Top Ten List

Florida Power and Light management came up with the list below of the ten most important things they think helped them complete the St. Lucie 2 Nuclear Power Plant on schedule, within cost, and without major quality issues.

1. Management Commitment
2. A realistic and firm schedule
3. Clear decision-making authority
4. Flexible project control tools
5. Teamwork
6. Maintaining engineering before construction (design before build)
7. Earlsy start-up involvement
8. Organizational flexibility
9. Ongoing critique of the project
10. Close coordination with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (strong, fair oversight)

This is an awesome list that can be adapted to any environment and project.  Do you have a top ten list of things you need for your project to be successful?

Creating Trust

"What creates trust, in the end, is the leader's manifest respect for the followers" - Jim O'Toole, Leadership Change.

A leadership void exists when the goals of the leaders aren't embraced by the followers.  Respect, or lack of it plays a big part in helping to create this void.

Some leadership principles I have come to believe are:

Be consistent in what you say and do. Inconsistency shows a lack of focus. Being inconsistent will undermine your credibility with others.

As a leader you will need to provide focus, constancy of purpose, and clear direction to your team. The problem with many leaders isn't a lack of personality or charisma, it is a lack of focus and follow-through.

When leading remember "beware of no man more than thyself" - Thomas Fuller. Ask for feedback from others. Remember the higher the leader is in an organization the more blind spots he or she will experience.

A good leader is a master of the big picture and is knowledgeable of the details. A leader that isn't willing to get involved in the details is just plain lazy and won't have the respect of the team they are leading.

Be careful about negative assumptions. Leaders that are high achievers know their behavior tells the truth about their assumptions.

Leaders ensure that their followers know where they fit into the big picture.

Leaders who underestimate the intellect of others tend to overestimate their own.

Other things that are always displayed by a leader are the ability to:

Create and nurture a vision

Laugh!

Leave your ego at the door

Think before acting (not quick to criticize)

Be a risk taker

State and meet commitments

Be a role model

Have a can do attitude

Encourage success

and finally...BE VISIBLE

Free Advice Retold!

Tell somebody you care, and how much they really mean to you. Let them know how they have changed your life

If you have children, encourage them with love, and let them know they are a blessing to you

If you live to make more money, get a (new) life!

If you aren't having fun doing your job, move on to something new

Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes - Tom Peters!

Embrace change and do all you can to expose unethical behavior

Don't allow deadbeat managers and/or lazy executives to ruin your career or influence your project. 

Gossiping is for children and old women.  Don't be a part of the office gossip loop.

Great leaders with ethics and a solid morale center are rare. I hamve never met one; however I'm sure they exist.  Seek them out with everything you have

Executives have forgotten how to be leaders. Because of this, we have a 200 billion dollar trade deficit, stock option scandals, CEOs going to prison, massive layoffs, outsourcing to India, disloyal workers, and a plethora of corrupt politicians

Make sure before you go to work for an organization you know who is running the show

Love the unlovable

Be nutty at work, somebody will appreciate the break in the monotony

Find a manager in your company that is doing a bad job and ask them about the middle management shake up that is eminent. Walk away quickly before they can respond

Look at yourself in the mirror closely for 60 seconds. Feel really bad that you look so old, then remember that life is precious and be thankful to God that tomorrow is a new day

Challenge authority when it makes sense

Project managers can't be wimps

Don't respect unrespectable people. Avoid them, workaround them, go through them. They are career killers

If you like to solve problems and make a difference, work for a non-profit or charity

Be a blessing to somebody

Stephen F. Seay, PMP sfseay@yahoo.com