"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles Swindoll
plus:
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
So maybe you should do something new in this week-end
It might be the most important week-end in the rest of your life...
Have an interesting week-end
Friday 30 August 2013
Sunday 25 August 2013
You're still a clown at estimation....
... But it's not necessarily your fault. The main reason is surely that you work in an environment or a culture where expectations are that you are presenting low costs and potentially high income (or savings or whatever benefits might be). If (and I mean really if ..) you presented the truth, people would look at you like you were crazy and the proposed project would be immediately binned - or given to "a rmore easonable person".
That's the truth in the construction industry according to Prof. Bent Flybjerg that you can hear talk about the subject here on a visit to Harvard.
But you do not have to go to construction in order to find this pattern of deliberately manipulating the figures. It is found in all industries and also in yours and in your workplace. You will find managers who dare not show the director the real costs. Sales persons who will have orders for almost any price. HR people who dream wishful thinking on employees' potentials. Economy People who believe that SAP can save a decaying business etc.
They are all around you and you are never in doubt about the "right figures".
We should have a Whistleblower mailbox where we could drop our sincere estimates.
That's the truth in the construction industry according to Prof. Bent Flybjerg that you can hear talk about the subject here on a visit to Harvard.
But you do not have to go to construction in order to find this pattern of deliberately manipulating the figures. It is found in all industries and also in yours and in your workplace. You will find managers who dare not show the director the real costs. Sales persons who will have orders for almost any price. HR people who dream wishful thinking on employees' potentials. Economy People who believe that SAP can save a decaying business etc.
They are all around you and you are never in doubt about the "right figures".
We should have a Whistleblower mailbox where we could drop our sincere estimates.
Thursday 22 August 2013
What do you instinctively?
Situation: Projector does not like input from a Mac. 80 people coming in about 5 minutes and then it has to Work!. Called technician (coming in only 45 seconds!) begins to fumble around on the Mac and mumbles "well I'm not a Mac user really ...". By the wall is a PC - without power cord.
Question: Which of these do you choose:
1. Hope the best you've learned in 4 minutes then playing the victim-role?
2. Beg the technician temporarily stop fumbling and instead just put power to the PC which presumably are more likely to work with the Projector but in any case doubles the chance of getting the problem resolved?
If you instinctively choose 2) you have the right helicopter pilot genes.
2) is obviously the most difficult to implement, because the technician will feel:
a) it is a waste of time because the problem will been solved in about 2 minutes (or maybe 3 ...)
b) you interfering in something you have no sense of
c) you do not show respect for the technician's professionalism
You can either ignore this and insist or if there is time ask if it is ultimately safer when 80 people are now dependent on a solution right now?
This little situation you can transfer again and again at the specialists you are surrounded by.
Question: Which of these do you choose:
1. Hope the best you've learned in 4 minutes then playing the victim-role?
2. Beg the technician temporarily stop fumbling and instead just put power to the PC which presumably are more likely to work with the Projector but in any case doubles the chance of getting the problem resolved?
If you instinctively choose 2) you have the right helicopter pilot genes.
2) is obviously the most difficult to implement, because the technician will feel:
a) it is a waste of time because the problem will been solved in about 2 minutes (or maybe 3 ...)
b) you interfering in something you have no sense of
c) you do not show respect for the technician's professionalism
You can either ignore this and insist or if there is time ask if it is ultimately safer when 80 people are now dependent on a solution right now?
This little situation you can transfer again and again at the specialists you are surrounded by.
Sunday 18 August 2013
When documents are cheating - you!
Especially with early documents such as Project proposal,s Project Idea Descriptions etc. one must be careful because they are often formulated and written by PA's or similar ministering spirits. Therefore it may very well be the case that one half thought out idea from the boss suddenly appears as an articulate, organized and such straight-to-go-to document. But the reality is just that the writer has made it from own experience of the situation and not least of possible approaches!
Well you say - will it not be discover it when the boss sees it through? No, a good boss will only look at whether the overall things are in place and not the details.
The problem is that your imagination that this particular puzzle solving approved is made by the boss and therefor following it too far.
So what do you do? You go through the document with the writer and then asks into the whole process and get clarification on what is decided and what is open. Expect that 80% of the solution space is open for discussion - if you want to discuss!
Well you say - will it not be discover it when the boss sees it through? No, a good boss will only look at whether the overall things are in place and not the details.
The problem is that your imagination that this particular puzzle solving approved is made by the boss and therefor following it too far.
So what do you do? You go through the document with the writer and then asks into the whole process and get clarification on what is decided and what is open. Expect that 80% of the solution space is open for discussion - if you want to discuss!
Thursday 15 August 2013
Newsletter from The Risk Doctor
David Hillson philosophize this time about trends (more, less or?) in the Risk discipline. Read the newsletter here.
Thursday 8 August 2013
The art of giving Bad News
When we relatively often have to give bad news why not become good at it?
Jennifer Whitt, director of ProjectManager.com has added another fine video on her site. See it quickly here.
I would just add:
Dos
Understand anger and disappointment sand try to accommodate blame
Don'ts
Defend yourself and do not blame others
Jennifer Whitt, director of ProjectManager.com has added another fine video on her site. See it quickly here.
I would just add:
Dos
Understand anger and disappointment sand try to accommodate blame
Don'ts
Defend yourself and do not blame others
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