51 Ways to Fail

From March/2013

Nelson Biagio Jr

Michael Wade made a great list with 51 ways to fail . Here’s the first five reasons:
  1. Don’t plan. 
  2. Disdain discretion. 
  3. Study when you feel like it.
  4. Over-commit. 
  5. Always swing for the fences.

Be sure to read the full list at the link indicated above.

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Why We Need to Try More Meals Together.

My life has been marked by meals.  When I was young I learned to defend my beliefs and ideas at the dinner table under the often ruthless scrutiny of my dad, brothers, sisters and mom.  Childhood friends used to tell me that we had the most interesting and freewheeling mealtime discussions they ever experienced.  

Read the entire post at Cultural Offering.

Should Project Managers Share Their Stress?

HBR published a interesting article about how Project Managers should share their information and brig all news – and stress, maybe – to their project teams. An excerpt:

Project managers tend to hold their cards pretty close to the vest. Sure, they may post or circulate some sort of general progress chart. But the telling, nitty-gritty details — percent complete, cost overruns, and so on — usually stay on a private little spreadsheet, safely tucked away in the PM’s files.

Sometimes this I’m-in-control-here approach is well intentioned. PMs feel they should shield their team members from potential bad news. Other times it’s a power trip. PMs make it plain that they’re the only ones who know the full story, so naturally they get to call the shots.

I agree with the authors: an open-book and transparent system are always a better way to deal with complex projects and great problems. Project management is never a wonderland and those who work in this area should be prepared to deal with the consequences. You can read the full article here!

The Best of March 2013

Here you find a resume of the best March’s posts:

  1. Lewis Hamilton: How Keeping it Simple Makes Me Faster
  2. The Ultimate Star Wars Video
  3. Mastering the Basics of Project Management: The Complete Series [Updated on March 25th, 2013]
  4. Eight Steps To Building a Risk Informed Integrated Master Schedule
  5. Nicholas Bate Wondering About Time
  6. UK: Project Management Skills in a Secondary School Classroom
  7. 51 Ways to Fail
  8. About Simplicity, Courage and (why not?) Project Management
  9. Jagged Thoughts for Jagged Times
  10. How to Be a Better Project Manager (1)
  11. Trouble Multitasking? Try Playing First Person Shooters
  12. Project Manager on the Road: Tips to Travel Like a Pro
  13. Immersion 101
  14. You Know What You Need to Do!
  15. Are You Prepared to Face These 12 Traits of a Modern Leader?
  16. Three Essential Leadership Behaviors for Project Managers
  17. Did You Already Schedule your ‘Monastery Day’?