It’s worth asking: when’s the last time you actively used your network? And I don’t mean to just get what you want – to get a job, to make a deal, or to ask for an introduction. I’m talking about really using your network to share or connect with people you know. Someone get a […]
I’ve recently become addicted to an iPhone/iPad game called Tiny Tower. In this quick-fix game, your goal is to manage a tower of residents and shops such that you can build and build upwards into a huge tower. There’s no winning scenario – literally the sky’s the limit, as long as you keep stocking your […]
I recently worked with a programmer who’s “been in the biz” for a long time. He’s got a lot of very successful projects under his belt and generally knows what he’s doing. When I found out I would be working with him on a side project along with a bunch of younger programmers, I was […]
Today is my birthday, and instead of posting about teamwork and project management, instead I ask you to call someone you love and tell them how much you care. That would be a great birthday present indeed. And for further inspiration to connect with your loved ones, here’s a video I made for my family […]
It’s worth stating the obvious: you can’t please everyone. This is especially true in project management, where stakeholders have different agendas: Company Executives want to make as much money in the shortest amount of time possible. Clients want the largest amount of features at the lowest cost in the shortest amount of time. Motivated Team […]
In times of professional and personal stress, I find myself overtly comparing myself to others. Am I as far ahead in my career? Do I have as many nice things? Have I done as many things on my bucket list? Do I have as many friends? Etc., etc. These comparisons always fall short of any […]
Since I’ve been writing about performance evaluations lately, it’s good to cover the subject of weaknesses. It should be obvious that we all have some weaker areas in our professional lives. If you don’t think you have one and you’re generally not a person who’s quoted every other minute for being an expert in your […]
Many performance evaluations are set up so an employee has to rank herself on a scale of 1 to 5. Many of these evaluations make the mistake of simply saying “1” is the lowest score and “5” is the highest. What happens is a mirror of our educational system, where a “5” (or an “A”) […]
Last week I talked about accepting criticism at work. This week, I’d like to flip sides and discuss a few questions to consider when giving feedback at work. Is this feedback really necessary to improve productivity at work? It might seem reasonable to give feedback at every opportunity. However, if you’re always dispensing advice, you […]
No matter how good you are at self-evaluation, there comes a time when a co-worker surprises you with insight into your work habits. Generally, this is followed by direct or indirect advice on how to improve. Before you either accept or reject wholeheartedly any such advice, consider the following: Were you just having a bad […]
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