practice no attachment. No control. Let everybody else enjoy from the fruits. When you plant one seed, 100 people can enjoy the fruits, so don’t try to hold onto all of them. ~ Yehuda Berg

I personally have found this to be true not only in my professional life but my personal life as well. Although this can be tough at sometimes (because after all, nobody handles responsibility as well as I do), it is greatly beneficial, rewarding and leads to a higher level of productivity and even stronger leadership when we can share the load.

For the teams we lead, it creates a sense of ownership, a natural "buy in" and fosters an effective level of teamwork and collaboration. It nourishes a person's personal growth and helps them stretch their own comfort zones. A level of creativity, a better solution to a problem, a higher benefit to humanity may emerge that otherwise would not have manifested if the responsibility was hoarded. No matter how good we are at something, we cannot do everything effectively by ourselves. I believe it was J. Paul Getty who said, "I'd rather earn 1% off of 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts".

Many times we are reluctant to delegate certain tasks because we feel we will lose control. Control is an illusion. The more control we think we have over something, the less we really do. If we try to control every situation by ourselves, we are not viewed as leaders but rather "control freaks". In fact, our most influential leaders share great amounts of their responsibility with others and empower them to "step up". So go on. Take that area of responsibility that you have been reluctant to assign to someone and share it with them. Let them run with it and be there to support them. You will feel good about relinquishing control, other people will rise to the occasion to "make it happen", the results will be astounding and you will be viewed as a "real" leader. And most importantly, the universe will see this as a "true" act of sharing and sets the stage for more good things to come your way!

All the best,

Ron

Let Them See RED!

2010-07-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

During my career as a management consultant, I have witnessed many areas of corporate management practices that could be improved upon. One of the most important areas is along the lines of "transparency". All too often I have encountered managers who are reluctant to report an accurate status out of fear. There is a general fear that upper management does not want to see or hear bad news. In fact, at a previous client of mine I was told not to report a RED status on anything (no matter how dire the situation) because it would get too much attention from upper management. So it strikes me as funny that although many corporate cultures embrace the traditional RAG (RED/AMBER/GREEN) Status, the only colors they want on a report are GREEN and AMBER. This is not only a bad management practice, it contributes to many failed projects.

In my experience, it is my strong belief that you should Let Them See RED! Notice the dashboard sample posted with this blog. The RED gets attention! Long after something has remained a solid AMBER with no movement toward success, a RED just may be warranted. It is my strong suggestion that you have solid supporting metrics when showing a RED status.

Here are five reasons why you should't fear reporting a justified RED status:

1) It draws a clear focus to assist in alleviating the items that are jeopardizing the project.

2) It gives senior management a view into real areas of concern and gets them involved where other areas of management may be ineffective. Senior management would rather get involved than deal with unpleasant surprises covered by a false GREEN or AMBER status.

3) It gets all team members more focused on their own areas which in turn may help avoid major issues they would need to explain.

4) It helps foster a higher level of discipline in communication of an initiative's planning, tracking and status/metrics reporting.

5) It provides transparency that will create more confidence in the overall status reporting on an ongoing basis.

Although reporting a RED status can be uncomfortable, it can be the difference between a successful project vs. one that got away. Remember, reporting a little RED now may lead to alot of GREEN later!

All the best in your management endeavors,

Ron

(Mind) Mapping Success Out of Chaos!!!

2010-07-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Typical Project Management Challenges

Day-to-day, project managers face some typical challenges in their quest to deliver successful initiatives. Some of these challenges include tracking budgets/resources, mapping outcomes to synergy targets, nailing down/documenting project scope, risk management, motivating teams, controlling project assets, documenting processes, adhering to tight deadlines, effectively communicating, keeping track of the “big picture” and producing effective status reporting for senior management.

Traditional Project Management Tools

Many managers use traditional project management tools on their mission to tame these challenges. Such tools include handwritten notes, documents, calendars, eMail, to-do-lists, contact lists, spreadsheets, flowcharts, project plans and presentations. These are all great tools except for one main challenge…they only support linear thinking. And linear thinking is limited. Why not Let your mind run free and add Mind Mapping to your arsenal of management tools?

What is MindMapping?

Mind mapping is a concept created in the early 70s by Tony Buzan. The technique is based on the fact that our brains do not process information in a linear fashion. In Mind Mapping, words, images and color are used to capture ideas (this is appealing to our creative, Right Side of our brains). The central idea is drawn and main points radiate outward. Main points then sprout branches and twigs (Radiant Thinking). Different colors used for each radiant thoughts/sub-thought. Little line drawings and images are used to connect thoughts. Mind Maps can be “hand drawn” or you can use one of the many software packages that exist.

Why Mind Maps Work

Mind Maps are very effective because they help us to think and remember more effectively. They assist us in creatively solving problems and taking action. They encourage flexibility by fostering an “outside the box” non-linear thinking mode. They are realistic in the way we process information since our brains do not think in a linear fashion. Not all ideas organize themselves tidily into an outline format. They allow you to see the “big picture” and naturally hook into your right brain (creativity and intuition). The most effective outcome of using Mind Maps is that we can Visualize what Success will like rather quickly!

So What Can Mind Maps be Effectively Used For?

PMO/Project Management Governance

Vendor Management

Project Planning

Executive Dashboards

Work Breakdown Structure

Scope Requirements Documenting

Risk Management

Goal Setting

Brainstorming Sessions

Time Management

Meetings/Minutes

Collaboration/Training

Writing Projects

Objectives/Reviews

To-do-lists

Event Planning

Vacation Planning

Strategic Planning

Resumes

…and many more potential uses!!!

I have personally embraced the use of Mind Mapping techniques to deliver many successful projects as well as turned around many chaotic ones. I have effectively used and have trained others on using these techniques to deliver major initiatives. From personal goal setting and time management, running brainstorming sessions for small teams to delivering $250+ Million initiatives they have proven to be very valuable in the arsenal of management tools. The most rewarding aspect of being a consultant is not only when I can explain how I intend to help clients be successful, but when I can HELP them VISUALIZE their SUCCESS!!!