“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.” – Robert Orben Many of the world’s most successful and productive people who see the value of taking a break from the chaos of everyday life so they can think and be creative are scheduling time to do absolutely nothing into their calendars. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has a long-standing habit of taking breaks called Think Weeks to slow down, recalibrate and gain clarity on his best way to move forward. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur like Bill Gates to make slowing down a part of your life or restrict it to several weeks a year. Try taking a cue from other cultures: One of my favorite Italian sayings is "Dolce far Niente", which means "the sweetness of doing nothing." It does not mean being lazy, it is referring to the pleasure one gets from being idle. The ability to completely enjoy and savor a moment. For Italians this concept is a part of everyday life; spending time with friends at a café, sipping wine at Continue Reading
Project Managers: high performers and what they do differently
I have already written articles about what it is to be a good project manager. Yes, and I am not referring to myself. I am still somewhat surprised – though I probably shouldn’t be— that the behavioral characteristics of a good project manager are still the same, but what attributes makes a great project manager? High performers actively and regularly seek out reviews and feedback How do project managers perceive their performance? In general, we project managers tend to view our own performances very positively, and this becomes even more pronounced when we compare our performance against our fellow project managers. The truth is that most of us have a terrible ability to self-assess. We simply don’t see ourselves or our performance the way our stakeholders do. The most common way this manifests is that we overestimate how well we do common tasks. Sanity check: We can begin by realizing that the way others experience us is different than how we perceive ourselves, and the Continue Reading
My Dirty Little Secret of Project Management!
Why don’t more project managers sound an alarm when they’re going to blow past their deadlines? Because most of them have no earthly idea when they’ll finish the job. They don’t even think it’s possible to know. Too many variables. Too much that’s out of their control. That’s the dirty little secret of project management. As the lead developer on one big software project put it: “Everybody knows the schedule is a joke, and we pay no attention to it. It will be done when it’s done.” It’s funny, though. Big, successful companies that manage huge projects like highways and dams and office parks have to deal with many more variables than a software development team. Yet they usually know how far along they are at any given time, and they keep their customers in the loop. That’s how they get to be big, successful companies. Granted, they have fancy project management software to help them stay on top of the schedule. But a good project management system — one that can tell you Continue Reading
What chaos theory taught me about life transitions
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with the unknown. As a kid, I can remember hours spent listening to a tape my aunt had given me for my birthday that told about adventures in space. I was endlessly curious about the cosmos, and dreamed of being an astronaut. While I never ended up becoming an astronaut (it looked way too hard) or launching into space (yet), I still feel something light up inside of me every time I face, or even think, of a journey into the unknown. It’s an addictive combination of dopamine and adrenaline-fueled curiosity that has driven most of my adult decisions. As a result, I’ve gone through my fair share of transitions in life. I’ve switched careers, and often entire industries, every few years. I’ve sought a life rich in experience, high in expectations, and driven by a pursuit of understanding, not necessarily a singular outcome. I never wanted to be the best at anything; I simply wanted to do things differently. I gravitated away Continue Reading
Failed projects: 3 lessons I learned
I'm sure your resume highlights your project successes, but all experienced project managers have been part of a failed or troubled project at least once in their careers. The Standish Group 2018 Chaos Report indicated 72% of projects were either challenged or failed to obtain business goals. Project failures may have been marketed as successes, yet the project goals were impacted by reduced scope, a strategic "change in direction" resulting in a cancelled release, or just a large cash investment that failed to provide any real business value. Sound familiar? Go ahead and raise your hand — I know you're out there. I'll even raise my hand. When you're part of a failed project, it seems stressful and downright painful, but you have the opportunity to learn a lot of lessons that will help lead you to project successes. Below are my top three lessons from a failed project. 1. The project schedule is your friend A leading cause of project failures and missed dates is the lack Continue Reading
Happy New Year + Life lessons I learned as a pilot
Becoming a pilot changes who you are, even if you don’t realize it at first. Sure, there are the practical lessons about math, physics, and engineering you don’t encounter in everyday life. But as a recent trip through my logbook proved, aviation offers courses in the humanities as well as the hard sciences. I remember my first solo like it was yesterday. I looked at all of my gauges, flipped a few switches, and stared down the long runway ahead of me. I pushed the throttle and as I slowly lifted off the ground in a small single-engine Cessna, it suddenly hit me that I was the sole operator of an airplane. Though terrified at first, I ultimately welcomed the challenge and the freedom liberated me. After being a passenger in a general aviation aircraft a few times as a child, I was always fascinated by flight. Pilot training has been unlike any other endeavor I have ever experienced. Student pilots learn so much beyond the complex rules of airspace or thought-provoking Continue Reading