Fearless project leader

Taking risks seems to be an endangered species in corporate America. But that shouldn’t stop the fearless project leader.
Following are three tips to help you rise to the occasion when all hell is breaking loose.
1. Assure that the team has overturned every stone in the planning phase. This means explicitly including risk and uncertainty into the plan, especially into the budget and schedule if those items are critical to the project success. (more…)

Crossing The Cultural Divide

How many times do we hear it? We live in a global economy. It seems like practically every project seems to be spread over two or three continents and four or more time zones. This makes a project manager’s job even tougher. How do you get all these people on the same page?

So many years ago I setoff on a mission to learn as much as I could about every country I worked in. I found out a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. During my first trip to Japan I went out alone for a meal one evening and confidently ordered my meal. I was shocked when they brought a dinner for six. Yikes. My gracious hosts eventually bailed me out. But the lesson was clear; be careful what you ask for…unless you know what you’re doing. (more…)