The next meeting of the Engineering Leadership SIG will be held on August 18 in the SAP Cafeteria (3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA), starting at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Notice the location is different, on the same street, Hillview, but in the neighboring SAP building. Title of the main presentation is "Rapid Rapport: Creating Influence On Demand", by Bernie Maloney.
TOPIC: Rapid Rapport: Creating Influence On Demand
SPEAKER: Bernie Maloney, PE http://www.linkedin.com/in/berniemaloney
More info: http://www.SVForum.org/elsig
LOCATION: SAP CAFETERIA (not our normal location)
(DIFFERENT THIS TIME because we're combining with another SIG this month)
SAP Labs Cafeteria
3410 Hillview Ave
Palo Alto, California 94304
United States
http://www.saplabs.com
Description: SAP Labs Palo Alto
From 280: exit Page Mill, go east, downhill. Turn right at Coyote Hill, turn right on Hillview and then right again up the hill into the SAP campus.
From 101: exit Oregon Expressway west, uphill. Follow Oregon, Page Mill until you hit Coyote Hill. turn right on Hillview and then right again up the hill into the SAP campus.
=================================================
Snacks and Beverage Sponsor: PMI SV - Julie Godon http://www.pmisv.org/ The Silicon Valley Chapter is a regional component of PMI and a resource for all aspects of project management leadership and information in California's Silicon Valley (southern end of San Francisco Bay). The chapter’s 2,000 plus members enjoy over 200+ yearly local activities supported by an all volunteer staff. In addition, Project Management Professional (PMP) certification has been achieved by over 60% of its members. The Chapter’s mission is to support the interests and needs of its members by providing the leadership and forums for expanding and sharing the knowledge of Project Management.
. . . next month it could be YOU for $100! Please contact Sue Shreve: msshreve 'at' sbcglobal.net
Management Resources Sponsor: ProjectConnections.com supports EL SIG members with a wide range of resources for managing organizations, projects, and people. Members can access links to templates, checklists, articles, and more from the ProjectConnections.com Premium library. All this is available to ELSIG members at no charge, at the ELSIG page on ProjectConnetions.com (Open Enrollment is offered twice a year for this benefit. It's that time of year! We'll be sending a notice shortly and you can sign up if you haven't already.)
BOOK SWAP - Every month! Bring books to share.
JOB SWAP - Check out our Yahoo! Group here:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SVForum_EL_SIG_JobSwap/
PEER-to-PEER Roundtable - Every month! Join us to share insights and advice with peers each month prior to the 7 PM event.
BLOG Write or read EL SIG blog posts here: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/
Cost: $20 at the door for non-SVForum members, No charge for SVForum members
For more information, go here.
More...
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
July 21 Meeting Notes - Kimberly Wiefling on Leadership [Robert Lasater]
On July 21, Kimberly Wiefling gave a presentation on leadership - "Why Would Anyone Follow You?" - in her usual energetic and inimitable style. Here is a summary.
Kimberly started by reminding the audience how low retention rates are usually after a presentation or talk. Within a few days the typical participant has forgotten 50%; this rises to 80% after two months. She worked to counter this trend by having the audience participate in several exercises. The first was done in pairs: describe to your partner what you had for lunch today - with enthusiasm.
A leader needs to infect the organization with this kind of great enthusiasm.
You need to be willing to be uncomfortable to accomplish your goal. [Getting people out of their comfort zone was another goal of her exercises.]
Kimberly Wiefling works with mid-level management in Japan. "I use a lot of shock tactics" to get her clients out of their comfort zone.
The next exercise had people get into small groups - two or three people - to list and discuss the characteristics and languages of the worst leaders in the world. Afterword, she polled the audience for their responses:
· Know-it-all
· Lack of focus
· Not able to apologize
· Jeopardizing the team for personal reasons.
· Micromanagement
· Taking credit for others
· Lack of integrity
· Unethical
· Abdication of responsibility
· Fear
Now leaders have only three tools:
· Action
· Communication
· Thinking
-but the last tool is not visible.
And leadership is not on the org chart. Some missing items are:
· Vendors
· Customers
· Venture capitalists
· Competitors
· Government and other regulatory authorities
Five characteristics of people in power:
· Receive more positive feedback
· Have less control over their impulses
· Think about their own needs more
· Have less empathy
· Thinks the rules don't apply to them
Question: do people become more unpleasant when they achieve power over other people, or is it their unpleasantness that causes them to achieve power? Which leads to another exercise: discuss how to avoid the trap of unpleasantness if you have power over people. One strategy to achieve that goal is to lead with questions - listening is the lost leadership skill.
Another exercise (again for pairs): plan an EL SIG holiday party, with your partner responding with "yes, but". (Tip: "yes, but" actually means No.) Next, try with your partner responding with "yes, and".
The final discussion topic was to provide examples of language of an admired and influential leader.
· "Thank you"
· nothing - let the followers take charge of discussions
· "Job well done" - but more detail about why it was well done is always appreciated.
· "What obstacles do you have?"
· "I love that idea."
· "What do you think?"
· "The real credit goes to ..."
· "What do you think it will take to make it happen?"
· "I'm sorry."
· "I don't know."
· "I need help."
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, one of the top-ranked project management books on Amazon in the US, published in Japanese, and growing in popularity around the world. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
More...
Kimberly started by reminding the audience how low retention rates are usually after a presentation or talk. Within a few days the typical participant has forgotten 50%; this rises to 80% after two months. She worked to counter this trend by having the audience participate in several exercises. The first was done in pairs: describe to your partner what you had for lunch today - with enthusiasm.
A leader needs to infect the organization with this kind of great enthusiasm.
You need to be willing to be uncomfortable to accomplish your goal. [Getting people out of their comfort zone was another goal of her exercises.]
Kimberly Wiefling works with mid-level management in Japan. "I use a lot of shock tactics" to get her clients out of their comfort zone.
The next exercise had people get into small groups - two or three people - to list and discuss the characteristics and languages of the worst leaders in the world. Afterword, she polled the audience for their responses:
· Know-it-all
· Lack of focus
· Not able to apologize
· Jeopardizing the team for personal reasons.
· Micromanagement
· Taking credit for others
· Lack of integrity
· Unethical
· Abdication of responsibility
· Fear
Now leaders have only three tools:
· Action
· Communication
· Thinking
-but the last tool is not visible.
And leadership is not on the org chart. Some missing items are:
· Vendors
· Customers
· Venture capitalists
· Competitors
· Government and other regulatory authorities
Five characteristics of people in power:
· Receive more positive feedback
· Have less control over their impulses
· Think about their own needs more
· Have less empathy
· Thinks the rules don't apply to them
Question: do people become more unpleasant when they achieve power over other people, or is it their unpleasantness that causes them to achieve power? Which leads to another exercise: discuss how to avoid the trap of unpleasantness if you have power over people. One strategy to achieve that goal is to lead with questions - listening is the lost leadership skill.
Another exercise (again for pairs): plan an EL SIG holiday party, with your partner responding with "yes, but". (Tip: "yes, but" actually means No.) Next, try with your partner responding with "yes, and".
The final discussion topic was to provide examples of language of an admired and influential leader.
· "Thank you"
· nothing - let the followers take charge of discussions
· "Job well done" - but more detail about why it was well done is always appreciated.
· "What obstacles do you have?"
· "I love that idea."
· "What do you think?"
· "The real credit goes to ..."
· "What do you think it will take to make it happen?"
· "I'm sorry."
· "I don't know."
· "I need help."
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, one of the top-ranked project management books on Amazon in the US, published in Japanese, and growing in popularity around the world. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
More...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Even if You’re Wrong, You’re Right - So choose your beliefs carefully! [Elizabeth Agnew]
Everyone lives from their own perspective. Everyone likes to be right. These are both facts about human nature.
Your belief system is the backbone to how you experience the world. Your paradigm, or the lens through which you see the world, is driven by this belief system. It’s just what you know.
When you live from your perspective, you experience the world with your own slant, and how you experience and respond to the world drives your future actions. Your actions reflect what you believe, and so in the end, your beliefs will ultimately become your reality. If you believe something that hinders you, well, what can I say – you’ll be hindered. If you believe you will be successful and flourish, well, what can I say – you’ll flourish.
Your beliefs are the ultimate gatekeeper to your success. If you say “I could never run faster than a 7-minute mile”, it is highly unlikely that you will ever run faster than a 7-minute mile, even if you have the physical talent.
Beliefs that prevent you from taking action that could result in your growth and success are called limiting beliefs. They cap your potential. Because you limit yourself, you won’t see positive results. A lack of good results will reinforce the negative belief that limited you in the first place, and there you go down the negative spiral. Even though you were probably wrong about your limiting belief in the first place, you made yourself right because your actions reflected, and thus reinforced, your beliefs.
Take Jake, for instance, who is afraid he isn’t good in social situations. He fears being the one to speak when there are more than two people in the room because he doesn’t think he has anything worthwhile to say. This belief causes him to stay at home more often, and to stammer and cut short his opinion when asked of it by others. Staying home means he is exposed less and less to the situation he fears, and getting nervous when he has the floor means he does end up having awkward social experiences. Even though Jake is wrong about his potential, he ends up verifying the belief that he is socially awkward. Jake was wrong, but in the end, he made himself right.
This cycle is how your beliefs can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. “I could never do that.” Even if you’re wrong about the fact that you “could never do that”, you will in the end, be right, because your belief will stop you from ever trying. You make up a story in your head, and the act of choosing to believe that story is what helps it become a fact.
Since this is the case, why not choose beliefs that align with qualities you admire, and the lifestyle that you dream of? Find a way to believe the positive things that you want to be true in your life. If your new beliefs are too much of a stretch from what you’re used to telling yourself, then you won’t really believe them, and then they won’t ever be true for you. Find a way, through delicate phrasing or evidence from the past, to believe the things you want for yourself.
What if Jake said: “You know, I’m okay in social situations, I really am.” This is a modest statement that he can honestly believe in, and a first step to reshaping his belief system. Because he believes this, he will be less likely to turn down an invitation due to nervousness, and less likely to squirm and judge himself on the way he acted in a social group. In the end, again, he will be right.
No matter what, your actions are a product of your thoughts. So even if you’re wrong about your human potential or about your relationship with the world, you’ll be right, because you will live out that belief.
Even if you’re wrong, you’re right, so remember that when you decide what you want to be true for yourself. The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. What do you want to make happen for yourself?
Elizabeth J. Agnew, MS, ACC
Integrative Leadership Strategies
415-401-7822
liz@integrative-leadership.com
www.integrative-leadership.com
P.O. Box 460515, San Francisco, CA 94110
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liz works with individuals and organizations in technical fields needing tailored leadership development that speaks their language. Liz has logged hundreds of hours coaching individuals from companies such as Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Google, HP, SETI, Lockheed Martin, VNUS and Sun Microsystems. Her background includes experience in adult education, team facilitation, and public speaking. She offers complimentary coaching consultations – call or email today to schedule yours.
More...
Your belief system is the backbone to how you experience the world. Your paradigm, or the lens through which you see the world, is driven by this belief system. It’s just what you know.
When you live from your perspective, you experience the world with your own slant, and how you experience and respond to the world drives your future actions. Your actions reflect what you believe, and so in the end, your beliefs will ultimately become your reality. If you believe something that hinders you, well, what can I say – you’ll be hindered. If you believe you will be successful and flourish, well, what can I say – you’ll flourish.
Your beliefs are the ultimate gatekeeper to your success. If you say “I could never run faster than a 7-minute mile”, it is highly unlikely that you will ever run faster than a 7-minute mile, even if you have the physical talent.
Beliefs that prevent you from taking action that could result in your growth and success are called limiting beliefs. They cap your potential. Because you limit yourself, you won’t see positive results. A lack of good results will reinforce the negative belief that limited you in the first place, and there you go down the negative spiral. Even though you were probably wrong about your limiting belief in the first place, you made yourself right because your actions reflected, and thus reinforced, your beliefs.
Take Jake, for instance, who is afraid he isn’t good in social situations. He fears being the one to speak when there are more than two people in the room because he doesn’t think he has anything worthwhile to say. This belief causes him to stay at home more often, and to stammer and cut short his opinion when asked of it by others. Staying home means he is exposed less and less to the situation he fears, and getting nervous when he has the floor means he does end up having awkward social experiences. Even though Jake is wrong about his potential, he ends up verifying the belief that he is socially awkward. Jake was wrong, but in the end, he made himself right.
This cycle is how your beliefs can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. “I could never do that.” Even if you’re wrong about the fact that you “could never do that”, you will in the end, be right, because your belief will stop you from ever trying. You make up a story in your head, and the act of choosing to believe that story is what helps it become a fact.
Since this is the case, why not choose beliefs that align with qualities you admire, and the lifestyle that you dream of? Find a way to believe the positive things that you want to be true in your life. If your new beliefs are too much of a stretch from what you’re used to telling yourself, then you won’t really believe them, and then they won’t ever be true for you. Find a way, through delicate phrasing or evidence from the past, to believe the things you want for yourself.
What if Jake said: “You know, I’m okay in social situations, I really am.” This is a modest statement that he can honestly believe in, and a first step to reshaping his belief system. Because he believes this, he will be less likely to turn down an invitation due to nervousness, and less likely to squirm and judge himself on the way he acted in a social group. In the end, again, he will be right.
No matter what, your actions are a product of your thoughts. So even if you’re wrong about your human potential or about your relationship with the world, you’ll be right, because you will live out that belief.
Even if you’re wrong, you’re right, so remember that when you decide what you want to be true for yourself. The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. What do you want to make happen for yourself?
Elizabeth J. Agnew, MS, ACC
Integrative Leadership Strategies
415-401-7822
liz@integrative-leadership.com
www.integrative-leadership.com
P.O. Box 460515, San Francisco, CA 94110
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liz works with individuals and organizations in technical fields needing tailored leadership development that speaks their language. Liz has logged hundreds of hours coaching individuals from companies such as Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Google, HP, SETI, Lockheed Martin, VNUS and Sun Microsystems. Her background includes experience in adult education, team facilitation, and public speaking. She offers complimentary coaching consultations – call or email today to schedule yours.
More...
Friday, June 24, 2011
Announcing the Next EL SIG Meeting, July 21 [Robert Lasater]
The next meeting of the Engineering Leadership SIG will be held on July 21 in SAP Building 2 (3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA), starting at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Topic of the main presentation, Why Would Anyone Follow You? The Language and Behaviors of the Most Admired (and Despised) Leaders, by EL SIG's own Kimberly Wiefling.
Attend. Find out. Practice. Change.
Leadership is not a position in an organization chart or a title on a business card. Leadership is a way of thinking, behaving, and communicating. Leaders have only 3 tools at their disposal: A.C.T.
• Actions
• Communication (both talking and listening)
• Thinking
Of course followers can only directly experience 2 of those tools. Followers judge the effectiveness of leaders by their actions and communication.
The pitfalls of poor leadership are well known, as are the practices of the most admired leaders in the world. But knowing how to do something has never been enough in itself to assure success. (If knowing how were enough we'd all be rich and thin!)
This event is NOT about telling you how to be a great leader. This highly engaging and interactive session will give you an opportunity to practice acting and communicating like a great leader.
Come curious and prepared to participate, and leave more the kind of leader you admire.
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, currently ranked #1 on Amazon Kindle US in Total Quality Management. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
Cost: $20 at the door for non-SDForum members, No charge for SDForum members
BOOK SWAP - Every month! Bring books to share.
JOB SWAP - Check out our Yahoo! Group here: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDForum_EL_SIG_JobSwap/
PEER-to-PEER Roundtable - Every month! Join us to share insights and advice with peers each month prior to the 7 PM event.
BLOG Write or read EL SIG blog posts here: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/
For more information, go here.
SNACK & BEVERAGE SPONSOR: LongView International is a innovative Silicon Valley consulting company specializing in semantic technology and software architecture. Together with our clients we achieve success through understanding business goals, formulating the strategy to execution, and building the right solution.
PROJECT CONNECTIONS ONGOING MANAGEMENT SPONSOR: Project Connections is our EL SIG Management Sponsor. ProjectConnections.com is dedicated to practically and affordably supporting individuals as they do their jobs day-to-day and helping them grow their management abilities and careers. We also provide management development and support resources to organizations, through group subscriptions, methodology content licenses, on-demand virtual training programs, virtual coaching, and more - all to help managers improve how critical project work gets done, and to help grow the capabilities of everyone on their staffs and teams.
More...
Attend. Find out. Practice. Change.
Leadership is not a position in an organization chart or a title on a business card. Leadership is a way of thinking, behaving, and communicating. Leaders have only 3 tools at their disposal: A.C.T.
• Actions
• Communication (both talking and listening)
• Thinking
Of course followers can only directly experience 2 of those tools. Followers judge the effectiveness of leaders by their actions and communication.
The pitfalls of poor leadership are well known, as are the practices of the most admired leaders in the world. But knowing how to do something has never been enough in itself to assure success. (If knowing how were enough we'd all be rich and thin!)
This event is NOT about telling you how to be a great leader. This highly engaging and interactive session will give you an opportunity to practice acting and communicating like a great leader.
Come curious and prepared to participate, and leave more the kind of leader you admire.
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, currently ranked #1 on Amazon Kindle US in Total Quality Management. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
Cost: $20 at the door for non-SDForum members, No charge for SDForum members
BOOK SWAP - Every month! Bring books to share.
JOB SWAP - Check out our Yahoo! Group here: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDForum_EL_SIG_JobSwap/
PEER-to-PEER Roundtable - Every month! Join us to share insights and advice with peers each month prior to the 7 PM event.
BLOG Write or read EL SIG blog posts here: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/
For more information, go here.
SNACK & BEVERAGE SPONSOR: LongView International is a innovative Silicon Valley consulting company specializing in semantic technology and software architecture. Together with our clients we achieve success through understanding business goals, formulating the strategy to execution, and building the right solution.
PROJECT CONNECTIONS ONGOING MANAGEMENT SPONSOR: Project Connections is our EL SIG Management Sponsor. ProjectConnections.com is dedicated to practically and affordably supporting individuals as they do their jobs day-to-day and helping them grow their management abilities and careers. We also provide management development and support resources to organizations, through group subscriptions, methodology content licenses, on-demand virtual training programs, virtual coaching, and more - all to help managers improve how critical project work gets done, and to help grow the capabilities of everyone on their staffs and teams.
More...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Meet my Leadership Coach, The Jigsaw Puzzle [Elizabeth Agnew]
As my dad and I poured over our 1500-piece sailboat jigsaw puzzle one holiday break, the metaphors between what we were doing and true leadership ran continuously through my mind. I’m amazed at what paying attention to these metaphors can teach us about our own leadership qualities and how to run a team or business.
Here are four concepts integral to leadership that I found buried in that puzzle box.
1. Accepting impermanence
At any moment, a 3-year-old could come on by and, while thinking she’s helping, systematically dismantle the border of your puzzle, like my niece Grace Anna did. It’s amazing how long it took us to put together the first time, and how quickly we reassembled it the second time.
Impermanence also shows up when the puzzle has been completed. You may leave it around for a day or two to admire your production, but after that you destroy it, only to shelve and forget about it for long enough that would be a challenge to reassemble.
We tend to get attached and want things to stay how they are, or bogged down by wanting to stay on top of all possible information. Comfort overtakes creativity and growth. We can counteract this by accepting – even embracing – the impermanence of our relationships, projects, business, and ultimately our lives. This act, paradoxically, is what fosters growth, creativity, and love.
2. A perfect fit comes with a satisfying click
This is my favorite analogy. As my dad and I were working, he kept finding pieces that were so close to fitting but were not quite a perfect match. In a mock I’m-so-fed-up-with-this voice, he’d bark “get me my hammer!” ostensibly so that he could make it fit. Thing is, that would just cause more misfit pieces later on.
Needless to say, my dad doesn’t stand alone in his desire to force things to work out when they clearly aren’t.
Sometimes the opposite happened; I would be 90% sure the piece fit, but I held it up to the light just to make sure there weren’t any gaps. Sometimes a perfect fit leaves us skeptical and requires closer inspection.
However, most times, the pieces fell into place with an easy yet tangible, all-too-satisfying click.
Some relationships and connections clearly don’t fit and we’ve been known to think that as leaders it’s our job to get out our proverbial hammers and make things work. Yeah, and we’ve seen how well THAT works. Other situations warrant closer inspection under a bright light. And when the connections are right, we’ll notice our own version of the ‘click’ – that is, if we’re paying attention.
3. The ability to scope and focus
It was hard to choose an area of the puzzle to work on, especially when we were just getting started. There was too much to do! But as you can imagine, when we tried, out of hasty overwhelm, to work on the whole puzzle at once, our rate of connecting pieces dwindled greatly compared to when we each committed to a certain area.
Part of the hesitation for committing was the initial time investment of gathering all of those like-colored pieces from the bottomless pile, half of which were upside down! Focusing on a project or area of your business requires the same initial investment.
I naturally chose the easiest areas first and saved the fine-patterned areas like skies, mountains, and trees until the end. It’s funny, because as the easier areas came together, the harder ones then didn’t seem so hard, as if I was more ready for them, or understood them better in the context of the completed areas.
It’s harder to make the critical leadership decision to scope your business or project and focus in on just one part at a time, especially when things are just getting started because there’s so much to think about. Doing so, though, forces you to choose the most relevant from an endless pile of information (half of which is upside down, remember).
This also enables you to progress faster, and perhaps more importantly, to feel the progress you’re making so that your momentum continues. Start on the easier, more attainable areas and see how they come to inform the vaguer, less-defined areas as progress unfolds.
4. Pieces as parts of the whole
As my dad and I worked, each piece (especially the nondescript ones) seemed so insignificant. But even if one piece was missing among the 1500 of them, it would have resulted in an incomplete product. Each piece was individually hand-laid to produce the final product and so each piece was critical. Yet at the same time, each piece was nothing without the context brought by its surrounding pieces.
As leaders, we take action every day to achieve our vision, laying in one or two seemingly insignificant puzzle pieces. Without consideration of the final product and how our small step fits into it, we can become discouraged by a feeling of not having done enough at the end of each day. In other words, each action, devoid of its place in the bigger picture, may not seem to make a difference. Over time though, what a picture you will have constructed with all those tiny pieces!
Puzzles are relaxing and meditative. We maintain a trance-like interest, yet without the urge to rush. We desire the end state of having a completed picture, and that pulls us forward. Ironic, because it’s the means to the end that we relish in.
Leadership, on the other hand, usually isn’t quite so relaxing and meditative. Does that mean it can’t be? Why don’t we relish in the means to the end? Why do we fixate on the end and berate ourselves for not being there sooner?
If we weren’t so attached then maybe the means would be as rewarding as the end. If we looked for and tolerated only perfect fits, we wouldn’t waste our time on the wrong stuff. If we took the effort to scope our projects and focus on one thing at a time, we’d get the right stuff done. If we saw the pieces as parts of the whole, maybe we’d have more perspective.
Maybe leadership could actually be as therapeutic as a jigsaw puzzle.
Elizabeth J. Agnew, MS, ACC
Integrative Leadership Strategies
415-401-7822
liz@integrative-leadership.com
www.integrative-leadership.com
P.O. Box 460515, San Francisco, CA 94110
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liz works with individuals and organizations in technical fields needing tailored leadership development that speaks their language. Liz has logged hundreds of hours coaching individuals from companies such as Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Google, HP, SETI, Lockheed Martin, VNUS and Sun Microsystems. Her background includes experience in adult education, team facilitation, and public speaking. She offers complimentary coaching consultations – call or email today to schedule yours.
More...
Here are four concepts integral to leadership that I found buried in that puzzle box.
1. Accepting impermanence
At any moment, a 3-year-old could come on by and, while thinking she’s helping, systematically dismantle the border of your puzzle, like my niece Grace Anna did. It’s amazing how long it took us to put together the first time, and how quickly we reassembled it the second time.
Impermanence also shows up when the puzzle has been completed. You may leave it around for a day or two to admire your production, but after that you destroy it, only to shelve and forget about it for long enough that would be a challenge to reassemble.
We tend to get attached and want things to stay how they are, or bogged down by wanting to stay on top of all possible information. Comfort overtakes creativity and growth. We can counteract this by accepting – even embracing – the impermanence of our relationships, projects, business, and ultimately our lives. This act, paradoxically, is what fosters growth, creativity, and love.
2. A perfect fit comes with a satisfying click
This is my favorite analogy. As my dad and I were working, he kept finding pieces that were so close to fitting but were not quite a perfect match. In a mock I’m-so-fed-up-with-this voice, he’d bark “get me my hammer!” ostensibly so that he could make it fit. Thing is, that would just cause more misfit pieces later on.
Needless to say, my dad doesn’t stand alone in his desire to force things to work out when they clearly aren’t.
Sometimes the opposite happened; I would be 90% sure the piece fit, but I held it up to the light just to make sure there weren’t any gaps. Sometimes a perfect fit leaves us skeptical and requires closer inspection.
However, most times, the pieces fell into place with an easy yet tangible, all-too-satisfying click.
Some relationships and connections clearly don’t fit and we’ve been known to think that as leaders it’s our job to get out our proverbial hammers and make things work. Yeah, and we’ve seen how well THAT works. Other situations warrant closer inspection under a bright light. And when the connections are right, we’ll notice our own version of the ‘click’ – that is, if we’re paying attention.
3. The ability to scope and focus
It was hard to choose an area of the puzzle to work on, especially when we were just getting started. There was too much to do! But as you can imagine, when we tried, out of hasty overwhelm, to work on the whole puzzle at once, our rate of connecting pieces dwindled greatly compared to when we each committed to a certain area.
Part of the hesitation for committing was the initial time investment of gathering all of those like-colored pieces from the bottomless pile, half of which were upside down! Focusing on a project or area of your business requires the same initial investment.
I naturally chose the easiest areas first and saved the fine-patterned areas like skies, mountains, and trees until the end. It’s funny, because as the easier areas came together, the harder ones then didn’t seem so hard, as if I was more ready for them, or understood them better in the context of the completed areas.
It’s harder to make the critical leadership decision to scope your business or project and focus in on just one part at a time, especially when things are just getting started because there’s so much to think about. Doing so, though, forces you to choose the most relevant from an endless pile of information (half of which is upside down, remember).
This also enables you to progress faster, and perhaps more importantly, to feel the progress you’re making so that your momentum continues. Start on the easier, more attainable areas and see how they come to inform the vaguer, less-defined areas as progress unfolds.
4. Pieces as parts of the whole
As my dad and I worked, each piece (especially the nondescript ones) seemed so insignificant. But even if one piece was missing among the 1500 of them, it would have resulted in an incomplete product. Each piece was individually hand-laid to produce the final product and so each piece was critical. Yet at the same time, each piece was nothing without the context brought by its surrounding pieces.
As leaders, we take action every day to achieve our vision, laying in one or two seemingly insignificant puzzle pieces. Without consideration of the final product and how our small step fits into it, we can become discouraged by a feeling of not having done enough at the end of each day. In other words, each action, devoid of its place in the bigger picture, may not seem to make a difference. Over time though, what a picture you will have constructed with all those tiny pieces!
Puzzles are relaxing and meditative. We maintain a trance-like interest, yet without the urge to rush. We desire the end state of having a completed picture, and that pulls us forward. Ironic, because it’s the means to the end that we relish in.
Leadership, on the other hand, usually isn’t quite so relaxing and meditative. Does that mean it can’t be? Why don’t we relish in the means to the end? Why do we fixate on the end and berate ourselves for not being there sooner?
If we weren’t so attached then maybe the means would be as rewarding as the end. If we looked for and tolerated only perfect fits, we wouldn’t waste our time on the wrong stuff. If we took the effort to scope our projects and focus on one thing at a time, we’d get the right stuff done. If we saw the pieces as parts of the whole, maybe we’d have more perspective.
Maybe leadership could actually be as therapeutic as a jigsaw puzzle.
Elizabeth J. Agnew, MS, ACC
Integrative Leadership Strategies
415-401-7822
liz@integrative-leadership.com
www.integrative-leadership.com
P.O. Box 460515, San Francisco, CA 94110
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liz works with individuals and organizations in technical fields needing tailored leadership development that speaks their language. Liz has logged hundreds of hours coaching individuals from companies such as Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Google, HP, SETI, Lockheed Martin, VNUS and Sun Microsystems. Her background includes experience in adult education, team facilitation, and public speaking. She offers complimentary coaching consultations – call or email today to schedule yours.
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Avoiding Stone Age Practices in the Age of the Internet [Kimberly Wiefling]
Albert Einstein has been widely quoted as saying “There are two things that are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity – and I’m not sure about the universe.” Like most people, I usually write this off as an amusing, sarcastic quip he made on a bad day. I mean, it can't possibly be taken literally, right?
Then I wander across a news item or business situation that make me wonder if maybe he was on to something. In spite of common sense, again and again I encounter companies repeating tragically avoidable mistakes, hamstringing themselves with the same ludicrous errors their competitors (fortunately) are also making.
Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here
Although Steven McConnell clearly mapped out a step-by-step recipe for successful software product development projects over a decade ago in “Software Project Survival Guide – How to Be Sure Your First Important Project Isn’t Your Last”, a surprising level of ignorance seems to prevail in some software development organizations. Here are a few real-world examples that I have encountered in the past year:
· In spite of the availability of free bug tracking software like Bugzilla, one software organization that has been in business for over a decade still didn’t have a bug tracking system. No, I’m not kidding.
· Another, similar decade-old organization pushed changes in the source code directly to the live production server, upon which their customers depended. Really, they did this.
· One software product development team in a Fortune 100 company reported that their schedule had slipped due to the fact that, during the quality testing phase, they’d unexpectedly found bugs that needed to be fixed before shipment. Yes, unexpectedly.
Using one of my favorite thinking tools, called API (Assumption of Positive Intent), I searched my mind for an explanation of why smart, well-educated, experienced people would behave in such seemingly less-than-brilliant ways. I’m sorry to be negative, but I came up empty at that particular moment. Stick with me – by the end of the article all shall be revealed. But until then, more mayhem!
We Can Send a Man to the Moon, and Yet . . .
The widespread availability of inexpensive, even free, internet-based collaboration tools has made working with people scattered around the planet relatively easy compared to even a few years ago. (In the not-so-distant past I was sending memory sticks of big files to Japan through the physical mail!) Today, wikis, Skype, and shared document services such as Sharefile, Dropbox or Box.net have given even small companies like mine the ability to do business around the globe almost effortlessly – at least from an IT standpoint. And yet I’m personally aware of large, so-called global businesses that are still hampered by the following:
· No ability to videoconference from work (although Skyping from a nearby Starbuck’s is a no problem!).
· No storage location where a file can be stored, where every employee in the world can access it (but placing it unofficially on Dropbox is easy as pie!).
· No cross-divisional team collaboration website that can serve as a project dashboard, collaboration space, and team memory for projects (but for $100 you can set up one heck of a collaboration system on sites.google.com).
Naturally my suggestions to explore using commonly available tools like Google Sites (Google’s version of a wiki), Skype (free videoconferencing), and cloud file storage tools are met with the standard retort: “Our IT group won’t let us use that due to security issues.” Point well taken. Security is certainly a valid consideration. But so is getting our work done, eh? And if email were invented today, I am quite sure it would be forbidden by IT departments worldwide due to similar concerns, as would credit cards (they track everything we do!) and cell phones (and they know where we are!).
Any one of these 21st century super-cool tools won’t necessarily work for a particular environment, but it’s up to the project manager and the IT people to work together to figure out what will work. The question we should be asking is “What WILL make it possible to efficiently, effectively, and securely share files, documents, and other critical project information in today’s global business environment?” I’m truly stymied by encountering the brick wall of “It’s not possible.” year after year with various clients. No worries, I’m not tired, and I’m not giving up, I’m just puzzled. Perhaps I’ll be deluged by responses full of cautionary notes, but I personally would prefer an onslaught of email answering the question “What would make it possible?”
Tortured by the Demons of Excessive Workload and Aversion to Planning
As I write it’s starting to dawn on me that stupidity can’t possibly be the explanation for the bewildering examples of worst practices above. But what is at the root of all of this, or at least the largest of the many tendrils?
Last time I checked everyone I know who had a job was more overworked than ever, with at least a half-dozen important tasks or projects on their plate at once, all of which were prioritized either HOT, VERY HOT, RED HOT, or DO IT NOW! The necessity of taking the time to plan - not just what we do, but how we do it - has been understandably put on the backburner. If you haven’t read Chapter 5 of my Scrappy Project Management book recently, you might want to check out this chapter, available free on ProjectConnections.com, for more insights into this “tyranny of the urgent”.
Working faster, “doing more with less”, and the all-too-common firefighting, heroics, and diving catches can feel like an enlivening experience, even as you’re digging your own project grave. An aversion to planning is characteristic of many human beings (especially engineers), and it never feels like there’s enough time to plan. In a way it’s actually quite a relief not to have the time to do any long-term strategic thinking, especially when the world sometimes seems to be changing so rapidly that any such plans will be obsolete long before they’re implemented. We can just come in to work everyday, sort through what’s piled up in our email inbox, and respond to the crisis de jour, adrenaline coursing through our veins the whole time. Wahoo!
Corporate Culture Trumps All, and Yet is Neglected
Peter Drucker is credited with saying “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”, meaning that if you can’t get the company culture right it won’t much matter what kind of bug-tracking software you implement, or whether you have a wiki or a place to share files. In spite of a wide array of research, books, and articles on exactly what works with millions of people worldwide, I still find that most work environments fail to implement even the most basic elements required of healthy, vibrant, work environments: corporate cultures capable of fostering and enhancing business results. (See my previous article on this topic if you want more on this rant.) The project leader is the source of culture in the immediate project environment, so we’re responsible for what Mr. Druker claims is even more high leverage than business strategy. What an awesome opportunity and responsibility! Most of the changes required to create a best-in-class culture cost absolutely nothing, except the time to plan and implement practices such as:
· Making sure that everyone who’s working together gets to know each other face-to-face
· Making sure each individual knows what’s expected of them, and has the tools and skills to do it.
· Providing a clear line-of-sight from individual goals to organizational goals, mission, and purpose.
But we’re all still burdened with the fact that we’re human beings, and our nature is to succumb to the overwhelm of extremely demanding work environments. Even I need a reminder now and then that I’m venturing far outside the zone of common sense. Let’s help each other stay out of that well-traveled area, shall we? Make a pact with your teammates early in the project that you’ll raise a red flag when reason recedes.
A Beacon of Light in the Darkness
My friend and former colleague Jateen Parekh is the founder and CTO of Jelli, a company that’s re-inventing radio. I heard him give a talk recently where he shared what he’d learned on the journey from being an engineer to a company founder, people leader, and business manager. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool technologist by background, passion, and profession, and yet in his role as the leader of a very techno-centric company he’s embraced pretty much every one of the business management, process excellence, and people-focused practices referred to above.
Listening to Jateen reminded me that working ON the business – on the WAY we conduct ourselves while doing business - is just as important as working IN the business, especially when it is OUR business. Ignoring best practices proven to work better than chaos, lacking discipline to follow processes that we know make sense, pretending common sense doesn’t apply to our work environment because “our business is different” … these choices are inexcusable for today’s project managers. Surely this is one of the most important roles of a project leader. We have a responsibility to step back and question the processes and practices in use, and ask if there is a better way to achieve our business results, find answers to this question, and thoughtfully implement solutions that enjoy the buy-in, commitment, and support of all key stakeholders.
If you haven’t got time for that, then at least pause and reflect on this bit of advice from Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of—among many books—the bestseller The Goal:. “Just stop doing the stupid stuff! The rest is genius!”
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, currently ranked #1 on Amazon Kindle US in Total Quality Management. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
More...
Then I wander across a news item or business situation that make me wonder if maybe he was on to something. In spite of common sense, again and again I encounter companies repeating tragically avoidable mistakes, hamstringing themselves with the same ludicrous errors their competitors (fortunately) are also making.
Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here
Although Steven McConnell clearly mapped out a step-by-step recipe for successful software product development projects over a decade ago in “Software Project Survival Guide – How to Be Sure Your First Important Project Isn’t Your Last”, a surprising level of ignorance seems to prevail in some software development organizations. Here are a few real-world examples that I have encountered in the past year:
· In spite of the availability of free bug tracking software like Bugzilla, one software organization that has been in business for over a decade still didn’t have a bug tracking system. No, I’m not kidding.
· Another, similar decade-old organization pushed changes in the source code directly to the live production server, upon which their customers depended. Really, they did this.
· One software product development team in a Fortune 100 company reported that their schedule had slipped due to the fact that, during the quality testing phase, they’d unexpectedly found bugs that needed to be fixed before shipment. Yes, unexpectedly.
Using one of my favorite thinking tools, called API (Assumption of Positive Intent), I searched my mind for an explanation of why smart, well-educated, experienced people would behave in such seemingly less-than-brilliant ways. I’m sorry to be negative, but I came up empty at that particular moment. Stick with me – by the end of the article all shall be revealed. But until then, more mayhem!
We Can Send a Man to the Moon, and Yet . . .
The widespread availability of inexpensive, even free, internet-based collaboration tools has made working with people scattered around the planet relatively easy compared to even a few years ago. (In the not-so-distant past I was sending memory sticks of big files to Japan through the physical mail!) Today, wikis, Skype, and shared document services such as Sharefile, Dropbox or Box.net have given even small companies like mine the ability to do business around the globe almost effortlessly – at least from an IT standpoint. And yet I’m personally aware of large, so-called global businesses that are still hampered by the following:
· No ability to videoconference from work (although Skyping from a nearby Starbuck’s is a no problem!).
· No storage location where a file can be stored, where every employee in the world can access it (but placing it unofficially on Dropbox is easy as pie!).
· No cross-divisional team collaboration website that can serve as a project dashboard, collaboration space, and team memory for projects (but for $100 you can set up one heck of a collaboration system on sites.google.com).
Naturally my suggestions to explore using commonly available tools like Google Sites (Google’s version of a wiki), Skype (free videoconferencing), and cloud file storage tools are met with the standard retort: “Our IT group won’t let us use that due to security issues.” Point well taken. Security is certainly a valid consideration. But so is getting our work done, eh? And if email were invented today, I am quite sure it would be forbidden by IT departments worldwide due to similar concerns, as would credit cards (they track everything we do!) and cell phones (and they know where we are!).
Any one of these 21st century super-cool tools won’t necessarily work for a particular environment, but it’s up to the project manager and the IT people to work together to figure out what will work. The question we should be asking is “What WILL make it possible to efficiently, effectively, and securely share files, documents, and other critical project information in today’s global business environment?” I’m truly stymied by encountering the brick wall of “It’s not possible.” year after year with various clients. No worries, I’m not tired, and I’m not giving up, I’m just puzzled. Perhaps I’ll be deluged by responses full of cautionary notes, but I personally would prefer an onslaught of email answering the question “What would make it possible?”
Tortured by the Demons of Excessive Workload and Aversion to Planning
As I write it’s starting to dawn on me that stupidity can’t possibly be the explanation for the bewildering examples of worst practices above. But what is at the root of all of this, or at least the largest of the many tendrils?
Last time I checked everyone I know who had a job was more overworked than ever, with at least a half-dozen important tasks or projects on their plate at once, all of which were prioritized either HOT, VERY HOT, RED HOT, or DO IT NOW! The necessity of taking the time to plan - not just what we do, but how we do it - has been understandably put on the backburner. If you haven’t read Chapter 5 of my Scrappy Project Management book recently, you might want to check out this chapter, available free on ProjectConnections.com, for more insights into this “tyranny of the urgent”.
Working faster, “doing more with less”, and the all-too-common firefighting, heroics, and diving catches can feel like an enlivening experience, even as you’re digging your own project grave. An aversion to planning is characteristic of many human beings (especially engineers), and it never feels like there’s enough time to plan. In a way it’s actually quite a relief not to have the time to do any long-term strategic thinking, especially when the world sometimes seems to be changing so rapidly that any such plans will be obsolete long before they’re implemented. We can just come in to work everyday, sort through what’s piled up in our email inbox, and respond to the crisis de jour, adrenaline coursing through our veins the whole time. Wahoo!
Corporate Culture Trumps All, and Yet is Neglected
Peter Drucker is credited with saying “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”, meaning that if you can’t get the company culture right it won’t much matter what kind of bug-tracking software you implement, or whether you have a wiki or a place to share files. In spite of a wide array of research, books, and articles on exactly what works with millions of people worldwide, I still find that most work environments fail to implement even the most basic elements required of healthy, vibrant, work environments: corporate cultures capable of fostering and enhancing business results. (See my previous article on this topic if you want more on this rant.) The project leader is the source of culture in the immediate project environment, so we’re responsible for what Mr. Druker claims is even more high leverage than business strategy. What an awesome opportunity and responsibility! Most of the changes required to create a best-in-class culture cost absolutely nothing, except the time to plan and implement practices such as:
· Making sure that everyone who’s working together gets to know each other face-to-face
· Making sure each individual knows what’s expected of them, and has the tools and skills to do it.
· Providing a clear line-of-sight from individual goals to organizational goals, mission, and purpose.
But we’re all still burdened with the fact that we’re human beings, and our nature is to succumb to the overwhelm of extremely demanding work environments. Even I need a reminder now and then that I’m venturing far outside the zone of common sense. Let’s help each other stay out of that well-traveled area, shall we? Make a pact with your teammates early in the project that you’ll raise a red flag when reason recedes.
A Beacon of Light in the Darkness
My friend and former colleague Jateen Parekh is the founder and CTO of Jelli, a company that’s re-inventing radio. I heard him give a talk recently where he shared what he’d learned on the journey from being an engineer to a company founder, people leader, and business manager. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool technologist by background, passion, and profession, and yet in his role as the leader of a very techno-centric company he’s embraced pretty much every one of the business management, process excellence, and people-focused practices referred to above.
Listening to Jateen reminded me that working ON the business – on the WAY we conduct ourselves while doing business - is just as important as working IN the business, especially when it is OUR business. Ignoring best practices proven to work better than chaos, lacking discipline to follow processes that we know make sense, pretending common sense doesn’t apply to our work environment because “our business is different” … these choices are inexcusable for today’s project managers. Surely this is one of the most important roles of a project leader. We have a responsibility to step back and question the processes and practices in use, and ask if there is a better way to achieve our business results, find answers to this question, and thoughtfully implement solutions that enjoy the buy-in, commitment, and support of all key stakeholders.
If you haven’t got time for that, then at least pause and reflect on this bit of advice from Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of—among many books—the bestseller The Goal:. “Just stop doing the stupid stuff! The rest is genius!”
Kimberly Wiefling is the author of Scrappy Project Management, currently ranked #1 on Amazon Kindle US in Total Quality Management. She splits her work time between the US and Japan.
More...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Announcing the Next EL SIG Meeting, May 19 [Robert Lasater]
The next meeting of the Engineering Leadership SIG will be held on May 19 in SAP Building 2 (3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA), starting at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Topic of the main presentation, Energetic Communication for Engineering Leaders, by Tia Turnbull.
Energetic Communication for Engineering Leaders
The energy of a leader is critical to generating results. How do you impact the energy of your team and other colleagues? Explore the four ways we drain energy and the four ways we lift people’s energy in communication. Become someone who lifts the energy of any environment in the first five minutes of showing up.
Whether at home or at work communication difficulties can interfere with ones ability to concentrate at the task at hand. You will have an opportunity for question and answers.
Attending this talk will help you to:
· Create more uplifting communication that builds rapport, trust, a safer environment and more effective results.
· Stay present and think clearly in the moment.
· Not have your energy drained while you are working in a draining situation with people who need your help.
· Be aware of subtle choices in communication that could be causing conflict.
· Improve listening skills.
· Stay focused, decide and take new and effective actions.
· Question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
· Confidently enter into communication to resolve any issues.
What you will learn:
· The four simple ways to drain energy that encompasses all communication problems.
· The four ways to lift energy in communication.
· The six mental entities that show up in every conversation between two people.
· The most powerful and rewarding way to really listen to what someone else is saying.
· A quick script using non-violent communication that can help you to take responsibility and resolve communication issues quickly.
Learning these skills will help you to:
· Create more uplifting communication that builds rapport, trust, a safer environment and more effective results.
· Stay present and think clearly in the moment.
· Not have your energy drained while you are working in a draining situation with people who need your help.
· Be aware of subtle choices in communication that could be causing conflict.
· Improve listening skills.
· Stay focused, decide and take new and effective actions.
· Question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
Learn a quick process to help people to question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
Tia Turnbull is a professional life coach who has worked with thousands of people to help them get where they want to be in their lives. Today she will be presenting Energetic Environments. Communication tools and skills for empowering yourself while lifting others. How particular communication choices can lead you away from your goals with your clients, and in any relationship, and how to make choices that have you get what you want more often.
Cost: $20 at the door for non-SDForum members, No charge for SDForum members
BOOK SWAP - Every month! Bring books to share.
JOB SWAP - Check out our Yahoo! Group here: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDForum_EL_SIG_JobSwap/
PEER-to-PEER Roundtable - Every month! Join us to share insights and advice with peers each month prior to the 7 PM event.
BLOG Write or read EL SIG blog posts here: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/
For more information, go here.
SNACK & BEVERAGE SPONSOR: LongView International is a innovative Silicon Valley consulting company specializing in semantic technology and software architecture. Together with our clients we achieve success through understanding business goals, formulating the strategy to execution, and building the right solution.
PROJECT CONNECTIONS ONGOING MANAGEMENT SPONSOR: Project Connections is our EL SIG Management Sponsor. ProjectConnections.com is dedicated to practically and affordably supporting individuals as they do their jobs day-to-day and helping them grow their management abilities and careers. We also provide management development and support resources to organizations, through group subscriptions, methodology content licenses, on-demand virtual training programs, virtual coaching, and more - all to help managers improve how critical project work gets done, and to help grow the capabilities of everyone on their staffs and teams.
More...
Energetic Communication for Engineering Leaders
The energy of a leader is critical to generating results. How do you impact the energy of your team and other colleagues? Explore the four ways we drain energy and the four ways we lift people’s energy in communication. Become someone who lifts the energy of any environment in the first five minutes of showing up.
Whether at home or at work communication difficulties can interfere with ones ability to concentrate at the task at hand. You will have an opportunity for question and answers.
Attending this talk will help you to:
· Create more uplifting communication that builds rapport, trust, a safer environment and more effective results.
· Stay present and think clearly in the moment.
· Not have your energy drained while you are working in a draining situation with people who need your help.
· Be aware of subtle choices in communication that could be causing conflict.
· Improve listening skills.
· Stay focused, decide and take new and effective actions.
· Question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
· Confidently enter into communication to resolve any issues.
What you will learn:
· The four simple ways to drain energy that encompasses all communication problems.
· The four ways to lift energy in communication.
· The six mental entities that show up in every conversation between two people.
· The most powerful and rewarding way to really listen to what someone else is saying.
· A quick script using non-violent communication that can help you to take responsibility and resolve communication issues quickly.
Learning these skills will help you to:
· Create more uplifting communication that builds rapport, trust, a safer environment and more effective results.
· Stay present and think clearly in the moment.
· Not have your energy drained while you are working in a draining situation with people who need your help.
· Be aware of subtle choices in communication that could be causing conflict.
· Improve listening skills.
· Stay focused, decide and take new and effective actions.
· Question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
Learn a quick process to help people to question assumptions and make more empowering choices.
Tia Turnbull is a professional life coach who has worked with thousands of people to help them get where they want to be in their lives. Today she will be presenting Energetic Environments. Communication tools and skills for empowering yourself while lifting others. How particular communication choices can lead you away from your goals with your clients, and in any relationship, and how to make choices that have you get what you want more often.
Cost: $20 at the door for non-SDForum members, No charge for SDForum members
BOOK SWAP - Every month! Bring books to share.
JOB SWAP - Check out our Yahoo! Group here: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDForum_EL_SIG_JobSwap/
PEER-to-PEER Roundtable - Every month! Join us to share insights and advice with peers each month prior to the 7 PM event.
BLOG Write or read EL SIG blog posts here: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/
For more information, go here.
SNACK & BEVERAGE SPONSOR: LongView International is a innovative Silicon Valley consulting company specializing in semantic technology and software architecture. Together with our clients we achieve success through understanding business goals, formulating the strategy to execution, and building the right solution.
PROJECT CONNECTIONS ONGOING MANAGEMENT SPONSOR: Project Connections is our EL SIG Management Sponsor. ProjectConnections.com is dedicated to practically and affordably supporting individuals as they do their jobs day-to-day and helping them grow their management abilities and careers. We also provide management development and support resources to organizations, through group subscriptions, methodology content licenses, on-demand virtual training programs, virtual coaching, and more - all to help managers improve how critical project work gets done, and to help grow the capabilities of everyone on their staffs and teams.
More...
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