I was sharing with a friend everything I have learned on all the projects I’ve worked on, and I realized that this could help other people as well.
So here goes…..
Signals versus Noise
Steve Jobs talked about being able to discern signals versus noise, with signals being the 3-5 mission critical things you need to get done, and noise being all the low level distractions which take your focus away from the signal. I think this is more true than ever.
The Power of Prioritizing
i was having a conversation with someone the other day…she said to me “I feel like I’m making no progress, and I’m getting all these things getting thrown at me and I’m totally overwhelmed.”
Here’s what helps me deal with those situations….
Context, not Control
“The best managers figure out how to get great outcomes by setting the context, rather than trying to control their people.” Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
Wow, did that resonate with me.
Personal Profitability….why it’s so important
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So I recently got to participate on a panel for women…and I clearly represented the “older, wiser (allegedly), retired” demographic. The question I got was “Was there any one decision which really changed my life?”
So I know people were expecting me to talk about a decision about taking a job, turning down a job. I talked about the decision to become financially independent…which no one really talks about in the context of your career.
The fact is that one of the key goals of working is to be able to support yourself when you are no longer working. No one really talks about that….they talk about moving up the ladder, how to be better at what you do. But ultimately, this is one of the key goals. For me, it was THE goal.
So what are some of my lessons learned?
How to Communicate with Senior Execs
So many lessons learned on this. What’s interesting for me is having had the experience of being on both sides: being the presenter and being the audience. There are some definite key things to do….and not to do.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Lately, it seems I’ve been talking to more people who are really frustrated at work…a mix of being on projects that are going nowhere, lack of accountability for missed dates or incompetence, fatigue at “flat is the new up” as a way to justify no increases in years of clear inflation. So, some lessons learned on the age old question we all face during our career: “should I stay or should I go?”
Needs
I read something interesting where a well known financial expert said “Spend what you need, not what you can afford.” That resonated with me. There’s a lot that’s been published about wants and needs. A lot of financial experts talk about the importance of distinguishing the two….take care of your needs first. But how do you distinguish on wants? So this twist caught my interest.
Is the Project in Trouble?
So one thing I should say…..if the project has been in trouble for a LONG time, over budget, multiple re-planning, role changes….there’s not a whole lot you’ll be able to do as an individual. It’s a situation where everyone likely knows the truth, it’s just a question of how best to extricate the organization with the least amount of damage possible. And that tends to be a decision made very much over our pay grade. But what do you do to prevent it from happening or course-correcting?
When Projects Go Very Wrong
Having spent some years working on project implementations, I’ve seen everything….the good, the bad, and the ugly. Projects which aren’t going well are the worst…everyone is exhausted, demoralized, either running or blaming. In my experience, here are the top reasons why projects fail….