Rules permeate our existence. They are the essence of how we function as a civilized society. They form useful guidance in making complex situations more comprehensible. They are also the bane of all of us who have ever been victimized by a bureaucracy run amok. To understand the influence of rules, it helps to be…
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This webinar is our fourth annual ‘Book Review’ as we close out the year. In December’s webinar Peter and Mark share the microphone in a collaborative conversation. We both love to read, and we love to share what we’ve read with you. In this webinar, we will be discussing the best (mostly) business books we…
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Leadership, by definition, is also about followers and why we follow. Followers display the characteristics of their leaders. If the leader is ‘dedicated/hardworking/trustworthy/determined/loyal’ then so will be their followers. Today one of the great management complaints is the lack of dedication, trustworthiness, loyalty and determination of the current generation (choose a letter of your choice…
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Innovation and creativity are often considered to be interchangeable ideas. And there is a strong sense that creativity is a product of inspiration and sudden insight. The belief is that creativity needs to be allowed to happen, and that attempts to manage creativity are inappropriate, stifling and unnecessary. At the same time, the vast majority…
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Fewer things inspire fear and dread than the prospect of a project being audited. Audits are seen as being painful, intrusive and unrelentingly negative. They are viewed as finding fault, fostering blame and foisting responsibilities on an already overworked project management team. “You don’t want to do that or the auditors will get you for…
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Mindful senior managers need to “wake up” to the fact that only 30% of US workers are fully engaged in their work; only 15% of workplaces inspire real employee enthusiasm and an even smaller number can actually lay claim to the assertion that they are “great” places to work, because employees trust managers.  More disturbingly,…
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It’s not something we like to talk about, especially when we’re discussing organizational culture, but FEAR—of all shapes, sizes and sources—exists in the world, as well as hallowed halls of cubicles. Given that it does exist (we have far too many examples of it to deny), what should we do about it, if anything? On…
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The PMP certification examination is changing on 1 November 2015. If you have your PMP already, this may be a point of more casual interest. For those of you actively thinking of getting your PMP, you are going to want to pay more careful attention. What’s driving the change to the examination is a new…
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Most organizations want to deliver effective customer service. Far fewer organizations truly deliver on that promise. Delivering exceptional customer service is not an easy undertaking. It’s not something that can be required, demanded or even expected. It’s something that needs to be inspired and nurtured. More important—and more challenging—is getting everyone to embrace and commit…
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Uncertainty in projects is a fundamental reality. And yet the traditional tools of project management emphasize planning and control, assuming away many of the challenges and resignedly dealing with the rest as risks. Organizations still take on large and complex initiatives, one where there is no clear solution or well defined path to get there….
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