The Best Of: How to Thrive in High Pressure Conversations

Every professional faces important "moments of truth" as they navigate through their work days. Whether it's the invitation to speak at the board meeting, the opportunity to connect one-on-one with the CEO or, a tough feedback conversation with a team member, you need to be ready to succeed in these High Value/High Risk (HV/HR) situations. Here are 5 steps to helping improve your effectiveness:

By |2016-10-22T17:11:03-05:00April 13th, 2016|Leadership Caffeine|0 Comments

9 Tips for Nailing the Classroom Group Project Presentation

After sitting through a fair number of these presentations over the past few years, I’ve identified some common mistakes that detract from the quality of the final presentation and depress grades, not to mention instructors. The mistakes and misfires are generally a result of two issues: the very personal and irrational fear of presenting and some horrendously poor planning and coordination between group members.

By |2016-10-22T17:11:54-05:00April 16th, 2010|Career, Project Management|19 Comments

Leadership Caffeine™: Learning to Adjust Your Altitude

While the phrase is most commonly referenced as attitude adjustment, I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that one of the abilities that leaders must develop to be effective is the ability to adjust their altitudes. Good leaders learn to scale institutional and intellectual heights with ease and comfort, quickly adapting to the audience and situation.

Planning Ahead for the Week: Three Items for Your Management Excellence “To Do” List

Every week represents an opportunity to improve your performance as a manager and leader. In spite of the setbacks of the prior week, the fire drills that caught you by surprise and your own lack of follow-through on your goals, every Monday offers a clean slate for you to fill. My very positive intent here is to offer you a few suggestions each week that will inspire your pursuit of continuous improvement. Enjoy and Prosper!

By |2016-10-22T17:12:18-05:00December 7th, 2008|Leadership|1 Comment

Is it Time to Panic?

It is a time to adopt a philosophy that seeks to find opportunity in chaos. It is a time to carefully evaluate your strategies and check your assumptions. It is also a time to consider making some hard calls on your future.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:20-05:00September 27th, 2008|Leadership|0 Comments

Career Growth and the Product Manager

wear my respect on my shirt-sleeve for the many dedicated Product Management professionals that hold down what I believe is one of the most difficult and one of the most critical roles in today’s fast moving technology and B2B organizations. I firmly believe that these talented and well-rounded business professionals are potentially some of the most valuable assets in an organization’s talent pool.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:20-05:00September 26th, 2008|Product Management|0 Comments

Do Your Employees Truly Believe That They Can Make A Difference?

The survey of Fortune 500 employees offered an interesting insight into what your employees might really be thinking while you as a leader are delivering yet again, another of your famous “take risks, innovate, create and you are empowered” pep talks. The survey results said that 79% of respondents understood that they were accountable for “taking initiative and bringing about change,”40% of the respondents indicated: “they do not believe that they can make a personal contribution.”

By |2016-10-22T17:12:21-05:00August 12th, 2008|Leadership, Leading Change, Strategy|1 Comment

Planning to Recognize Failure-The Project Manager’s Guide to Preventing Project Calamity

Every Project Manager with a few years of experience under his or her belt can likely recall at least one example of a major project that lived on long after the plug should have been pulled and the project canceled. The best (or worst) examples are the ego-driven initiatives of top executives that can't let go for fear of losing face by admitting defeat. More than a few organizations have been taken to or pushed over the edge by these self-anointed visionaries bent on changing their corporate world with some grand project. Once invested, they cannot let go, and if left unchecked, the results can be nothing short of disastrous for the organization.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:25-05:00May 4th, 2008|Leadership, Project Management|0 Comments
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