My Weekly Blog – Leadership Perspectives
Project Managers Need to Think Beyond Their Projects
I was chatting with the senior project director at a large local organization recently and he made a very astute observation. When it comes time to find his next senior project manager, he has lots of choices, he suggested. There are many PMs out there...
Empathetic Leadership
The Globe and Mail published a great opinion piece today, July 8, 2020, entitled ‘Changed, changing and will change: adapting to our new and ever-evolving world of work’. I was taken by the concept of ‘WFH prejudice’ and the idea of the new CEO: Chief Empathy Officer....
To Lead or Manage
I had a chance to sit down with an old friend recently, to talk about lessons learned in the project management business. Lou Breithaupt is a PMP with 25 years experience in health services, technology, construction and oil and gas. He is also a...
Persistence – The Key to Success
I have a friend who has been very successful in her life. Education, experience, connections, the right place at the right time. She will tell you that all of these things have contributed to her current state in life. Interestingly, one thing she won’t admit to...
Project Managers Need to Step Up and Step Out
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Three Steps to Managing a Crisis Like This One
Bruce Harbinson is a Regional Chair with TEC Canada. TEC offers a peer advisory board for CEO’s and business owners with one-to-one coaching, expert speakers, fast-paced learning and global networking. Bruce runs two TEC CEO groups and a Key Executive group...
Are You a Micro-Manager?
Last published in this blog November, 2017 I am sure that if I posed this question to a group of 100 managers and leaders, barely a few will put their hands up. Micro-managers either don’t know that they are micro-managers or don’t want to admit it. If you are one of...
Now is the Time to Find Your Coach
Well, actually it was time to find your coach a long time ago. But that’s alright. There’s still time. They figured out many moons ago that professional athletes needed coaches. Why wouldn’t the same be true for all of us in the business world? It is the...
Do You Have a Sense of Humour (Humor)?
(Originally published April 2014 but always worth a re-read) Let’s start by getting over the spelling thing. For my readers south of the border, read ‘humor’. Everyone else, read with ‘humour’. Back in 2014, Forbes offered up a list of the top 10...
Protect, Survive and Prepare
I launched ProjectTalks Virtual this past week. I must say, running a conference virtually is not easy. We certainly ran into our fair share of technical issues – but learned lots. Preparation is now in the works for ProjectTalks II. My session at...
Compassion Wins – Every Project Team Needs a Whale
This post was originally published in October, 2016. With the current COVID-19 pandemic affecting all of us world-wide and the much closer-to-home mass killing in Nova Scotia, it was time to talk about compassion. Every project team needs a member who can add the most important element to the success of any team: compassion. I […]
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This is a Black Swan! – Podcast
Do Black Swans exist? Yup, in real life and as a metaphor for events that come to us as a complete surprise. Google the words ‘Black Swan’ and you will read ‘an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalised after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.’ Given […]
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Communicating Like a Leader Today Calls for a Different Approach
Communicating like a leader is critical today more than ever. But do we need to rethink HOW we communicate? Maybe the email blast to all of our customers or staff or team is not enough.
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Now is the Time to Think Strategically – in Sprints
At the time of writing, our world is in a state of crisis – with the Covid-19 virus taking control. For many of us, times like these pose immense obstacles as we try to plan for the future: organizationally, professionally or personally. Please join me for 4 minutes as we think about how to think […]
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Drastic Times Call for Kinder Measures
“Two things stand like stone. Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own.” Adam Lindsay Gordon These beautiful words are inscribed over the fireplace in the building my Great Grandfather called home for many years. He lived by them. They are also inscribed on the side of his tombstone. He died by them. Today, […]
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When was the last time you said, “Why are we still doing this?”
Leaders at all levels, these days, are dealing with rapid change and uncertain times. This has brought a new reality to our planning and the execution of our plans. More than ever, we need to be able to ask, “Why are we still doing this?” – and act on the answer. In the past, we […]
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Leadership is Earned – Not Awarded
Respect, trust and loyalty are earned over time. We have heard this many times before. And then in walks the new boss and within the first few months it becomes very apparent that he or she did not read the manual. Frankly, it never ceases to amaze me that this mindset still exists. That you […]
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Good Decision-Making – Part 2
In my last posting, we explored the business of decision-making. Great leaders know how to make decisions logically and in a timely manner. In post #1, I suggested that good decision making requires: Solid research A good evaluation of all the options Decisiveness A recent article by Harvey Schachter offers two more decision making tips: “Don’t […]
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Good Decision-Making – Part 1
Good decision-making skills are in my top 5 list of the most important leadership qualities. If you ask a group of employees about what they look for in a good leader, you will get many answers. Most certainly, the ability to make good decisions, will rank up there. Learning how to be a good decision […]
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5 Things a Leader Should Do to Set a Good Example
Originally published in August, 2015 I was recently listening to a group of teenagers talk about their summer jobs and most of the talk was about the leadership style that one of them was dealing with. I heard the words, “They don’t set a good example” numerous times in the rant. Coming from a teenager, […]
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Strategic Thinking Requires Strong Delegation Skills
I am swamped! I have a to-do list as long as my arm. Everyday I walk into my office, new stuff pops up. I feel like I am always fighting fires or dealing with the regular day-to-day administrative duties and sales functions. And when I’m not doing any of that, I’m on the road. Yes, […]
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Great Leaders Produce Great People
great leaders build great people
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Get Out of the Weeds
One of the most difficult things we have to do as leaders, is to get out of the weeds. We’ve grown up in the subject matter space where we have typically excelled, and it is hard to leave. But we have to leave. We have to hand over the reins to others so that they […]
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Are you Emotionally Fit to Lead?
(originally published May, 2015) Forbes.com recently published an article called “5 Ways To Transform Yourself Into A Leader” in which it suggested that leaders need emotional fitness. How true. We look up to our leaders for all types of inspiration and guidance – especially during the tough times. We need our leaders to be strong […]
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It Takes a Village
If you are a Canadian, you are most likely sharing in the excitement recently of the first Canadian to win a grand slam tennis tournament. As a country, we are very proud of our new teenage tennis star, Bianca Andreescu. If you were reading, watching or listening to the news at the time of this […]
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Honesty and Integrity – Key Elements for All Managers and Leaders
“The first step toward greatness is to be honest.”
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Are You Ready to Bail?
Many will tell you that the sign of a great leader is a positive attitude, regardless of what is thrown at them. I prefer to suggest that the sign of a great leader is a realistic attitude, able to see the good, bad and ugly before, during and after the fact and able to act […]
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Are You a Champion of Change?
Back in 2016, a friend of mine, Roy Osing, wrote an article entitled: “10 Things Smart Business People Do”. In it, he suggests that smart business people, or leaders, makes themselves champions of change. Roy suggested that this “gives them currency in the organization and the ability to garner resources to get things done.” Every […]
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Leaders are Committed – Day in and Day Out
I have been trying to think about leadership without commitment. I can’t. They simply cannot exist without each other.
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An Historic Day for Canada
The Toronto Raptors have just won the 2019 NBA Championship and today (June 17, 2019) ‘we’ celebrated. The ‘we’ is Canada. They really are Canada’s team. People flooded into downtown Toronto from all parts of Canada (and a few from the US) to be a part of this historic day. The victory parade drew an […]
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Project Managers Need to Step It Up
I struggled with the title of this week’s post. The title I chose could just as easily be: So, What Else Do You Have? Good Project Managers are a Dime a Dozen… What Makes You Special? or how about… PMP, Subject Matter Expertise and a Great Track Record are my Baseline Requirements – I Need […]
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Leaders Build Relationships
“…astute leaders tune in to others’ feelings and predispositions, and acknowledge different opinions from a variety of sources. Now (when you may not necessarily need it) is the time to seek out and establish a professional support system so that it is there when you really do require it. No matter what your career aspirations, […]
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Great Leaders Build Great Leaders
…when measuring great leadership, the best of the best, to me, are the ones who are building great leaders in their path.
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Thank You PMI Volunteers
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They Should Have Called it the PLI!
Every once in a while, I get the urge to connect with the Project Management Institute (PMI) Board of Directors to suggest a name change. Project Leadership Institute (PLI) In my humble opinion, not only does it sound better, but it makes a lot more sense. We are project leaders much more than we are […]
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Nice Sells
One of my Linkedin contacts, Michelle Krupa, posted an article from the web site Makeit.com, a portal from CNBC. The headline read: “Mark Cuban: ‘One of the most underrated skills in business right now is being nice.’” Thank you, Michelle. Thank you, Mark. You...
Culture Drives Strategy – Not the Other Way Around
“Culture is the often-overlooked foundation of an organization. It determines how the group retains talent, how it develops and releases new products and whether it meets targets. It affects how happy and satisfied employees are at work.” 7 Elements of Strategy...
You Need a Sound Strategic Plan to be Able to Execute Well
Five Key Elements to Building a Strong Strategic Plan Company X gets it now! They realize how important it is to focus on the execution of the plan as much as it did on the creation of the plan. In fact, they hired a well-respected team to come in to help them...
Disengagement – Strike at the Roots
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of disengagement to each one who is striking at the root.” Today I want to highlight the comment of one of my readers after the post “Working with Disengaged Teams”. Peter Hadas is a Change Management consultant...
Do You Have a Strategy Stress Test (SST)
I am a serial entrepreneur and a dreamer. I come up with new ideas all the time, which comes with good news and bad news. The good news is that some of these ideas, well under 50% admittedly, are good ones: ideas that could serve my community well, or...
5 Things a Leader Should Do to Set a Good Example
Originally posted August, 2015 I was recently listening to a group of teenagers talk about their summer jobs and most of the talk was a rant about the leadership style that one of them was dealing with. I heard the words, “They don’t set a good example” numerous times in the rant. Coming from a […]
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Working with a Disengaged Team
I have been watching a friend struggle recently as she tries to manage a team of people who were not engaged. Read… ‘they really didn’t care’. The result is demoralizing for everyone: infighting, poor quality work, absenteeism, poor customer service and...
Every Strategic Plan Needs a Solid Core
I have a friend who loves to innovate. He loves to create new companies, products or services but he isn’t very successful. Whenever you get him talking about the next big thing, inevitably the words ‘and then I am going to sell it and make a fortune’ come out. Admittedly, he has succeeded once, and […]
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Strategize with an Agile Mindset
This week's post is an interview with Dan Watt, Sr. Director, Large Program Enablement at RBC. Dan is a real visionary and has always had a very unique perspective on the work we do in today's organizations. This interview highlights Dan's idea that our strategic...
Please Stop Using the Town Hall Meeting!
I was watching the news last week that featured clips of the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, ‘performing’ at a series of Town Hall meetings he was conducting across the country. He did well. But these meetings were pretty-well scripted. There was one central issue that drove the effort (pipeline expansion) but the PM […]
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Do You Know Your Audience?
Whether you are selling to a client, trying to influence an internal decision, creating a business case or convincing a team of stakeholders that your project needs more time or money – the Golden Rule will always be “know your audience”. One of my ‘people’ shared an article with me today entitled “Making a Business […]
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Do Your People Consider You to be Inspiring?
(This blog is an update on the first version published in 2014) I have been working through an article from Forbes.com this summer that listed the top 10 qualities that make a great leader. The last on the list is ‘The Ability to Inspire’. I get a lot of calls...
Do you have a plan for 2019?
As I sit here during the first week of January, I can’t stop thinking about the exciting year ahead. I have some new adventures planned that will make this a fun, exciting and hopefully prosperous year. But I have learned some very important lessons along...
“You don’t lose when you lose. You lose when you quit.”
It is often easier, quicker and less painful to quit.
Plan Your Strategy in Sprints
As I transition my career these days to the strategy execution space, I’m amazed at how often I’ve run into organizations of all shapes and sizes who don’t have a viable strategic plan. At first they will tell me that they have a plan but as we talk about it, they...
Innovate for Success – Now
Your career, your day-to-day approach to things, your contribution to your organization, your life: success will come from innovation and to the innovative.
Family Trumps All
On these days leading into Thanksgiving for our American friends and families, I wish you and yours my best wishes for a wonderful, family-filled celebration.
Have You Started Your Personal Strategic Plan?
(First published January, 2015) Every year my wife, Karen, and I sit down and start the process of revisiting our Personal Strategic Plan. This is something that we’ve been doing for a number of years. We both find the exercise rewarding, revealing and very...
Who is Your Greatest (Professional) Achievement?
Who is your greatest achievement?
Do You Have the Right Team to Execute the Plan?
You need the right people and the right team in place to make any critical plan work – especially if it produces change for the organization, its customers, key stakeholders and employees.
Delegation is a 3-Way Street
Delegation is not easy, but if we look at the benefits right up front, the effort it will take seems well worth it.
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Strategy Execution – Without Organization-Wide Commitment – Don’t Even Try
“Targeted tools, processes and rewards will help you generate and nurture commitment from employees.
Synergy Drives Strategy and Project Execution
Synergy is linking it all together. It’s ensuring teams and units have the right infrastructure and structures to get the job done.
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Clarity – A Key Element to Execution Success
The key to success? Well, there are many but one of the big ones is Clarity. Just like a project execution plan or a strategy execution plan, at the core, we need clarity.
What’s Holding Your Organization Back from Execution Success?
There was no one clear reason that everyone could agree on but what they did agree on was that strategies do fail, often, and that without care, attention and a lot of work, they will continue to do so.
What Is the Most Important Role of a Project Manager?
First published Feb 15, 2017 That answer is easy. Produce great schedules! Don’t be too shocked please. This is not what I really think but that is what many people think – especially when they are new to our business or looking at our business from the outside....
How Do You Recover from a Screw-Up?
The new product is due for delivery within a few days. Right at the last minute you discover that someone on the team has really messed up. This mistake may cost you the successful delivery which would mean we’re all going to take a serious hit. So, what do you do?...
Managing Expectations – The Key to a Leader’s Success
Setting expectations is all about trust, communications and honesty.
Strategic Planning Does Not Work
…unless you have an execution plan. I was at a picnic recently on a beautiful island in Georgian Bay and chatting with an employee of one of the world’s most prestigious, strategic planning and consulting organizations. Here is what I heard… “We are full of MBA’s who...
What Does Accountability Look Like?
We can’t just hope and assume. We need to hold people accountable with review sessions, check-in points and simple offers to help. These touch points offer opportunities to support, praise and encourage.
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Do You Know Your Limitations?
An exhausted, stressed-out, burnt-out, ‘meeting’ed’-out leader is no good to anyone. Don’t go there.
3 Steps to Good Judgement and Decision Making
Next time you have an important decision to make, step back, create a plan and execute well.
6 Tips for a Great Sales Pitch
It doesn’t matter what we do for a living, we all sell. We are all faced with that moment in time when we are standing (or sitting) in front of a group or 1- 100 people with a message and an objective. We are looking for a decision of some type or we are planting...
Are You Ready to Take the Next Step to Leadership?
Now that the baby boomers are finally retiring – and doing so in huge numbers – we are facing a dramatic void in willing and able people to take up those positions. This is a problem for many organizations but an opportunity for many of us.
Is there a Role for Business Analysts in Strategic Planning?
Yes and the sooner we get them involved the better.
Do You Know an Accidental Project Manager?
Do You Know an Accidental Project Manager? Barb works for a local financial services company. Her title is Manager, Operations and Support. I can tell you all about what she is but let’s focus on the critical thing she is NOT. She is NOT a project manager. But here is the problem: she manages maybe […]
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It’s Time to Ask ‘Why?’
If you are a professional like me or an organization of any size, this is the time of the year when many of us should be asking why?
Do You Have a Sense of Humour (Humor)?
stop being so serious every hour of everyday. Come on down into the trenches and help lighten it up.
The Project Manager’s New Frontier – Strategy Execution
“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” —Alvin Toffler “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to...
Do You Motivate or Inspire?
I was working at the PMI Region 3 meetings in Boston this week when Ron MacDonald, PMI Chapter Partner, got me into a discussion about the difference between motivation and inspiration. Interesting. What is the role of a leader? To inspire or to motivate? I guess...
Do You Have a Career Plan?
Do you have a plan for your career or are you just winging it? This post comes to you via video. Click here to view this week's video blog post.
“I Try to Avoid Hiring PMPs”
Let’s start to think outside the box and focus on the business.
Is Agile an ‘all or nothing’ approach to project management?
Is Agile an 'all or nothing' approach to project management? No! The Agile methodology has its place - at the right time for the right project in the right environment but where it is most effective is the 'nuggets' or parts that it offers all of us - regardless of...
Tools I Use to Stay Organized
Last week I wrote about staying organized, suggesting I relied on three things… Goals Process Tools I outlined the first two. Today, I present my favourite tools. I love technology, but I’m not married to it. If it’s a manual tool that works for me, I will use it....
How Do You Stay Organized?
Business is booming. Many of us are crazy busy and staying on top of it all can be very tricky. I have a fairly busy life. I blog every week, I always have at least one new book in production, I manage the project management education Schulich Executive Education...
The PIR – Did You Get The Notes From The Last Project?
The truth is that most of us don’t see the notes from the last project. Why? Because they don’t exist. Few organizations take the time and effort to stop what they are doing and go through a proper PIR meeting. So, let’s go through the basics. Maybe, after this,...
Planning is Good – But You Have to Follow Through
A solid strategic execution plan starts with these questions. Just taking the time after the initial planning phase, to go through this list, is more than most organizations will do.
Scalability and Common Sense
We are all guilty at some stage of our lives of using the wrong tool in the wrong place or using the right tool in the wrong way.
‘Where to Now?’ said the Project Manager?
Where to now? Project managers have options these days and that’s the good news.
Motivating Our Project Teams is Not Easy
There are thousands of these resources working for our organizations and they are dying to be empowered with what we know for their ‘sometimes, not very expensive, not mission-critical’ projects.
What About All The Other Projects?
There are thousands of these resources working for our organizations and they are dying to be empowered with what we know for their ‘sometimes, not very expensive, not mission-critical’ projects.
Managing Horizontally – Podcast with Judy McCreery
What are the business outcomes and how do we need to look to get it done?
Healthy Projects Provide a Learning Environment for Everyone
Our projects should create an environment that helps our people learn and grow as professionals.
Healthy Projects Deliver Value to the Customer
Healthy projects deliver value to the business.
Are Your Projects “Healthy”? Part 3
Two weeks ago, I introduced the idea of healthy projects. Healthy projects: contain team members and stakeholders that are happy. have clients that are satisfied. deliver value to the “business”. provide a learning environment for everyone and everything involved,...
Are Your Projects “Healthy”? Part 2
Healthy projects contain happy team members and most of that responsibility lies on the shoulders of the team leader – most often the project manager.
Are Your Projects “Healthy”?
Do any of you put your projects through an annual physical? Okay, maybe not the best title but you know what I mean. As with our own physical, the best news would be that our projects have been given a clean bill of health.
The Art of Decision Making
Good decision making skills are in my top 5 list of the most important leadership qualities. If you ask a group of employees about what they look for in a good leader, you will get many answers. Most certainly, the ability to make good decisions, will rank up there....
How do You Write an Executive Summary?
Executives summaries are the most important element of any report. Do it right and you may hear the words “You had me after the executive summary” instead of “What report are you referring to?”
Five Things I Learned About Communicating with Millennials
Give immediate feedback and respond quickly
Managing Change Every Day – and Interview with John Preiditsch
Change management and strategy execution.
What is the Secret to Starting Every Presentation?
…The art and the science of using the first few minutes of your presentation to ensure that you grab the audience’s attention immediately.
Big Initiatives Require a Sound Process
Rolling out a new idea is tricky in any organization. But you can avoid major headaches as long as you have a plan and involve your people in the process.
To Be Successful You Must Be Seen
Be different. If you are swimming with a big school of fish, no one is going to notice you.
Lessons Learned From Our Home Renovation
Every project, large and small, long and short, personal and professional, needs to be managed carefully.
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