SOLUTIONS MADE SIMPLE
The expression “a bull in a china shop” is a metaphor for someone who breaks things, makes mistakes, or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behavior. Imagine a bull sauntering down the row of a china shop: he barely fits into the aisle, and with every step...
No other soft skill has so many cliches emblazoned on motivational posters and hanging on office walls, as teamwork does. For example:
“Teamwork makes the dream work”,
“There’s no ‘I’ in Team”, and
“Together Everybody A...
A common expression for describing momentum in a career is that it’s not what you know, but who you know. This implies that you may be the smartest person in the room, but unless you know other people in the room, smarts alone will not help you move forward.
How do you get to know...
“I visualized where I wanted to be, what kind of player I wanted to become. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there.” - Michael Jordan
Many athletes use the technique of visualization to help improve their game. Clearly it worked for Michael Jordan,...
When a turtle becomes frightened, its head and four legs immediately retract into its shell until the danger passes. Once it perceives the threat is gone, its head will slowly emerge, followed by the legs, and then off it goes. This may take some time, but a little coaxing with food may get it...
A woman in line at the drive-thru ordered her favorite morning coffee. She pulled up to the next window with money in hand and held it out the window to the cashier. “You don’t have to pay today,” said the cashier. “The customer ahead of you paid for your order.”...
Apollo 13 was the 1995 movie about America’s fifth crewed mission to the moon that launched in 1970. Two days in, an explosion on board the spacecraft deprived everyone of their much-needed oxygen supply and electrical power. NASA aborted the mission and the rest of the movie was about...
What’s your problem? Every day is filled with so many obstacles, where do you even start to answer that question as a project manager? There’s not enough time, resources, nor money to finish this project. Fix it. The client changed scope, again. Fix it. Delivery is running late but we...
It’s happened to all of us before. You get out of a chair the wrong way or pick up something heavy and POP! Your back goes out! You double over, putting your hand on the pressure point to find relief from the unbearable pain, and try to catch your breath. When it becomes plain that no...
Things grow. Babies learn to walk, plants grow flowers, puppies play fetch. Growth is everywhere and a natural part of life. That is, until we look inside our organizations. Do you find that your project management, PMO leadership, or organizational development skills are stagnant? Are you doing...
Ah, the ubiquitous colors of red, yellow, and green. Not only do they keep traffic around the globe running smoothly, they often indicate project health on status reports:
- Red - The project has hit a serious roadblock(s), and no clear plan is in place to hit the date.
- Yellow - The...
Spring is in the air! Leaves are green, gardens are planted, and the smell of fresh cut grass is all around. The yellow haze of pollen is behind us and May flowers are on the way. Before you know it, you’ll be in your driveway shoveling snow!
Wait, what? What happened to summer and...
