Working More, Enjoying it Less?

tykiisel@msn.com — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

The economic downturn we’ve experienced for the last few years is taking its toll on the workforce. Whether you work in a project environment or not, "Businesses expect a lot more out of their employees these day…" writes Anne Kadet for the Wall Street Journal. In her article, ‘Superjobs’: Why You W [...]

Simple Doesn't Mean Un-Important

tykiisel@msn.com — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

My daughter lives downtown—about twenty or so minutes away from where my wife and I live in the suburbs. We decided to stop by for a visit. It was the perfect weather for a short bike ride. Although I am an "epic ride" sort of guy; disappearing on the road for hours at a time, just before dark is my favorite time to ride. The light is soft, it's easy to see and somehow you can almost sense the day winding down. Even though it was a very short ride, it was still a &qu [...]

Because I Said So!

tykiisel@msn.com — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

“Because I said so!” has never worked.

30 years ago when your boss told you to do something, you did it (at least I did). And no, we didn’t like it then either. Let’s face it, times have changed. Generation X and Y are used to having more control over what they do and when they do it than any other [...]

3 Keys to Mitigating Project Risk

tykiisel@msn.com — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Over the weekend I spent a wonderful Saturday cruising the canyons of northern Utah on my motorcycle. It was a beautiful day and the canyons were incredible. My favorite rides are from canyon to canyon and Saturday was the perfect example. I started with a ride to Pineview Reservoir and over Monte Cristo into Wyoming. From Evanston I headed for the Mirro [...]

3 Keys to Leveraging Tribal Knowledge

tykiisel@msn.com — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Since I was a young man, I've spent countless hours in sitting around the campfire telling and listening to stories. People whom I respected often taught great life lessons sitting around the embers of a fire at the end of the day. I have also taken that time to share those same lessons with my sons (who are now all adults) and [...]

Is Your Team Performing Below Their Potential?

tykiisel@msn.com — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

It might be your fault.

Not exactly your fault, but according to Scott Blanchard of The Ken Blanchard Companies, "Leadership development training is a smart, prudent investment that drives eoncomic value and bottom line results. But if people perceive that senior executives don't care about development then—guess what—development will not be a priority for the company."

How does this make it even remotely your fault—or not exactly your fault?

Job Satisfaction Just Isn't Good Enough

tykiisel@msn.com — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Earlier this year Colleen Coates wrote a great piece about employee satisfaction and employee engagement. "A recent study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that even though employees may be satisfied with their jobs," she says, "it does not automatically translate into having an engaged wo [...]

Effective Project Communication is Critical to Success

tykiisel@msn.com — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I didn't go into work yesterday. I had a number of personal errands to do that couldn't be done on the weekend. For example, it was time to renew my drivers license.

They've changed the rules since I last renewed my license, and although I should have known the rules changed, I didn't (my wife suggested that I hadn' [...]

Talent Wins Games—Teamwork Wins Championships

tykiisel@msn.com — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Michael Jordan once said, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

The individual effort of smart and talented people is critically important to success—but there are many highly-talented people on sports teams, within organizations and even project teams that never achieve great success because as im [...]

Offering Support to the Community

tykiisel@msn.com — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Over the years I've noticed that doing something for somebody else is a great way to recharge the batteries and find new motivation. Yesterday, my colleagues and I spent the day at Globus Relief sorting and preparing medical equipment destined for a relief effort in Central America. I don't know the details of the need but I do know that it felt very [...]

Doing Good is Never a Bad Thing

tykiisel@msn.com — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I am an REI customer. I enjoy spending time in the outdoors and enjoy the gear REI sells to make spending time outdoors fun and more comfortable. When I go into the local store, if I have a gear question, I'll more than likely be helped by someone who has used the gear I'm asking about and can give me real-world guidance on [...]

Project Preparation Promotes Peak Performance

tykiisel@msn.com — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

There's not much more I would rather do these days than cruise the back-roads from the seat of my motorcycle. There's something about experiencing the adventure at a more tactile level than what you feel in the climate-controlled space created by an automobile. And, giving the throttle a little extra twist now and again shooting through the twisties is p [...]

Is Your Project Environment "Sin" Free?

tykiisel@msn.com — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Whether you know them as the Seven Deadly Sins, the Capital Vices, or the Cardinal Sins, the final version of the list consists of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. The "Deadly Sins" are not seen as a separate category of sin, but rather the origin of the other sins. The same could be said of the Seven [...]

Pure, Peer-to-Peer and Public—Recognition Works

tykiisel@msn.com — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I recently stumbled upon a report published by HREOnline arguing the need for organizations to implement a strategic employee recognition program. "The problem with trying to do more with less is we all focus on the 'less' part, don't we?" asks Mike Ryan, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at Madison Performance [...]

Does the Social Media Metaphor Work?

tykiisel@msn.com — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I haven't thought about it in these terms before (at least so far as the hierarchy of needs is concerned), but I don't think it's too much of a leap to make the connection. As a metaphor for collaboration and team engagement, I think it works. Particularly with the millennial generation—who are fu [...]

Spotting a Failing Project: 9 Warning Signs

tykiisel@msn.com — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

My colleagues and I talk a lot about failing projects and the damage control associated with projects in trouble. I don't think it's a question of project manager skill, the team's ability to execute or even stakeholder involvement with some projects—even if you do everything right, sometimes projects struggle. With that [...]

Project Risk Aversion or Mitigation?

tykiisel@msn.com — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I think most of us agree that projects are inherently risky endeavors. We don't normally talk about them that way but let's face it, if they weren't risky we would treat them like business as usual. Projects are usually associated with something new, something we haven't done before or some kind of change—making [...]

I Guess Integrity Doesn't Matter After All?

tykiisel@msn.com — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Whenever I write about the leadership quality of integrity, I get comments from those who either don't like my definition or don't think it's a black and white issue or just plain think I'm some kind of naive nut who is up in the night. This has been true as recently as the last few days.

The headline for the H [...]

Integrity Matters

tykiisel@msn.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

"Yahoo confirmed in a Sunday afternoon press release that CEO Scott Thompson will step down, effective immediately," writes Catherine Smith for the Huffington Post.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States and supreme commander of the Allied forces during World War II, said, "The supreme qua [...]

Apply for a New Job, Get a project?

tykiisel@msn.com — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:00:00 +0100

I couldn't help but smile when I saw Michael Schrage's recent post: Projects Are the New Job Interviews, on HBR.com. "Resumes are dead. Interviews are largely ineffectual. Linkedin is good. Portfolios are useful," says the research fellow at MIT Sloan School's center for Digital Business. "But projects are t [...]

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