Why Your Stress needs to be Eustress
Some positive words often get overshadowed by their negative counterparts. Take the word "gruntled." When was the last time you heard someone say they were gruntled? But how often do you hear about people being "disgruntled"?
Another word that gets overshadowed this way is "eustress," which is the opposite of "distress." What’s the difference? Eustress is beneficial stress that can enhance performance and well-being, while distress is harmful stress that makes you feel anxious, afraid, or even depressed.
Why "Any Questions?" Shouldn't Be Your Last Slide
The last slide you want as your last slide is "Any Questions?"
No, I’m not asking if there are any questions; that’s the point. The final slide of your presentation should not be "Any Questions?" And yet, we all do it. It’s ingrained in our presentation DNA to conclude a motivating and compelling presentation with that very phrase.
But why should "Any Questions?" not be your final slide?
#awkward. A Lesson on the Importance of Reading the Room
There was a time before Teams, Zoom, and other video-conference technologies when people sat around a table using a device known as a “phone,” which allowed them to hear but not see each other.
That's when the problem began.
3 Reasons to Stop Remote Work FROM THE OFFICE
Companies are becoming increasingly insistent on employees returning to the office. To me, a three-to-four-day office schedule with one to two days of remote work is the ideal ratio. However, I've noticed that even when I'm physically present in the office, I'm still working remotely.
How is that possible?
Transform Your Name into a Verb
You'll hear a lot of three-letter acronyms (TLAs) when you start a new position at a company. You’ll also hear the same two or three people’s names pop up time and again when there's a need for a specific skill. “Oh, yeah, we need to check with Stephen on this,” or “Cynthia will have the answer to that”. Why is this? Because they’ve built a great reputation and set themselves up as an expert in their particular area.
Be A Problem Solver
Michael worked in the warehouse. Other employees wore shorts and T-Shirts; Michael wore slacks and a tie. Yet others would show up late and leave early; Michael would show up early and stay late. Many complained about their job; Michael looked for ways to make things better.
Someone asked him why he dressed and worked the way he did. He replied that he was acting as if he had already moved on to his next position in the company. And certainly owing to that attitude, his next position came soon enough.
A Guide to Rating Employees on Annual Performance Reviews
I walked into my manager’s office with a bit of a swagger and a smug look. “Everything for this week is done,” I said. “All project plans have been updated, the communication plan has been revised, the issue with the integration team has been resolved, and I even called the customer and gave them an update on next week’s plans.”
Expecting kudos and accolades, my hopes were quickly dashed.
Start Doing Employee MicroReviews (and How)
Think about the microcosm in which we live. We have microwaves, microphones, microbreweries, and even Micronesia; but, no Micro-Reviews. Why is that? Because we as managers have a tendency to put our employee reviews off until the end of the year, creating a pressure-cooker couple of weeks to cram them in at the beginning of the year.
This year, try doing microreviews.
3 Traits That Will Help Colleagues Looking for Work
I was on vacation when my manager called. “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which would you like first?” I opted for the good.
“The good news is that you can take a longer vacation.”
“Great!” I said. “What’s the bad news?”
“The bad news is that you can take a REAL LONG vacation.”
That’s not so bad, I thought to myself, and then asked, “How long?”.
“Forever….”
Sometimes It’s Good to Stay in Your Lane
“The marketing department doesn’t have a clue,” my co-worker said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“A trade journal has been trying to reach them for an interview but their calls aren’t being returned,” she continued. “This is just the break we need to get our name out there. You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to give them the interview they are looking for.”
Gulp.
Lesson Learned During a Chicken Dinner
“Who doesn’t know that…?” I thought to myself as the speaker presented his first point at a PMI project management event.
I took a bite of my chicken.
About midway through his presentation, I again couldn't help but think, “That’s obvious, isn’t it?” while shoveling in some green beans.
My attitude did not improve the more he kept talking.
Are You Falling Victim to Performance Review “Bait”?
Movies that appear to be produced for the sole purpose of Academy Award nomination are called “Oscar Bait.” One strategy of movie producers in this genre is to release the film late in the year, just in advance of the Oscar season. Why? The fresher a film is in the mind of voters theoretically increases its chances of winning an award.
Similarly, with annual employee review season right around the corner, we may find ourselves guilty of succumbing to Annual Performance Review "Bait.” Employees do not intentionally bait you by doing their best work at the end of the year, but rather, it is just our natural inclination to remember what happened most recently.
The Single Greatest Quality a Project Manager Must Possess
There are all kinds of skills, qualities, and talents you must possess to be a successful project manager. You need to be able to see the big picture, break it down into smaller pieces, and assemble it back together again. You need to be a leader, motivator, inspector and persuader. But, all of these qualities mean nothing unless you have…
Credibility.
Credibility is defined as the quality of being trusted, convincing, or believable. Trust me when I say there is a lot of trust me in project management. Maybe the following will sound familiar:
3 Ways to Reduce Friction When People Work with You
n a previous article we asked, “How Much Friction Do You Generate When People Work with You?” The net of the article was that people come to you because they want to transition from their current state to a different state. For example, from not being trained to being trained, from not having a report to having a report, or from not having a product to having a product. The easier it is to transition from one state to the next (aka low friction) the higher the chance that someone will want to work with you or continue to bring their business your way.
So, what are some ways you can reduce friction either personally, departmentally, or company-wide?
How Much Friction Do You Generate At Work?
Videos from the cockpit of the space shuttle re-entering Earth’s atmosphere are amazing! As the shuttle reduces its speed, 'kinetic friction,' the resistance created by two objects sliding against each other, generates extreme heat, intense light, and turbulence. This resistance makes for a spectacular sight-and-sound experience and is key to slowing down or stopping an object altogether.
That’s great for the space shuttle, but in the workplace, resistance is not so great. Are you doing things personally or are there departmental systems and processes in place that unwittingly generate heat and slow others down?
Write Every Email as if it Will Be Read in a Court of Law
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to type every email as if it will be read in a court of law. In those uncomfortable situations when the bottom falls out of a business relationship and companies end up in court…the written word is typically given more credence than people’s memories. That is why it is critical (especially if you are customer facing) to review, re-read, edit, and review again any correspondence that leaves your desktop.
I’m Sorry…I was Mistaken. Thank You.
I almost fell out of my chair the first time I heard this come out of a Project Managers mouth. How could this be? Project Managers don’t make mistakes. They know everything about everything. This guy didn’t, and he ended up being one of the most effective Project Managers I’ve worked with.
There is an assumption that a Project Manager who comes into a new project will immediately know all the details, relationships, nuances and history that make up the project. Some PMs perpetuate this myth by pretending to know all of this information and falling back on strategically placed buzzwords to get them through. This has the potential to backfire, and this Project Manager knew it.
3 MORE Traits of Project Managers that Stand Out From the Crowd
“Begin with the end in mind” and “It ain’t over until it’s over” are two expressions that highlight the importance of closing a project out and crossing the finish line. It’s your job as a project manager to make sure that deliverables, activities, and processes are in place to ensure a project’s graceful and successful end. But why is it so difficult to bring projects to closure? There are a number of reasons why this is the case:
3 Great Examples of Bad Project Management
The following stories are true; only the names have been changed to protect the (not so) innocent. There are a lot of good Project Managers out there, but there are also some not so good…no, there are some really bad Project Managers, who have, by hook and by crook, somehow ended up in a position of authority and reigned down their terror on those unfortunate enough to work under them.
Learn from the stories and stay away from any tendencies you may have to manage this way.