I don’t claim to be a good writer. While I wish I were, some things are just not meant to be. Having said that, I came across the following article that may be of use to someone. Project managers write a lot, and any tips that we can get to make our communications concise and more effective can only make our projects better.
WRITING TIPS
1. Cut the boring parts
I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard
Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. There’s no point is publishing content that isn’t useful, interesting, or both.
2. Eliminate unnecessary words
Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
I used to feel that using words like “really”, “actually”, or “extremely” made writing more forceful. It doesn’t. They only get in the way. Cut them and never look back.
3. Write with passion
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
It’s not hard to realize that unless you’re excited about your writing no one else will be.
4. Paint a picture
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
Simply stating something is fine, but when you need to capture attention, using similes, metaphors, and vivid imagery to paint a picture creates a powerful emotional response.
5. Keep it simple
Vigorous writing is concise. ~William Strunk Jr.
Maybe it was all those late nights, struggling to fill out mandatory 10 page papers, but many people seem to think that worthwhile writing is long and drawn out. It’s more difficult (and effective) to express yourself in the simplest possible manner.
6. Do it for love
Write without pay until somebody offers to pay. ~Mark Twain
When you’re just starting out it’s hard to decide where to begin. So don’t. Just start writing. A blog is a good place to start. The most valuable benefit is the feedback.
7. Learn to thrive on criticism
You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. ~Ray Bradbury
Writing means putting yourself at the mercy of anonymous hecklers and shameless sycophants. Learn to make the most of the insults and distrust the praise.
8. Write all the time
Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed. ~Ray Bradbury
The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything. ~John Irving
9. Write what you know … or what you want to know
If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Learn as much by writing as by reading. ~Lord Acton
Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don’t have an expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display.
10. Be unique and unpredictable
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. ~G.K. Chesterton
Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. ~Oscar Wilde
Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer’s make-up, the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto. ~Ray Bradbury
Following what works will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you’ll be left behind.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Leadership Assessment Questions - How would others rate you?
RATING SCALE - 1 – Strongly Disagree, 2 – Disagree, 3 – Neither Agree or Disagree
4 – Agree, 5 – Strongly Agree
1. Effectively engages others to improve service delivery and follow-through on problem resolution. (Service Delivery)
2. Positively influences the team to translate customer needs into valued deliverables (i.e. work products and services. (Action Focus)
3. Ensures that agreed-upon commitments to internal and external customers are fulfilled. (Customer commitment)
4. Develops strong partnerships throughout the enterprise that foster positive customer relationships. (Organizational Relationships)
5. Stays calm and even-tempered when handling crises, stressful situations, or unexpected developments; does not become cynical, moody, or hostile when times are tough. (Composure)
6. Brings conflict into the open by encouraging constructive two-way communication, focusing on solutions and maintaining positive working relationship with those who disagree. (Conflict Resolution)
7. Builds effective teams by modeling open communication, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging different viewpoints. (Building Effective Teams)
8. Effectively facilitates group discussion by helping groups to define objectives, staying on task, soliciting diverse input, summarizing accomplishments and outlining next steps. (Group Facilitation)
9. Encourages a sense of job ownership by routinely soliciting input from team members, incorporating ideas into actions and holding the team accountable for results. (Empowering Teams)
10. Listens attentively and actively to both what is said and to non-verbal cues; has the patience to hear people out; accurately restates the opinions of others even when he/she disagrees. (Listening)
11. Demonstrates integrity in difficult situations by maintaining a balance between constructively identifying concerns, being upfront and honest, and maintaining respectful work relations. (Acting with Integrity)
12. Consistently acts in line with the best interest of the organization as well as in accordance with organizational policies during both good and tough times. (Ethics)
13. Builds and maintains trusting work relationships by being candid and upfront in a respectful and helpful manner, keeping confidences, following through on commitments, and practicing what is preached. (Building Trust)
14. Listens to complaints, suggestions, concerns, or requests; demonstrates consistency, impartiality, and even-handedness in making decisions. (Fairness)
15. Seeks opportunities to learn and actively works to continuously improve him/herself. Stays up-to-date on current practices and trends in his/her field. (Self Development)
16. Regularly solicits feedback on opportunities to improve oneself or delivery of products and services; implements ideas and suggestions to improve results. (Continual improvement)
17. Manages projects by breaking the work into process steps, establishing appropriate project teams, measuring performance against goals, and evaluating results. (Project Management)
18. Builds individual capacity by providing stretch tasks and assignments. Encourages others to learn and grow. Developing Others)
19. Creates focus by establishing priorities based on business needs; quickly zeros in on the critical few. (Prioritizing)
20. Seeks out and optimizes all available resources to achieve the best results efficiently, consistent with organization objectives. Knows who to involve and when. (Resourcefulness)
21. Effectively aligns fiscal resources to support strategic and business plans. (Fiscal Planning)
22. Effectively aligns technology resources to support strategic and business plans. (Technological planning)
23. Originates new and unique ideas; moves beyond the status quo and looks for better ways of doing things. (Innovation/Creativity)
24. Identifies obstacles and generates potential solutions to achieve challenges. (Problem-Solving)
25. Willing to try unconventional methods and/or to take personal risks to achieve desired outcomes that are consistent with organization objectives. (Risk Taking)
26. Accurately anticipates future trends and consequences. Sees the long-range implications of tactical decisions made today. Has broad knowledge and perspective. Can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. (Strategic Thinking)
27. Considers various resources, obstacles, risks, perspectives, adverse reactions and financial impact when making recommendations and committing to action. (Critical Thinking)
28. Addresses performance issues by providing current, direct, complete, actionable, and developmental feedback to others; lets people know where they stand and supports others with ideas for continual improvement. (Coaching)
29. Takes responsibility and tackles difficult situations without passing them off to someone else; after making a mistake, admits it and either personally makes corrections or seeks assistance from others. (Ownership)
30. Drives for results; pushes ahead and maintains focus when confronted with obstacles. (Results Oriented)
4 – Agree, 5 – Strongly Agree
1. Effectively engages others to improve service delivery and follow-through on problem resolution. (Service Delivery)
2. Positively influences the team to translate customer needs into valued deliverables (i.e. work products and services. (Action Focus)
3. Ensures that agreed-upon commitments to internal and external customers are fulfilled. (Customer commitment)
4. Develops strong partnerships throughout the enterprise that foster positive customer relationships. (Organizational Relationships)
5. Stays calm and even-tempered when handling crises, stressful situations, or unexpected developments; does not become cynical, moody, or hostile when times are tough. (Composure)
6. Brings conflict into the open by encouraging constructive two-way communication, focusing on solutions and maintaining positive working relationship with those who disagree. (Conflict Resolution)
7. Builds effective teams by modeling open communication, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging different viewpoints. (Building Effective Teams)
8. Effectively facilitates group discussion by helping groups to define objectives, staying on task, soliciting diverse input, summarizing accomplishments and outlining next steps. (Group Facilitation)
9. Encourages a sense of job ownership by routinely soliciting input from team members, incorporating ideas into actions and holding the team accountable for results. (Empowering Teams)
10. Listens attentively and actively to both what is said and to non-verbal cues; has the patience to hear people out; accurately restates the opinions of others even when he/she disagrees. (Listening)
11. Demonstrates integrity in difficult situations by maintaining a balance between constructively identifying concerns, being upfront and honest, and maintaining respectful work relations. (Acting with Integrity)
12. Consistently acts in line with the best interest of the organization as well as in accordance with organizational policies during both good and tough times. (Ethics)
13. Builds and maintains trusting work relationships by being candid and upfront in a respectful and helpful manner, keeping confidences, following through on commitments, and practicing what is preached. (Building Trust)
14. Listens to complaints, suggestions, concerns, or requests; demonstrates consistency, impartiality, and even-handedness in making decisions. (Fairness)
15. Seeks opportunities to learn and actively works to continuously improve him/herself. Stays up-to-date on current practices and trends in his/her field. (Self Development)
16. Regularly solicits feedback on opportunities to improve oneself or delivery of products and services; implements ideas and suggestions to improve results. (Continual improvement)
17. Manages projects by breaking the work into process steps, establishing appropriate project teams, measuring performance against goals, and evaluating results. (Project Management)
18. Builds individual capacity by providing stretch tasks and assignments. Encourages others to learn and grow. Developing Others)
19. Creates focus by establishing priorities based on business needs; quickly zeros in on the critical few. (Prioritizing)
20. Seeks out and optimizes all available resources to achieve the best results efficiently, consistent with organization objectives. Knows who to involve and when. (Resourcefulness)
21. Effectively aligns fiscal resources to support strategic and business plans. (Fiscal Planning)
22. Effectively aligns technology resources to support strategic and business plans. (Technological planning)
23. Originates new and unique ideas; moves beyond the status quo and looks for better ways of doing things. (Innovation/Creativity)
24. Identifies obstacles and generates potential solutions to achieve challenges. (Problem-Solving)
25. Willing to try unconventional methods and/or to take personal risks to achieve desired outcomes that are consistent with organization objectives. (Risk Taking)
26. Accurately anticipates future trends and consequences. Sees the long-range implications of tactical decisions made today. Has broad knowledge and perspective. Can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. (Strategic Thinking)
27. Considers various resources, obstacles, risks, perspectives, adverse reactions and financial impact when making recommendations and committing to action. (Critical Thinking)
28. Addresses performance issues by providing current, direct, complete, actionable, and developmental feedback to others; lets people know where they stand and supports others with ideas for continual improvement. (Coaching)
29. Takes responsibility and tackles difficult situations without passing them off to someone else; after making a mistake, admits it and either personally makes corrections or seeks assistance from others. (Ownership)
30. Drives for results; pushes ahead and maintains focus when confronted with obstacles. (Results Oriented)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Thoughts on Politics and Projects
My thoughts today are partially inspired by Tom Peters whom I have written about in the past.
A great/WOW project always changes (Has to be for the better) the way organizations work.
Tom Peters says – “WOW Projects = Changing the Rules”
He also says, “Changing the Rules = Pissing off members of the Establishment”.
If your project is pushing massive change through your organization there will be people that are going to be upset, and some of them might try to derail your project. These small thinkers will be envious, jealous, might feel you are invading their turf, or are just afraid of change. Sometimes you will have to use your political skills to go around them, go through them, or better yet find ways to get them on your side. All three approaches can take time, energy, and patience.
Quick Rules and Thoughts
Project management politics can be brutal. When big changes occur big guns come out.
Politics is life; however politics can and must be managed if your project is going to be successful.
Don’t let the status quo kill your great ideas or derail your project. Be flexible, but firm when it comes to implementing your project's deliverables, but don’t ignore the political realities.
Politics is the art of getting things done. As Tom Peters says “No Politics=No Implementation”.
Develop powerful allies in your organization to help you get your project implemented. Be sure to show appreciation to all those people that help you along the way.
Don’t implement anything in your project that can’t be verified (verifiable milestones).
A great/WOW project always changes (Has to be for the better) the way organizations work.
Tom Peters says – “WOW Projects = Changing the Rules”
He also says, “Changing the Rules = Pissing off members of the Establishment”.
If your project is pushing massive change through your organization there will be people that are going to be upset, and some of them might try to derail your project. These small thinkers will be envious, jealous, might feel you are invading their turf, or are just afraid of change. Sometimes you will have to use your political skills to go around them, go through them, or better yet find ways to get them on your side. All three approaches can take time, energy, and patience.
Quick Rules and Thoughts
Project management politics can be brutal. When big changes occur big guns come out.
Politics is life; however politics can and must be managed if your project is going to be successful.
Don’t let the status quo kill your great ideas or derail your project. Be flexible, but firm when it comes to implementing your project's deliverables, but don’t ignore the political realities.
Politics is the art of getting things done. As Tom Peters says “No Politics=No Implementation”.
Develop powerful allies in your organization to help you get your project implemented. Be sure to show appreciation to all those people that help you along the way.
Don’t implement anything in your project that can’t be verified (verifiable milestones).