PMcrunch

We never really arrive at the end of the road in our quest to become leaders. We may achieve [tag-tec]leadership[/tag-tec] status in some way but it is always a moving target. Indeed, I believe it is our own movement on a continuous basis that can enable us to maintain ourselves as a leader. One way that we can do this is by continuously evaluating our own leadership capabilities.

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Oftentimes, as[tag-dir]project managers[/tag-dir] and leaders, we are called upon to compare a variety of potential solutions and to either recommend or choose the best one for our situation. There are a variety of ways to do this. It is important for us to recognize that the answer we come up with is very closely related to the questions we ask and how we do the comparison. Many times—perhaps even most of the time—we do this comparisons in a relatively informal way, putting together our own structure. In other cases however, there is a much formalized organizational structure with a formal name such as [/tag-tec]“analysis of alternatives”[tag-dir] that is performed.

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As [tag-tec]project managers[/tag-tec], we are often called upon to present choices to our [tag-dir]stake holders[/tag-dir]We are often called upon to present options for solutions, scenarios, and items for discussions, priorities and more. There is a well proven rule that when it comes to choices, less is better.

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What do you do when hopelessness seems on the horizon? What do you do when it appears you have tried everything and nothing is working? What do you do when it appears that you are at the end of the road?

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There is a great deal written on the subject of building teams including, building [tag-tec]project teams[/tag-tec], however one thing that is very notable about this process is it is of a very personal nature. Two people that might build a project team or the same exact project might very likely to do it differently just as every person is different every [tag-dir]project team[/tag-dir] that they build will be different.

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Technology is advancing as fast as ever and we are constantly asking questions as to how to adapt to these technology changes.  Isn’t it more important for us to ask how these new technologies can be used as tools to enhance project performance?  Let’s explore this a little bit in regards to the Web 2.0 [...]

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There is no better dose of reality, than the power of pushback.  It occurs in every walk of life and, utilized properly, can be our friend in the project management process.  It comes in most handy when dealing with uncertainty.  It also keeps us honest about our prospects.

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We have all heard at one time or another someone say that people are products of their environment.  Undoubtedly, the environment is a strong influence on how people turn out.  However, it is each person’s reaction to their environment that really determines who they are and what happens.

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There is one thing that you can do on your project or program that can yield the best results for the organization, for your team, and for yourself.  It goes way beyond any project management tools or techniques.  It even goes beyond applying a typical methodology to your project plan.

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As a program or project manager, one must keep an eye on both the near term and long term.  Today, under tough economic conditions, we typically turn to more near-term thinking because the focus needs to be first on survival before considering future plans.  We need to be careful however to not take this near-term thinking too [...]

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