Thinking of Project Management and Leadership
Recently I have developed an interest towards learning more about Project Leadership and Management. I was appointed as a Project Leader for two projects at work... I was suprised, not that I didn't want to be but I was suprised! But I am happy about gaining their confidence.
As it happens when I was reading Camworld I saw that Cam linked toa resource! You've gotta love this one.. Now of course, I must wonder if this has anything to do with my project leadership... hmmm...
I am posting a few links that I've found useful.
ProjectZone
"ProjectZone is a community of technology project leaders discovering, learning, inventing, and teaching each other better ways to lead and manage teams and projects."
< ahref="http://www.allpm.com/static.html">allPM
A very resourceful site. You have to be careful though, it can get overwhelming with all those links and popups!
I do recommend that you go through the articles, there are some really good ones. Such as this one.
PM Glossary
Words that will be helpful if we know their meaning! ;o)
Software Projects
Interestingly this site offers a free online course. I don't know how valuable it is, but the contents seem rather interesting. It might be worth checking out!
ProjectConnections.com
"Our mission is to build the kind of online resource we think every project and team manager needs. We're bringing people together and providing easy access to information, products, services, and colleagues --access that we never had as practicing project managers, technical managers, and team leaders."
Please let me know if you have other resources that you think I should know about.
Saturday, January 26, 2002
Thursday, January 24, 2002
Alright alright... all of you are mad at me, and probably not even checking my blog anymore...
I understand... I've been extremely disloyal to you! I am SORRY! I am not going to try and make excuses. I actually don't need to try but that's another story altogether, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
I'm still pushing for that laptop! ;o))
Puns...
You know what I saw on the train this morning and it made me laugh? A "Be Microsoft Smart" bag! Hmm.. you'd think that people would think twice before printing something... I tried finding a picture on the web but no luck.. I guess nobody wanted to post something so silly eh? :o))
Your Comments
Manners, manners, manners...
My friend Madman has a very interesting article today about how to behave online, specifically on mailing lists. While reading the article, I was able to think about a few people I come across everyday on my mailing list, who I think should have this article on their must read list! Ok ok.. sometimes I might be one of them... :o)) Just kidding. I have never (yet!) personally attacked somebody on a mailing list. I always try hard to keep the email to the point and about the opinion or idea, no matter what I might actually be thinking of the person personally...
Aren't these manners the same even in our personal day to day communications? With our boss, our colleagues, our spouse, or children? Sometimes, we have to hold back on our feelings and thoughts to avoid further conflict or the risk of running into WW3! Especially with bosses, you know, though you might be thinking "oh god he's a total idiot!" you just say "I actually don't agree because..." I tend to do that alot... God I hope my boss never gets the URL to this page! ;o)) I was just kidding...
Your Comments
New York Gathering
I will do my best to try and get our colleagues in New York together again... hopefully during the first week of February. And I will post all the happenings on this page. All that we talk about. It should be fun, we're a jolly bunch here in the Big Apple, seriously, I feel special to be one of them, so to speak!
Your Comments
MUST READ ALERT!
Everybody, but I mean every-body MUST read "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, M.D.
It only takes a couple of hours to read at the most! I read it on the train this morning coming to work. It's very touching, meaningful and definitely opens your eyes and makes you see things differently.
If you're complaining about changes in your projects, your workload, your responsibilities or anything you should really read it. Trust me, really!
Your Comments
I understand... I've been extremely disloyal to you! I am SORRY! I am not going to try and make excuses. I actually don't need to try but that's another story altogether, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
I'm still pushing for that laptop! ;o))
Puns...
You know what I saw on the train this morning and it made me laugh? A "Be Microsoft Smart" bag! Hmm.. you'd think that people would think twice before printing something... I tried finding a picture on the web but no luck.. I guess nobody wanted to post something so silly eh? :o))
Your Comments
Manners, manners, manners...
My friend Madman has a very interesting article today about how to behave online, specifically on mailing lists. While reading the article, I was able to think about a few people I come across everyday on my mailing list, who I think should have this article on their must read list! Ok ok.. sometimes I might be one of them... :o)) Just kidding. I have never (yet!) personally attacked somebody on a mailing list. I always try hard to keep the email to the point and about the opinion or idea, no matter what I might actually be thinking of the person personally...
Aren't these manners the same even in our personal day to day communications? With our boss, our colleagues, our spouse, or children? Sometimes, we have to hold back on our feelings and thoughts to avoid further conflict or the risk of running into WW3! Especially with bosses, you know, though you might be thinking "oh god he's a total idiot!" you just say "I actually don't agree because..." I tend to do that alot... God I hope my boss never gets the URL to this page! ;o)) I was just kidding...
Your Comments
New York Gathering
I will do my best to try and get our colleagues in New York together again... hopefully during the first week of February. And I will post all the happenings on this page. All that we talk about. It should be fun, we're a jolly bunch here in the Big Apple, seriously, I feel special to be one of them, so to speak!
Your Comments
MUST READ ALERT!
Everybody, but I mean every-body MUST read "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, M.D.
It only takes a couple of hours to read at the most! I read it on the train this morning coming to work. It's very touching, meaningful and definitely opens your eyes and makes you see things differently.
If you're complaining about changes in your projects, your workload, your responsibilities or anything you should really read it. Trust me, really!
Your Comments
Friday, January 18, 2002
Monday, January 14, 2002
Ok ok.. I know you’ve been worried SICK about me! Why is she not updating her blog? Well, here I am now. I wish I had a laptop so that I could update all this when I was on the train for 3 hrs. a day. Once I get home, I’m just too tired to log on and write and all. I’m going to try and figure something out though…
But for now here’s what you’ve been waiting for. Please send me YOUR COMMENTS!
Happiness and Productivity @ Work
You might ask, why after such a long time without any writing, am I writing about this subject now? Is it a New Year’s resolution? No it’s not. I wouldn’t want to get Madman mad! Hah! But, as he says “don’t put anything off just to wait for January…” but then again why should I put it off just because it IS January? Right? Alright alright… I’ll get on with my thoughts on the topic.
As I said, the last couple of days I’ve noticed that in many articles people started to talk about happiness at work, related to control and surveillances. A topic that I’ve been interested in greatly. This is something that I would like to research about actually. But I think that this months “Communications” has done that already. They talk about monitoring and limiting internet use in the workplace, and how that’s related to happiness and success at work. I liked the articles very much, and found them very informative by the way, so if you haven’t already joined the ACM I suggest you do.
As, I hope, many of you do, I believe that happiness in the workplace is so much related to management and executives we work and interact with continuously. My question is how much control should management have over us at work? Actually, that questions sounded like an ideological question, as I am sure that many people would ideally want minimal control. Which I do repeat that ideally would be great! But that’s not going to happen anytime soon in the corporate world. So let’s talk about legal, ethical and moral limits to controlling workers at the workplace.
Do you think that our management should go so far as to say “bathroom breaks are 5 minutes, you can’t go longer than that, that’s slacking off!” hmm… is that a hard question? Well, how about saying “you can’t have coffee more than once a day!” Ok, what about “you can only take an hour for lunch and then no breaks!” This list can go on and on and on. For those of you who think that these kinds of things are not practiced anymore in the corporate world, I will take off my hat and bow to you, for you are one of the luckiest within the corporate population, or you are an executive! Employees regularly experience this kind of control, which I am totally against and believe that it reduces productivity since it reduces the comfort level at work, and that feeling of trust.
So how does control, too much or too little of it, influence one’s productivity at work? I will tell you. Why do people need to be controlled? Alright, to keep the social interactions and the structure of a company in order, which I totally understand and agree. After all, I am not arguing about civilization. But when do people get trusted about their civility, their capabilities and understandings? Tying somebody to the desk is not going to get the project done. One should not forget a rule in psychology that those things that are banned to us warrant more curiosity. Why do you think many kids smoke? Why give in to peer pressure? Why haven’t we been able to get rid of drugs?
Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way suggesting that if all that is illegal was to be made legal it would solve all problems, that’s not at all what I am saying. First of all, I am talking strictly of work places. Secondly, I am not suggesting anything illegal. Thirdly, I am talking of daily necessities for work efficiency.
What happens to having fun at work when you feel monitored and controlled every single second? I don’t believe that there is any fun left at that point.
If all the work is done on time, or even earlier then why the need to change things or control them? If people are irresponsible enough to take breaks rather than finish their projects on time, then that’s a different story. But when an employee can finish all his projects on time or even earlier, then he should not be scrutinized about getting coffee in the morning! This is not about fairness or anything, this is about rights, comfort and trust! A person who is stripped from his rights, tied to his workstation, made uncomfortable knowing that he’s being spied on by unknown sources and made to feel distrusted is not going to be able to delivery full productivity.
Many corporations see “control” as part of the professional life. But I never have, and never can. The control in our professional lives should come internally, not from somebody else. It is important to trust that professionals can judge whether or not they have the need and the time to get coffee or to go to the bathroom. I feel that it is unprofessional to even bring up such matters at a corporation. Probably all of us who work in a corporation are familiar with the “it’s unprofessional to…” line only to be followed by some very peculiar set of words and or decisions that would make even a child question the appropriateness. Do you think that in the name of professionalism the most childish and unprofessional acts are committed most of the time?
Your Comments
But for now here’s what you’ve been waiting for. Please send me YOUR COMMENTS!
Happiness and Productivity @ Work
You might ask, why after such a long time without any writing, am I writing about this subject now? Is it a New Year’s resolution? No it’s not. I wouldn’t want to get Madman mad! Hah! But, as he says “don’t put anything off just to wait for January…” but then again why should I put it off just because it IS January? Right? Alright alright… I’ll get on with my thoughts on the topic.
As I said, the last couple of days I’ve noticed that in many articles people started to talk about happiness at work, related to control and surveillances. A topic that I’ve been interested in greatly. This is something that I would like to research about actually. But I think that this months “Communications” has done that already. They talk about monitoring and limiting internet use in the workplace, and how that’s related to happiness and success at work. I liked the articles very much, and found them very informative by the way, so if you haven’t already joined the ACM I suggest you do.
As, I hope, many of you do, I believe that happiness in the workplace is so much related to management and executives we work and interact with continuously. My question is how much control should management have over us at work? Actually, that questions sounded like an ideological question, as I am sure that many people would ideally want minimal control. Which I do repeat that ideally would be great! But that’s not going to happen anytime soon in the corporate world. So let’s talk about legal, ethical and moral limits to controlling workers at the workplace.
Do you think that our management should go so far as to say “bathroom breaks are 5 minutes, you can’t go longer than that, that’s slacking off!” hmm… is that a hard question? Well, how about saying “you can’t have coffee more than once a day!” Ok, what about “you can only take an hour for lunch and then no breaks!” This list can go on and on and on. For those of you who think that these kinds of things are not practiced anymore in the corporate world, I will take off my hat and bow to you, for you are one of the luckiest within the corporate population, or you are an executive! Employees regularly experience this kind of control, which I am totally against and believe that it reduces productivity since it reduces the comfort level at work, and that feeling of trust.
So how does control, too much or too little of it, influence one’s productivity at work? I will tell you. Why do people need to be controlled? Alright, to keep the social interactions and the structure of a company in order, which I totally understand and agree. After all, I am not arguing about civilization. But when do people get trusted about their civility, their capabilities and understandings? Tying somebody to the desk is not going to get the project done. One should not forget a rule in psychology that those things that are banned to us warrant more curiosity. Why do you think many kids smoke? Why give in to peer pressure? Why haven’t we been able to get rid of drugs?
Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way suggesting that if all that is illegal was to be made legal it would solve all problems, that’s not at all what I am saying. First of all, I am talking strictly of work places. Secondly, I am not suggesting anything illegal. Thirdly, I am talking of daily necessities for work efficiency.
What happens to having fun at work when you feel monitored and controlled every single second? I don’t believe that there is any fun left at that point.
If all the work is done on time, or even earlier then why the need to change things or control them? If people are irresponsible enough to take breaks rather than finish their projects on time, then that’s a different story. But when an employee can finish all his projects on time or even earlier, then he should not be scrutinized about getting coffee in the morning! This is not about fairness or anything, this is about rights, comfort and trust! A person who is stripped from his rights, tied to his workstation, made uncomfortable knowing that he’s being spied on by unknown sources and made to feel distrusted is not going to be able to delivery full productivity.
Many corporations see “control” as part of the professional life. But I never have, and never can. The control in our professional lives should come internally, not from somebody else. It is important to trust that professionals can judge whether or not they have the need and the time to get coffee or to go to the bathroom. I feel that it is unprofessional to even bring up such matters at a corporation. Probably all of us who work in a corporation are familiar with the “it’s unprofessional to…” line only to be followed by some very peculiar set of words and or decisions that would make even a child question the appropriateness. Do you think that in the name of professionalism the most childish and unprofessional acts are committed most of the time?
Your Comments
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