"Small minds talk about people, moderate minds talk about events and great minds talk about ideas" - Author Unknown. I could do a better job at this. It is very true statement.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Thoughts on Talking
"Small minds talk about people, moderate minds talk about events and great minds talk about ideas" - Author Unknown. I could do a better job at this. It is very true statement.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Weekend Break - Monolith on Mars!
THIS mysterious monument could be proof there was once life on Mars.
The rectangular structure — measuring five metres across — was photographed by a super high resolution camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The giant monolith juts out of the planet’s surface casting a huge shadow below. Its emergence on website Lunar Explorer Italia has got space buffs speculating if it could have been constructed by creatures once living on the red planet. The monument resembles the black monolith seen in Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the movie the structure is believed to be a key to man’s evolution. And astonishingly Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, revealed a similar monolith was detected on Mars’ moon Phobos. Speaking last week, he insisted: “We should visit the moons of Mars. “There’s a monolith there – a very unusual structure on this little potato shaped object that goes around Mars once every seven hours.
“When people find out about that they are going to say, ‘Who put that there? Who put that there?’”
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Bad Project Theater
In earlier posts I have written about project failure and poor project management practices. In the IT world we all know that just because a project is seen as a failure doesn't mean that parts (or all) of that project aren't implemented. Many times egos in IT won't admit to project (product) failure, and end-users are stuck with crap systems that don't deliver anything approaching value. Sometimes these systems linger for years. Yikes, Help!
Project value can’t be dictated; it must be planned, agreed upon, and is easily recognized. We can't be told something has value. We must be shown and form our own opinions.
I have been a project manager in an IT/Telecomm environment for over twenty years. Failed IT projects aren't unique to any one industry or business segment. They are often a result of a mentality that says we know best, and we believe we are smarter than everybody else.
We can sum up this type of behavior in one word...Arrogance -
As taken from the Inner Frontier
ARROGANCE - "Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer. Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes his views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry. Rather than the self-assurance born of knowing his own strengths and limitations, arrogance admits no limits. The arrogant brooks no weakness in himself and may even secretly rejoice to find flaws in others. But imperfections are inherent in being human, so the arrogant, like everyone else, always has feet of clay, however well hidden they may be. Fearing exposure, haughtiness forms a hard shell masking inner emptiness."
Professional project managers are always honest, open, and ethical. They realize that project success is in large part determinded by the stakeholders and sponsor, not the project manager.
My advice is to (hopefully not arrogant) leave the drama, back door deals, and shady practices to others and be a valuable asset to your customers and sponsor.
Project value can’t be dictated; it must be planned, agreed upon, and is easily recognized. We can't be told something has value. We must be shown and form our own opinions.
I have been a project manager in an IT/Telecomm environment for over twenty years. Failed IT projects aren't unique to any one industry or business segment. They are often a result of a mentality that says we know best, and we believe we are smarter than everybody else.
We can sum up this type of behavior in one word...Arrogance -
As taken from the Inner Frontier
ARROGANCE - "Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer. Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes his views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry. Rather than the self-assurance born of knowing his own strengths and limitations, arrogance admits no limits. The arrogant brooks no weakness in himself and may even secretly rejoice to find flaws in others. But imperfections are inherent in being human, so the arrogant, like everyone else, always has feet of clay, however well hidden they may be. Fearing exposure, haughtiness forms a hard shell masking inner emptiness."
Professional project managers are always honest, open, and ethical. They realize that project success is in large part determinded by the stakeholders and sponsor, not the project manager.
My advice is to (hopefully not arrogant) leave the drama, back door deals, and shady practices to others and be a valuable asset to your customers and sponsor.