The Regenerate Web

I am just back from Bhutan and Thailand. I will post more about what I learned on the trip in the coming days, but here is just a quick thought. Simplicity is beautiful.

We gunk up our lives and our work and our desks and our wardrobes and our friendships and our teams and our processes with more complexity and complication than is needed, I think. We need to experience simplicity to really feel it's power and pleasantness.

I stayed for three days in a valley that has no electricity except for a few hours of solar power or power from small individual generators. The valley could have electric, but does not because the wires might harm the threatened Black Neck Cranes who winter there. Underground wiring is not practical and the people have adjusted to this way of life. The rhythm of each day is determined by the season, the sun and moon, and faith, family and friends. I spent six hours tending a small wood stove in my hotel room one afternoon - that was my agenda, keep the fire going.

What's on your agenda for the rest of the week and how elemental is it? Is there a way you can make things simpler so that the extraordinary nature of everyday moments and people can shine?

Managers make things simpler - that is a big part of their job. And so it is for this reason that I recommend all managers visit the tiny kingdom of Bhutan in the future. To make things simpler, we must experience simplicity and how often do we do that?

BTW - don't misinterpret my suggestions about Bhutan and simplicity to mean that the country is somehow backwards or unsophisticated. In some ways, their leadership is quite cutting edge. That said, they are taking the process of modernization at a deliberate pace.

BTW #2 One last invitation to participate in my coaching survey. Now that I am back, I need to get cracking on a couple of books I am working on. One is about coaching and I would love it if you participated in my brief coaching survey about your coaching preferences. The link is here and all participants get a copy of the results. Thanks.

Click Here to take survey

Coaches, too, ought to make things simpler. That is the definition of a catalyst, after all, one who makes things easier.

"Maybe, I will have to give them some more training. That might perk them up," Victoria replied. "The J-curve says that productivity on anything new will decline before it gets better, but more training might be the ticket."

"And what else?" I prodded. Victoria was getting push back as her team took on more responsibilities.

"I guess I could talk to them, as a group, let them know how much I was counting on them," she added.

"Those are both things that you could do, probably won't hurt, but probably won't have the impact you are interested in," I explained. Victoria's face twitched. She was looking for more approval than I was giving.

"Both things you suggest," I continued, "occur before you get the behavior you want. Most managers go there. It's not that it's bad, just not very powerful. The power is not in what you set up before the behavior, but what you set up after the behavior. Consequences. And the most powerful consequence is a positive consequence."

"You mean like a bonus?" Victoria guessed.

"A bonus is a reward, not a consequence. An immediate positive consequence is more powerful than a reward. Rewards are always delayed, can get taken away, the qualifications may change. Immediate reinforcement is more powerful than an uncertain reward."

"I don't know. If I can't ply them with money, what can I do?" Victoria cringed.

Here is another guest post and story from Lisa Edwards called Direction. This one is profound - I love Lisa E's stories. You can also check out her book here. She makes a great point about how a bad experience... Lisa Haneberg

I’ve been working with several clients on their transition to agile approaches to their projects. They all have a common state:

• Many features to implement
• Huge technical debt
• Many defects

They want to get a handle on all the work they have to do. I suggested they consider three backlogs, making sure that for a given iteration, they consciously choose what they want from each backlog so that an iteration has only one backlog, all agreed to by the product owner. That is, they bucket the work by features, technical debt, and defects. Rank each of those buckets. Now, for each iteration, the product owner chooses from the lists. I recommend looking at the #1 slot in each bucket. Which of these three is the real #1 for this iteration? That goes on the iteration’s backlog. Now, the next one from that bucket pops up and you only have three things to compare again.

One of the problems each of these organizations has is that their technical debt and defects were invisible to the decision-makers. Now the technical staff and the project managers have a list that is is visible to the product owner/customer. None of the work is secret–it’s all out in the open. They can discuss, poke, prod, ask, and negotiate to a reasonable conclusion.

It’s too early to tell if this will work for them. But the value of the three backlogs is that they can look across all the potential work in the organization and make a conscious choice for now. That choice doesn’t have to be permanent. Because they are working in backlogs, they have a shot at making decisions and adapting their choices later.

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One of the most important things to do in an interview is to build rapport. I led a session last week at AYE, focused on conversations (not specifically interviews). One of the more memorable things I said is that you need to be personal but not intimate.

A participant asked, “What is personal but not intimate?” I explained that personal is about you, and intimacy is something you might see or do in the shower. (Ok, that was not one of the most articulate explanations I’ve ever given. You get 5 minutes to laugh and then please keep reading.)

The problem with small talk is that it’s not personal. “How about those Red Sox” or talking about the weather is something we could do with a complete stranger. But sharing little anecdotes from your life is personal. “I returned to gym yesterday morning after a three-week travel period. I’m surprised I’m not sore today.” That’s personal. Many of us have felt the soreness of pushing too hard when we start our regular workouts again. Some of us have felt guilty about not being sore–did I push hard enough yesterday? That’s a personal comment that allows us to build rapport. It may not be the right topic of conversation. But it’s a start, and suggests a topic for the other person.

If you have a minute or two of rapport-building talk, you’ve set the stage for a successful conversation, whether that is an interview or any other conversation.

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Victoria looked a little down. "Why the long face?" I asked.

"Ugh," she replied. "I think I just entered the J-curve. We had to let two more people go last week, I had to reassign some of their work to other people. Empowerment, you know the drill. It's tough getting people to do new kinds of work. Their new responsibilities are suffering, big time."

"What do you think is the problem?"

"The new things they have to do aren't that difficult, but I am getting resistance. And some of the new decisions they have to make, well, maybe, with a little experience they will do better."

"Describe the resistance," I shifted.

"It's not really resistance. They don't say anything. But I can tell. It's like a blank look. A nod that says yes, but a feeling that says no."

"What do you think you are going to do, to get a different result?" I pressed.

"I am going to give it more time. Maybe things will improve." Victoria was an optimist.

"And, what if they don't improve? First, how will you know whether they are improving? And what if they don't improve? What will you do differently?"

There is much talk in the PM space about the connections or lack of connections between business strategy and the day to day activities of projects. There is a simple - a long active approach to this we use every... Glen B. Alleman

PMBok Cafe had a nice post about the jargon of PM 2.0 As well the PM 2.0 advocates have either failed to make or lost their connection with the core principles of project management. They've confused the tools of project... Glen B. Alleman

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Nov 9th, 2009 at 10:16 pm Josh at PMStudent asked a question if there is "One True Way" to manage projects? The answer of course is a resounding Yes, there is only one TRUE way to manage projects The project... Glen B. Alleman

The notion that Project Management 2.0, based on Web 2.0, is one of those marketing hype approaches to selling a product, where you start with an unsubstantiated statement about PM 1.0. The book Beyond the Hype: Rediscovering the Essesence of... Glen B. Alleman

There is much talk in the PM space about the connections or lack of connections between business strategy and the day to day activities of projects.

There is a simple - a long active approach to this we use every day. Balanced Scorecard. It's straight forward:

• Build a Balanced Scorecard for the business, the program, or the project. This includes the Vision, Strategic Objectives, Performance Goals, Critical Success Factors, and the Key Performance Indicators
• Define what projects are needed to produce the Performance Goals
• Use the CSF's and KPI's to tease out the performance measures from the project

These performance measures are things like the Measures of Effectiveness and Measures of Performance for the deliverables - the "done" of the project.

Here's a picture on how to put all this together - that is independent of any tool

The arrows can flow "up" or "down" the strategy chain. Doesn't really matter in the end. The picture needs to connect "why" we're doing something with "what" we're doing and how we can measure that what we're doing is actually supporting the strategy.

This is a great way to control the contents of a Project Portfolio. If the project can't trace it's reason to a strategy, then it is likely a support project - non discretionary work. Any IT strategy needs to reduce the non discretionary efforts to free funds for "value added work."

"Why are we making these changes?" I asked.

"We need to look at our efficiency. We will be a better company for it," Henry replied.

"If that is only reason, then we are likely to fail in making these changes. Why are we making these changes?" I repeated.

"Well, when we sat down and looked at the numbers, because we did look at the numbers, our analysis showed that we needed to make some adjustments."

"Your analysis showed that you needed to make some adjustments? Where does that need come from?" I pushed.

"Well, the need is pretty strong. Things are tight. Our market has changed. I don't want to be negative, but we need to change to survive."

"It is that need that will drive your changes. It is not that you want to become a better company, or should become a better company. It is only when you need to become a better company that you will. The question is why is it necessary for us to become a better company? You will become a better company only when it becomes a necessity."

I'm currently wrapping up the semester at Drake, which means I'm listening to a plethora of student presentations.  I have to say, most of my students do an admirable job of presenting their thoughts, but there are always those one or two who are just not comfortable in front of an audience.  That's a shame, too, given how critical public speaking skills are.  At the beginning of the semester in almost every class, I ask my students how many of them are in sales.  I get the obligatory one or two whose job title includes "sales" who raise their hands.  After explaining to them all semester how they are constantly being assessed by those around them, and how their ideas are being weighed for acceptance, by the end of the semester they all raise their hand when asked how many of them are in sales.

That's why I was so excited when I received a copy of Carmine Gallo's new book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs:  How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (McGraw Hill).  There's one caveat I must share before going on.  I receive an avalanche of requests to review books on my blog (which I find flattering).  Because of this, I have to be pretty selective before I agree to review anything, and I use the title test as my first hurdle for deciding what to review.  After all, if the name by which the book is branded doesn't get my attention, the promises for the content itself do not bode well.

I have to thank Gallo and his publicist for their patience on this review.  When a book makes that kind of promise, I decided I didn't just want to read it and review it; I wanted to kick the tires and take it out for a test spin.  And that I did, as I've been preparing to deliver the material around my own next book, Gallo helped me channel my own inner Steve Jobs.  Obviously, Gallo's research was solid.  As a writer for businessweek.com, he's had the opportunity to see Jobs firsthand at numerous keynotes, press conferences, and product launches.  He leverages all of that, as well as countless hours of Youtube videos to provide relevant and practical examples of the charismatic master at his best.

There were times this past weekend when I longed to introduce students to this book (and when I say introduce, I mean strap them to a table and through a process of brainwashing osmosis, indoctrinate them through force to the ways of meaningful presentations... but I digress).  While one student was meandering aimlessly through countless points, I thought of Jobs' rule of doing everything in three's (and why Goldilocks did not meet four bears).  While another student struggled to find a central theme, I inwardly smiled about Gallo's admonition to find a Twitter-worthy focus for your presentations (and why it's important to sum up your thoughts in 140 characters or less).

Overall, the book is organized brilliantly, supported by practical tips that anybody from a seasoned professional to an elementary school student could use to wow their respective audiences.  Gallo uses relevant examples and tools of today (with numerous references to Youtube and Twitter).  He actually lays out the entire book like a stage performance in three acts, inviting you into Jobs' world, mind, and skill.  You're on your own for the black turtleneck.

As for me, I have completely retooled my upcoming presentations on SWAT - Seize the Accomplishment, and I'm looking forward to delivering the first formal keynotes on the topic early next year.  There are a lot of books out there on how to be a better speaker.  If you decide to invest in only one to help you in this arena, you can't go wrong by learning from the master.  (And I'm passing along this review to the professor who teaches presentation skills and personal branding at Drake.  Hint!  Hint!)

PMBok Cafe had a nice post about the jargon of PM 2.0

As well the PM 2.0 advocates have either failed to make or lost their connection with the core principles of project management. They've confused the tools of project management - be they 1.0, 2.0 or any X.0 - with the practices of project management. Managing projects means knowing:

• What will it cost?
• When will it be done?
• Do we know what "done" looks like?
• What are the impediments to getting to "done"?
• Who do we need to get all this work "done"?

Without clear and concise answers to these questions, the tools have no purpose. With the answers to these questions, the tools might be useful, but usually only for the tools vendors.

Tools are a convenience for storing information, communicating that information, and analyzing the information around the MANAGEMENT of projects. The tools are not a replacement for project management.

I finally figured out why I have such a visceral response to many of the PM 2.0 proponents.

The light came on when a poster said PM 2.0 is just common sense. One of my favorite quotes around this approach to most things is

"Common Sense is neither common nor sensical. Much of what passes for common sense is not based on any underlying principle it’s just anecdotes that have worked for the current situation."

Benjamin Franklin

Ben had it right. What passes for common sense is not based on any underlying principle. The principles of Project Management are independent of any tools - nor matter what version. In the absence of these principles, the project management tools have not purpose. Failing to understand this puts the proponents of these tools in the untennable position of not connectinig their value prosition with the market need to increase the Probability of Project Success (PoPS).

Here is another guest post and story from Lisa Edwards called Direction. This one is profound - I love Lisa E's stories. You can also check out her book here. She makes a great point about how a bad experience or misfire can create a whole new opportunity.

How can you use this story to further your goals this week?

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Direction
 
“Keep looking up.”   Dick Damrow
 
 
All of us have a mid-life crisis at some point in our lives.  Some of us have it later in life, others have it early on. I was lucky.  My mid-life crisis happened in my early thirties.
 
Several years before then, I had returned home after grad school to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, when I discovered that my family’s printing business was in deep trouble.  As an only child with a great sense of responsibility, I chose to help my family with the business rather than pursue my own interests.  At first, I thought I was helping to save the business and turn it around, but after ten years of trying to turn it around, I recognized I was there to help my dad close the business.  As we struggled to keep that business alive, we had created a new business in an attempt to save the family business.
 
It is quite an experience to have one business that is dying and another that is prospering all in the same moment and I found it easy to lose my way.  Both situations have many moments of uncertainty, but one carries a feeling of great sadness and the other carries a sense of hope and optimism.
 
During this time, my relationship with my dad became strained and I sorely needed a wise friend and mentor who could help me during those moments when I felt uncertain about what to do next.  I needed someone removed from the situation who could keep my best interests at heart and give me advice and direction.
 
I can’t even remember how it all came about as everything during that time period is a blur, but somehow I ended up with just the mentor I needed.  Dick was a wise and caring mentor and treated me as a daughter.  He gave me advice—some of which I actually took, and gave me the reassurance I so needed during that time of confusion.
 
Since that time and over the years, Dick remained a dear friend and mentor.  We stayed in touch throughout my many moves across the country and I could always count on him to provide me with just one more bit of advice or just a few more reassuring words.  Whenever I faced a crossroads or needed to make an important decision, I’d call Dick to ask him what he thought.  In the most recent years, he rarely gave me advice, but just having him listen to me talk through my thinking was all the reassurance and affirmation I needed to go forward with a decision.
 
Just a few months ago, I went home to work with him on some business planning for my business.  It was a change in our relationship because for the first time, he wasn’t my mentor, offering free advice or counsel, but my consultant, who allowed me to pay him for the work he normally charged only to his clients.  I felt liberated in a funny way.  Like an adult.  And, I think he looked at me in an new way, too. It was a beginning and an end.
 
About a month ago, I got a call from a mutual friend of ours from home one evening.  She called to tell me that Dick had fallen down the stairs at home the night before.  He had hit his head and had undergone surgery to relieve the pressure his skull was causing on his swollen brain.  He was in ICU under constant watch, and though everyone was hopeful he’d make a full recovery, he had not yet regained consciousness.
 
Dick passed away within a week. Those moments during that time were perhaps the saddest moments in my memory.
 
Before his celebration of life ceremony, one of his friends posted a profile on Facebook for everyone to post their comments about Dick.  More than forty pages of comments were posted.  The first few posts talked about how Dick was their mentor, but as more people posted, the more we each began to realize that we were not the only protégé!  There were hundreds of us! Talk about making a difference in the lives of others.
 
I think about Dick a lot and miss our conversations.  Sometimes I wish I could hear his voice just one more time.  Tonight, as I was home alone, contemplating a few decisions I need to make, I felt an ache to call Dick and ask him for his advice.  Knowing I should be quiet and still, instead I searched for something to do. I got on the computer, opened my inbox and saw Dick’s name attached to the emails he had sent to me in the last year.  Emails I can’t bring myself to delete from my inbox.  And in that instant, I remembered how he started to sign his emails to me when he began to stop giving me advice, and I realized that he had left me with the best advice of all “keep looking up.”

© 2009 Lisa Edwards - www.BloomWhereYouArePlanted.com

Here's an interesting article about accountability from Bob Prosen on The Street called, Helping Your Company Win: The Innovators. He offers several ways we can assess our role and priorities and practices to improve clarity and accountability. Check it out. Lisa Haneberg