Leadership in the Real World Blog

"Punish Inaction"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:52:00 +0000

I've become a major fan of Dev Patnaik's book Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy I'm looking forward to interviewing Dev tomorrow for an upcoming People and Projects Podcast episode.

Don't wait for the interview--get the book now and start reading.

While prepping for the interview I came across what I expect to be my favorite quote for this entire month, from a recent article Dev wrote for BusinessWeek.

The quote is credited to Stanford University engineering professor Jim Adams who said, "Good companies reward success, punish failure, and ignore inaction. Great companies reward success and failure and punish inaction."

This hits on a common theme in both my interview with Michael Roberto about his book Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen and in my discussion with Ralph Heath, author of Celebrating Failure: The Power of Taking Risks, Making Mistakes and Thinking Big: we too often seek first to punish failure instead of learn from it.

Yet the even greater wisdom of the quote has to do with how we deal with inaction. You be the judge. How have you seen inaction most often handled?

Tolerated? Expected? Ignored? Seriously. How many times have you said, "I thought of that years ago!" as someone makes money off an idea you had in the shower but went down the drain because you didn't take action.

"Punish inaction."

Do you want to excel at delivering projects and leading teams? Take those strong words to heart today. And don't just consider the inaction of those on your teams and the stakeholders you work with.

You and I both need to look in the mirror to consider the inaction that has been holding us back.

Do you want to make big things happen this year? Reward success. Enthusiastically learn from mistakes. And develop a disdain for inaction.

P.S. Have you still not taken action on getting a copy of Dev's book? :)

Leaders are Readers! Here's my Recommended Reading List

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:32:00 +0000

If you're like me, there are a lot of books you'd love to read but they just seem to stack up in a pile of good intentions. I don't consider myself a fast reader and I can honestly say that I don't particularly enjoy reading.

But this I know for sure: leaders are learners.

And one very beneficial way to further your learning is to fill your mind with books and other resources that will teach, challenge, and encourage you to be more effective and make a greater impact on your career, family, and the world.

I'm often asked after keynotes and workshops for a list of recommended books. I have recently added a page on our website with book recommendations that I invite you to visit!

Do You Really Want to Lead?

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:11:00 +0000

I'm spending the entire week next week with a group of aspiring leaders. They have answered the call of their organization to step up to a leadership role. In addition to more pay, they will also receive many opportunities to make a real difference for their organization.

And most of them are clueless to the challenge ahead.

The truth is that being a leader can be difficult work. It's easy to sit back and criticize someone in a leadership role. I try to remember that when I'm tempted to complain about national political leaders. It's completely different when you are in the chair, at the table, and the decisions rest with you. Leadership is, indeed, not a popularity contest.

Do you really want to be a leader? It's a good question to ask as we start a new year.

The Wall Street Journal had a thought-provoking article on the topic recently. It's worth reading if you have intentions on increasing the scope of your responsibility.

Serving in a leadership role is a tremendously rewarding experience. And it is hard work. I look forward to both inspiring (and sobering) my aspiring leaders next week!

What's your take? Do you remember what expectations you went into your role with? Has it been more challenging than you thought? Send me an e-mail with your thoughts!

Death By PowerPoint (or video or....)

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:51:00 +0000

I know, I know... everybody knows that PowerPoint is all too often abused. Though we are aware of the crime, death by PowerPoint remains way too commonplace in everyday corporate life. This slide show at CIO Magazine's website is a good reminder for us all.

John Medina's book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School does a great job of explaining why good slide manners matter. Get his book, but also check out the "Vision" video on his website.

My observation: the problem isn't just poor slide design. It often starts with a misunderstanding of how to architect an effective message. I watched a video that a friend posted on YouTube to talk about a company that his organization will be partnering with in 2010. It wasn't clear to me whether he was targeting the video for existing customers, prospective customers, or people who want to buy into his franchise idea.

On Monday Night Football this week, IBM paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to show a couple of their Smarter Planet ads, such as this one. Though I find the ads intriguing, it led to an equally intriguing discussion with some friends and family: what is it that IBM actually does these days? I could answer that 25 years ago. Today? I'm not as sure.

To whom are they targeting that ad? Is it worth the cost? The smart minds behind the Smarter Planet initiative clearly think so. I'm not as convinced, based on the discussion around our munchies Monday evening.

My point: whether it's a presentation, a video, an e-mail, a marketing piece, or any other communication, start with the basics: who is my target audience and which of their problems am I addressing? How can I best communicate how we address those problems?

If you can't clearly answer those initial questions, it really doesn't matter how slick (or sick) your PowerPoint slides (or video or....) looks. The message will get lost in the fog.

Do you have a favorite abuse of PowerPoint (or video or web page or....)? Send me a pic or link! Here's to your success communicating today!

You Have One of The Best Jobs in America (at least according to CNN)!

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:37:00 +0000

For the record, just having a job these days is a blessing!

But since I get the privilege of working with project managers and other leaders, I was pleased to see that IT Project Managers ranked #5 on CNN/Money Magazine's Best Jobs in America survey.

PM's certainly didn't show up on the list for lowest stress, as any of my project manager colleagues can confirm. Yet the job track of Project Manager continues to be a good career investment.

Are you still procrastinating on getting your PMP certification? If so, check out my overview of how to get your PMP. Invest in your career by getting your PMP in 2010.

P.S. If you're willing to take less money, be a College Professor that teaches project management! Professors hit #3 on the overall list (and #3 on the Least Stressful list). The fact that Education/Training Consultant showed up #1 on the Least Stressful list makes me wonder about the validity of the survey, but I digress. :)

Be a Guest on my Podcast! Tell me: What Are You Thankful For?

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:45:00 +0000

So, what are you thankful for?

Many countries celebrate a holiday similar to Thanksgiving, which is observed this month in the United States.

Each year there is research that reinforces that being thankful--having a spirit of gratitude--has enormous benefits, from helping you be happier to even living longer.

How about going on record with what you're thankful for this year?

This year we're opening up the phone lines for you! Regardless of where you live, whether in the U.S. or abroad, just call us at (847) 579-9174. Leave your name (first name only is fine) and where you live, then tell us what you're thankful for this year. We'll include your contribution in our People and Projects Podcast episode that will come out the week of Thanksgiving.

It's not too difficult to find things to be upset or worried about these days. So let's hear from you what you're thankful for! Call us toll-free at 866-884-5323 and tell the world what you're thankful for!

Everyone who participates by Friday, November 20, gets a free 30-day license to my e-learning module on risk management. It's my way of saying.... Thanks!

IMPORTANT: If you want the e-learning license, make sure to leave your e-mail address in the message as well. We will edit out the e-mail address so it doesn't show up in the podcast but will use it to give you the free access to the e-learning.

It only takes a minute! Give me a call toll-free at 866-884-5323 to participate!

"Ignorance keeps you perky"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Earlier this year Peggy Noonan wrote an article about President Obama's new term: "Every new president starts out fresh, in part because he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Ignorance keeps you perky."

The months since have shown that running a government is more challenging than running a campaign. Though you and I are not seeking to be the leader of the free world, Noonan's point can be translated to those who strive to deliver projects and lead teams. When we first take over a project or team, our optimism may be based on ignorance. What is it that we don't know?

This all comes to mind as I prepared for my podcast interview next week with Michael Roberto, author of Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen.

In the book, Professor Roberto essentially tells us that leaders must first hone their skills as problem-finders, not just problem-solvers. He offers very practical advice on how leaders can overcome the many barriers that make it a challenge to discover problems earlier instead of reacting to them later when the consequences can be much more severe.

The podcast episode is not scheduled to be published until late October but I invite you to get your copy of Michael's book now and enjoy the interview when it comes out.

In addition, here's an article that Michael just recently published that will give you a taste for what's in store.

Here's to us all becoming better problem-finders!

"Suckers for irrelevancy"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:05:00 +0000

I talk with people regularly about the pitfalls of multitasking. The majority of the time I receive enthusiastic agreement about the productivity downsides of trying to juggle multiple things at the same time.

And yet take even a casual look around our workplaces and roadways.... What do you see? I see plenty of evidence that our actions don't align with what we say we know.

Talking on the phone while trying to look up some information--while driving. Trying to draft an e-mail while having a conversation with someone. Checking messages on a Blackberry while sitting in a training session.

Earlier this year I interviewed Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking, for my People and Projects Podcast. Dave talked about how we actually switchtask rather than multitask, adding stress and wasted time rather than efficiency when juggling multiple creative tasks.

A new study recently released from Stanford confirms Dave's point. According to Professor Clifford Nass, high multitaskers are "suckers for irrelevancy", easily distracted by the noise that bombards us all every day.

Want to get more done today? Work on focusing on one thing and get it done.

And here's an idea! Check out the video below (but don't check e-mail while doing so)!

You Are Who You...

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:18:00 +0000

... spend the most time with. Do you buy that?

In my keynote entitled The Dirty Little Secret of Business, we talk about the importance of relationships. During the keynote I ask people in the audience: "How much does it matter who you spend time with? Why?"

Overwhelmingly the responses are that we are significantly impacted by the people we are surrounded by. Speaker and author Allan Holender says it this way: "You are the mean of the five people you spend the most time with."

As you look around your office, this might scare you. :)

This principle goes beyond just the workplace or even adults. A study released earlier this month found that kids with overweight friends tend to be overweight as well.

In the keynote I challenge people to be more intentional with whom they surround themselves. You may not be able to select the members of your team, but you do have control over who you go to lunch with, what podcasts you listen to, which books you read, and who you hang out with socially.

We talk about the importance of diversity in relationships and finding people who make you better, not tear you down... who take your further, not hold you back... who you can help as well as they can help you.

Andy Stanley says, "What and who you listen to will determine what you do." Even if this isn't completely true in every situation, I'm convinced from my own experience (as well as from coaching hundreds of executives), that much of your success will come down to who your greatest influencers are. And you are most influenced by those you spend the most time with.

Take a look around.

P.S. If you would like more information about our Dirty Little Secret of Business keynote, contact me for details. It's a perfect session for company or department meetings, offsite meetings, and conferences.

"Trillion is the new billion"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:51:00 +0000

It's a key message in my book Navigating the Winds of Change: Staying on Course in Business & in Life: Perspective matters.

It's so easy to lose perspective. Whether you're trying to convince a boss to make a change or trying to evaluate if a government reform idea is a good deal or not, getting a sense of perspective can make all the difference.

Frankly, I have trouble visualizing a trillion of anything. As reported this last week, the White House predicts a deficit of $1.841 trillion dollars for the current fiscal year.

Seems like a really big number. To get some perspective, how does that compare to some previous years? The biggest deficit for any fiscal year on record is $454.8 billion, rung up in fiscal 2008. So we're predicting to be $1.4 trillion dollars worse than the worst year on record. Yet as bad as that sounds, I still find it difficult to get my arms around how big a trillion really is.

Often a picture can serve up perspective more effectively. Here are a couple examples that illustrate a trillion dollars:

From PageTutor.com
From YouTube

This posting is not about whether health care reform or stimulus spending is a good idea or not. It's not about left vs. right or Republicans vs. Democrats.

Here's my point: when you hear any leader (whether in government or in business) throwing around numbers that are difficult to comprehend, try to get perspective using a picture. It will help you better evaluate the long-term implications of their statements.

"What did they say?"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:04:00 +0000

How often does this happen to you? You're flipping through some notes of a meeting that could have been a week or two ago. As you try to interpret the hastily written scratching you try to remember, "What did they say? What was the context of the meeting when I wrote that down?"

Or it could be you're with a project stakeholder who told you one thing two months ago and they're now changing their story. "No, that's not what I said. What I've been saying for months is...."

My talented and insightful colleague Payson Hall recently shared one of his favorite new tools with me. It's called Livescribe. Here's how it works:

While you're in a meeting (or class or any other context where you're taking notes while someone else is speaking), you use this special pen which has an audio recorder built-in.
You take your notes on a special notebook that has uniquely identifiable markings encoded every millimeter or so--so small you don't see the markings. The pen understands where you are writing because of this encoding so it can sync your notes with the audio.
Later on when you review your notes, just tap on the note and you can hear the accompanying audio. Imagine that project stakeholder's reaction when you can play back what they said!

Beyond that functionality, you can transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within the notes allowing you to find what you want in seconds. They even have the ability to transform your notes and audio into interactive movies.

The notebook and pen refills are reasonably priced, not to mention the very high cool factor. Looking for a new tool to help you manage your notes and stakeholders? Check out Livescribe on Amazon!

What I "Can" Do

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:49:00 +0000

There are times when saying 'No' seems like a career-limiting move. Yet a clear personal productivity principle is learning to say 'No'.

Easier said than done.

I often cover this topic in our project management and leadership development workshops. Here's a link to my article "How to Say 'No' (Without Saying 'No')" that provides some helpful advice.

In addition, here's a piece from Rachel Zupek for your consideration as well. I like her focus on "What I can do..." as well as the coaching on watching your body language and vocal tone.

Clearly there are times when "No" needs to be the answer (for example, when asked to do something illegal, unethical, or against your value system). Yet some people err on the side of over-using "No" when there may be better ways to finesse the same result.

Ultimately, we need to be known as people who deliver--who make things happen. That will often happen by saying "Yes" to opportunities. But when "No" is really the best answer, it's helpful to be armed with techniques that can help you influence a "No" without always using the letters N-O!

Service to Shout About

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:39:00 +0000

This is not normal. I'm yelling at a customer service rep from GiftCards.com. I don't yell at people--at least very often.

How did this happen?

This is a quick tale of customer service from two companies, with lessons for us all.

About a year ago I was awarded a gift card by one of my top clients as part of their reward and recognition program for outstanding performance. The award from GiftCards.com is supposed to act like a normal VISA card so it should be accepted anywhere that VISA cards are allowed.

We had multiple problems with the card, including some fraud shortly after it had been activated. My outburst to the customer service rep was in reaction to how they dealt with the fraud: there was no recourse. We were out the money. But that wasn't the biggest deal. If I wanted a new card issued for the remaining balance, they would have to charge me.

The message: "We can't help you." It shouldn't have gotten me so upset. These days I should have even expected it.

Contrast this to the purchase of our first Mac last week. If you've bought from Apple before, you already know what I found out... It's a great experience. A guy named Ben walked me through the in's and out's and made a recommendation we are excited about.

Part of our payment for the Mac was with the gift card. Though GiftCards.com gave Apple an authorization, the fraud occurred before Apple transferred funds, meaning there was not enough remaining balance to cover the original amount charged.

How did Apple handle the issue? They contacted me to let me know what was up. I chased down GiftCards.com to see what had happened, then explained it to Apple. I suggested putting the remaining balance of my purchase on another card. But check this out: Apple's customer service rep said, "That's not necessary. I am authorized to discount the computer by the remaining amount."

What? I was floored. Apple basically said, "We'll make this problem go away."

No computer manufacturer has the margin that Apple discounted for me. Apple chose to serve a customer to win them for life. GiftCards.com chose to follow a policy and lose a customer for life.

Some lessons:

Regardless of the business you're in, be known for making problems go away. We've all heard that we need to bring solutions, not problems. Make sure that's your reputation.
The longer term view can help you realize that a concession today can help you gain far more over the long term. "Penny-wise and pound-foolish" is unfortunately the motto of too many organizations during these difficult times.
I actually called the rep back at GiftCards.com and apologized for yelling at him. Though I will never use their products again, he didn't deserve the treatment I gave him. The lesson: let's treat people respectfully. Life's too short to do otherwise.
Final lesson: talk to Ben when you want to buy a Mac. :)

Get Some Time Back in Your Day

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Two of my favorite productivity and time management experts are hosting free learning experiences this week.

Jason Womack: Goal Setting, this Friday 5/22, from 10:15am-10:45am Central. Click here for details on this free session. NOTE: Jason was a recent guest on my People and Projects Podcast. Click here to listen to the interview.

Dave Crenshaw: Author of The Myth of Multitasking, this Friday 5/22, from 4:00pm-5:00pm Central. Click here to register for the free session. NOTE: Dave was my guest on the People and Projects Podcast back in February. Click here to listen to the interview.

Enjoy!

"Develop Your Skills? Hey, You're Just Lucky to Have a Job!"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:45:00 +0000

I recall speaking at a national sales meeting back in early 2002 (a difficult time for many companies who were still digging out from 9/11). I hung out for a while afterwards for a meet and greet and decided to stay for the next session, which was led by the VP of Sales. He started talking about the new commission structure, which was clearly not being embraced by the sales team. In frustration the VP eventually blurted out, "Hey, if you don't like this--go get a job somewhere else! You're lucky to have a job!"

That'll rally the troops!

During difficult times, it's easy to fall into the trap of neglecting our teams: dropping the priority of developing our people under the presumption of "they're lucky to have a job and won't go elsewhere." I'm not advocating we put up with whining over difficult changes that need to be made. Rather, I'm talking about managers who don't keep employee development a priority because they think "they don't have to" or "can't" during difficult economic times.

Stephanie Overby wrote a nice piece in a recent CIO Magazine issue entitled Forging Good Leaders in Bad Times. I particularly appreciated contributions by Dr. Karen Sobel-Lojeski: "Leaders are developing whether you want them to or not. The question is: Do we want to be aware of that and guide that in a conscious way?"

Toyota CIO Barbra Cooper added a point we emphasize in our leadership development keynotes and workshops: "I try to take advantage of everyday events�problems or personnel issues�and turn them into real-time learning opportunities." Leadership development training is happening all around us, every day, if we pay attention.

Add this article to your list to read this week. And contact us to learn how we can help you develop your teams. We can do so effectively without capsizing your budget! Even as you work to keep your business afloat during these stormy times, remember that everyone wins when you develop your people. When the ill winds pass (and they will), your organization well be better positioned than ever to take advantage of new opportunities.

Distraction Turns To Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Motorcyclist Fatally Struck by Car; Cops Say Other Driver Painting Nails

That was the headline in our local paper Sunday morning after a tragic accident the day before. The outrage continues to pour in, especially when it appears the nail-painting driver will only be charged with "failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident."

My guess is there will be additional fines and litigation against the offending driver. Yet I suppose the most painful sentence for her will be living with the result of her lack of attention. One comment on a discussion board mentioned the driver is a nurse: someone who helps save lives. In a split second, for no good reason, she ended one.

The discussion boards on local news sites are filled with "lock her up for life!" sort of judgments. My first reaction to the tragedy was similar: "What a loser! Painting her nails?"

And yet I couldn't help but be reminded of one of Jesus' comments about someone who had obviously made a mistake as well: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

How often will I text someone (while I'm driving) that I'm running a couple minutes late? Or scroll through a list of names to make a call? Or twirl the selector on my iPod to find the podcast I want to listen to? Or eat? Or review some notes before a meeting? Or shave?

Or [fill in the blank]? The answer: too often.

I've posted about attention and distraction a number of times and discussed it on my podcast with the author of The Myth of Multitasking. We are a culture of distracted multitaskers. The data clearly indicate it's not just the phone or iPod or nail polishing that impairs our driving. Reaching across the car to grab a bottle of water can make the difference between stopping now or a half-second too late.

I understand that many of us fancy ourselves as great multitaskers, and certainly some seem better than others. But brain science increasingly makes it clear that we are fooling ourselves: "To put it bluntly, research shows that we can't multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously," says Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules. He goes on:

"Cell-phone talkers are a half-second slower to hit the brakes in emergencies, slower to return to normal speed after an emergency, and more wild in their 'following distance' behind the vehicle in front of them. In a half-second, a driver going 70 mph travels 51 feet. Given that 80% of crashes happen within three seconds of some kind of driver distraction, increasing your amount of task-switching increases your risk of an accident. More than 50% of the visual cues spotted by attentive drivers are missed by cell-phone talkers. Not surprisingly, they get in more wrecks than anyone except very drunk drivers."

This isn't just an issue on the road. People are distracted by e-mail in meetings. Managers try to draft something on their computer while having a one-on-one with a staff member. Noises from a cubicle next door make it difficult to focus on your work. Thankfully the results are not typically as tragic as someone dying, but there is a toll nonetheless.

Our local paper's editorial board had a good response this morning: "Don't _____ and Drive"

That's good advice for the road. And it can be a good reminder for us all to manage our distractions more aggressively as we go through our day today.

P.S. As I was finishing this post up this morning, my 12-year old son wanted to talk. I found myself bouncing between the conversation and this post. How ironic. I had to turn away from the keyboard and focus on him. Otherwise the likelihood of him feeling I wasn't listening (and a typo showing up in this post) would have dramatically risen. Here's to less distractions in your day today!

Training the Darth Sidious Way

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:14:00 +0000

This week I facilitated leadership training with participants from across North America as well as Europe. Each day we had a different group of people join us in Chicago, which means someone from the U.K. would spend more time getting to and from the session than they would in the actual training itself.

Every indication was that people loved the classes. But I couldn't help but think about the time issue....

Think about how much time we waste... Waiting. Commuting. Hurrying up....just to wait.

Remember in the Star Wars movies when Darth Sidious would pop into a discussion as a hologram for a little pep talk with Darth Vadar? How different would things be if we had such technology? How would that change the way we look at business, meetings, office layouts, even cities?

What would the impact be to the travel industry? Training? Whatever industry you are in?

I've not shown up in a hologram yet but I've presented in meetings using state-of-the-art video conferencing technology (sometimes referred to as telepresence). It's impressive now but just a shadow of where things are headed.

I enjoyed watching this clip from a Cisco meeting where John Chambers has an on-stage holographic conversation with two guys who are 14,000 miles away. Even if you only watch the first couple minutes it will give you a sense that the technology might not be, well, light years away!

By the way, if you want to invest in your own skills (and those of your team) yet don't have much time or money, check out our e-learning offerings! It's the next best thing to beaming me to your office!

Strategic Misrepresentation?

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:25:00 +0000

I was doing some research today on project cost overruns. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of high-profile examples of massive project failures when it comes to cost.

I was particularly intrigued by an article entitled "Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie?" by Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette Skamris Holm, and S�ren Buhl. Just the term underestimating instead of overrun caught my eye.

Yet even more interesting was a conclusion they put forward in their paper: "Cost underestimation cannot be explained by error and seems to be best explained by strategic misrepresentation, i.e. lying."

Strategic misrepresentation? That could be the most creative way of saying lying that I've heard in quite a while!

"In case after case, planners, engineers, and economists told Wachs that they had had to 'cook' forecasts in order to produce numbers that would satisfy their superiors and get projects started, whether or not the numbers could be justified on technical grounds...."

As we discuss in our project management workshops, reality has this annoying way of always winning. Bad news doesn't get better over time. If your project is struggling, rather than trying to find creative ways to cook up a batch of strategic misrepresentation, how about applying that creativity into innovative solutions to get back on schedule.

We-can-make-this-up: 5 of the most dangerous words in project management. It's not that you can't. It's just that hope is rarely a good strategy. And that's what we see way too often.

Check out our Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis keynote. It's perfect for a company meeting, retreat, or association gathering. We can help your teams learn to lead and deliver.

Spell Checker is Not Always Your Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:12:00 +0000

I was in Milwaukee delivering a project management workshop on Monday. During a break, one of the participants just started roaring with laughter.

He was reading his e-mail. I wondered, "What could be so funny? "

He told me, "I just got a message from a co-worker asking for help. Instead of saying 'sorry for the inconvenience' the e-mail reads 'sorry for the incontinence!"

The curse of spell checker/auto-complete strikes again!

Potential actions
Consider re-reading your e-mails today before hitting the Send button. Pay close attention when having the computer automatically fix your spellings. Double-check that presentation you're sending to your project sponsor or key stakeholder. I wouldn't want it to cause you any incontinence!

An extra minute of review now can save much more time later in confusion or embarrassment.

For advice on issues like this, check out my e-book How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

Brain Rules Mindmap

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:33:00 +0000

If you've participated in one of my project management workshops you've likely heard me refer to mindmapping. It's a great technique for personal and team brainstorming.

You may also have heard me refer to one of my favorite books from last year: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina. A recent podcast episode talks about the book and a few of the concepts.

Well, here's a site that combines both: a mindmap of the Brain Rules! Enjoy!

Click here to get your copy of Brain Rules. You'll love it!

Great Customer Service Trumps Technology Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Here's the setting: I'm interviewing Dr. Kenneth W. Thomas for my podcast yesterday. Ken is one of the most influential researchers in worker empowerment and conflict management, with his Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) having sold over 6 million copies.

We're having a great interview. He's into it, I'm enjoying it. His PR guy is on the line, very happily quiet. The marketing rep for a publisher is listening in, contentedly. It's a podcaster's dream.

The interview finishes and I hit the "Stop" recording button on the software which has captured every word of this interview over Skype.

And my computer locks up.

What is going on? I can't talk to them. My mouse won't even move. The computer is frozen. I don't know if the interview is saved. I am freaking out.

I quick grab a land line and call the conference line to let them know I wasn't rudely dishing them now that I got the interview! I mention the problem and that we may have to re-record. Everyone is gracious and willing but I am ticked.

I decide to walk upstairs from my recording studio/office to get a cup of coffee, take a deep breath or two, and pray with my wife that the recording was salvageable. I go back downstairs and stretch every geek gene and neuron to recover the temp file that I see but cannot listen to.

Sigh.

I contact the provider of the software (CallGraph) and express my displeasure. Realizing they are in India I didn't expect a response, but got one in less than an hour. I tried a couple recommended steps without success and decided to just send them the file with SendThisFile.com.

As I dozed off last night I couldn't help but admit this was just another technology nightmare. And it had to happen on this interview...

I checked e-mail first thing this morning and saw an incredible message in my inbox. The subject read "Recovered file." As it turns out, Rajiv from CallGraph worked his magic and recovered everything except the last second or two. Unbelievable.

Turns out prayer still works. :) And it also showed incredible customer service from a little known company that offers free Skype recording without time limits. There are settings, I've learned from Rajiv, to avoid the panic that I experienced.

It is with confidence and appreciation that I recommend CallGraph (www.callgraph.biz) to my customers and colleagues who want a tool to record Skype conversations.

Andy Kaufman
Host of the People and Projects Podcast

Podcasts: Training You Can't Afford (To Miss!)

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Our latest newsletter went out today on the topic of podcasts. If you haven't received yours, I invite you to check it out online.

For those of you who regularly take advantage of podcasts, which are your favorites? Add a comment to this post to share with others.

For those of you who haven't tried podcasts yet, what concerns do you have? What has kept you from taking the next step? I'd love to hear from you.

"Could I have a translator for what this IT guy said?"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:28:00 +0000

If you're not an Information Technology (IT) professional, you probably have to work with one. A common complaint about communication across organizational boundaries is the use of jargon, and the IT people I interact with are often guilty of this communications sin.

According to the results of a survey conducted by IT recruitment consultancy Computer People, 75 percent of respondents admitted that they waste over an hour a week finding out what something means so they can complete their work.

For the record, that seems like an exaggeration to me (but then again, I grew up as an IT guy). Regardless we can all use a reminder to be careful with the jargon that we inadvertently insert into our written and spoken communications.

Potential actions
Consider re-reading your e-mails today before hitting the Send button. Double-check that presentation you're sending to your project sponsor. Do they really understand the metrics?

An extra minute of review now can save much more time later in confusion or poor decisions.

For advice on how to use e-mail more effectively, check out my e-book How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

Join me at the Better Software Conference in June!

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:47:00 +0000

There are so many conferences to choose from yet so little travel budget to invest this year. If you're in the software business, which one do you focus on to get the maximum value for your investment?

I invite you to join me at this year's Better Software conference, June 8-12, 2009 at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'll be sharing my day long leadership session entitled The Leadership Tutorial. In addition, I'll be unveiling my newest keynote on relationships, entitled The Dirty Little Secret of Business. I'd love to see you there!

Now in its sixth year, Better Software delivers the latest trends, technologies, and strategies in the industry today. I invite you to join me and the other speakers at Better Software for networking opportunities and learning about the latest issues regarding agile development, project management, people & teams, software testing & QA, software requirements, process improvement, metrics, and design & architecture.

I've had the privilege of speaking at this conference for many years and it's always a highlight. You'll learn a lot and enjoy excellent networking with colleagues from around the world.

To check out the program, visit http://www.sqe.com/BetterSoftwareConf/Schedule/Default.aspx

Special Savings offer

Register using special promo code SKBS and save up to $300! Register by April 3rd to add the Early Bird Discount for up to $600 in total savings! Call the client support group at 888.268.8770 or register online at: https://www.sqe.com/BetterSoftwareConf/Register/SelectConference.aspx

See you in Vegas!

"I'm not cheating! I'm showing my genius!"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:34:00 +0000

I couldn't help but see the irony of two headlines on my browser homepage this morning. The first is a reference to Bernard Madhoff, that he will plead guilty to swindling people out of billions of dollars through his Ponzi scheme.

How refreshing. Finally, a criminal who isn't claiming he's a victim....

The second headline reads "Why Student Cheating Has an Upside."

What?

The article talks about the disconnect between students who insist that being honest and honorable is important yet overwhelmingly admit that they lie to their parents and teachers as well as cheat on tests.

As author Martha Brockenbrough suggests, those who care about our future leaders should find this discouraging. "Kids are shredding their ethics, but not that many feel bad about it." In fact, many "reported that they thought cheaters were more likely to succeed in life."

Brockenbrough relates how cheaters are getting more clever. Indeed technology is providing opportunities to cheat in ways that were not available when I walked the halls.

Yet she goes further: there's an upside to all this cheating. It demonstrates creative genius! Though she points out she's not advocating cheating, she goes on to equate clever approaches to cheating with innovative advances for mankind.

Interesting. When do we cross the line from a healthy break from status quo to becoming a cheat. After all, aren't we encouraged by Marcus Buckingham to "break all the rules?"

Bernie Madhoff is a genius. He kept his scam going for years. He had an innovative approach but it ended up inflicting serious pain across a wide swath of people around the world. Creative genius? Sure. Cheat? Absolutely.

Innovation looks at status quo in a new way and makes the workplace, the world, or a product better, often for the long term. Cheating provides a shortcut to personal gain (or a way to avoid short-term personal pain) with long term negative consequences.

And those consequences are not just experienced by the cheater.

I take exception to the students who think cheaters are more successful. Though it could appear that way in the short term, just look at the headlines to find another cheater soon to be behind bars.

Tempted to cut a corner today? Feeling compelled to exaggerate contributions to accomplishments on your resume? Wondering if you should just slather some lipstick on a status report to management about a project that is really a pig?

Let's not kid ourselves. That's not creative genius. Let's call it what it is: cheating.