The Client May Not Know Enough to Completely Define the Project
Sometimes the project manager places too high an expectation on the amount of foresight and vision that clients have. In many cases, the project manager will go to the client looking for answers to help define the project and the client will not have all of the information needed. This happens all the time and it does not mean that the client does not know what they are doing. In many cases, especially for large projects, the client has a vision of what the end results will be, but cannot yet articulate this vision into concrete deliverables. They may also not know all of the answers on scope, risks, project organization, etc.
Based on having less than complete information, the project manager may feel the need to guess on the details. This is not a good solution. It is better to state up-front everything that you know, as well as everything that you do not know. If you are asked to come up with estimated effort, cost and duration, you will need to provide a high and low range based on the uncertainty remaining.
Another good alternative is simply to break the work down into a series of smaller projects (as described previously). Even if the final results cannot be clearly defined, there should be some amount of work that is well defined, which will, in turn lead to the information needed for the final solution. You should only define a project to cover as far as you can comfortably "see" today. Then define and plan subsequent projects to cover the remaining work as more details are known. For instance, you could create a project that gathered business requirements, and then use the results of that project to define a second project to build the final deliverables.
If you are not allowed to break the project into smaller pieces, you should at least know enough that you can plan the work for the first 90 days. In this third approach, you plan the short-term work in more detail, and leave the longer term effort more undefined. Each month you should redefine and plan the remaining work. As you uncover more and more information, you can plan the remaining work at a more detailed level. As you uncover more details, you can refine your estimates and work with the sponsor to make sure it is still okay to continue.
Try to Understand Your Client's Expressed Needs and Their Real Needs
The Project Definition describes the project at a high level. The Project Definition specifically describes the needs of the client, as well as the project team's estimate of the effort, duration and cost to fulfill those needs. The details of the client's need are then defined in more detail through the gathering of business requirements.
It is important for the project manager and project team to understand that the true needs of the client may or may not be the same as the needs that are expressed to you and that are the foundation of the Project Definition and the business requirements. In many cases, the client does not understand their true needs when the project starts. The true needs can sometimes evolve over the course of the project. Likewise, the client may have a clear vision of their needs, but they may have a hard time expressing the needs to the project team. To a certain extent, this is the purpose of scope change management - to allow the client to change the requirements of the project while it is in-progress.
The project team can do nothing better than to document the expressed needs of the client and use the expressed needs as the basis for the approval of the Project Definition and the Business Requirements. However, it is also true that the project team should do as good a job as possible uncovering the true needs of the client. This involves techniques such as asking good questions, asking targeted follow-up questions, gathering input from all key stakeholders, asking more questions when requirements don't seem to make sense, etc. Obviously, the project team should do whatever they can to try to uncover the true needs of the client. The closer the true needs of the client are to their expressed needs, the closer you will be to getting the project right the first time.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
How Silicon Valley Says 'Sorry'
by Andy Greenberg
Forget about gleaning leadership lessons from the likes of Attila the Hun or Alexander the Great. These days, great chief executives have to know when to retreat and when to say "I'm sorry."
Technology executives in particular had plenty to apologize for this past year--from defective products to slip-ups in how they handled private data collected via the Internet. Most recently, chipmaker AMD CEO Hector Ruiz apologized to Wall Street on Thursday for fumbling the company's high-end product line after a design flaw delayed its newest chip. (See: " AMD Comes Clean To Analysts")
In fact, apologizing has become such a standard operating practice among Silicon Valley's chief executives that public relations gurus have developed some "best practices" for all that begging and scraping.
In Pictures: A Brief History Of Tech Executive Apologies
"You have to act like a leader," says Torod Neptune, crisis management leader at tech-focused PR firm Waggener Edstrom. "Get out ahead of something and manage it before it becomes a crisis. If you act quickly enough, an apology can even make your brand stronger."
Facebook's 23-year-old founder, Mark Zuckerberg, got his lesson in humility just last month. At the beginning of November, Zuckerberg declared Beacon, a new advertising program on Facebook, to be nothing less than the greatest media revolution in the last hundred years. Only four weeks later, Beacon's privacy violations had throne it into a PR tailspin. In the face of protests by more than 70,000 of Facebook's users, Zuckerberg announced new controls on the advertising program, and he apologized.
"We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it," Zuckerberg wrote in his blog.
Considering Zuckerberg's original cheerleading, that concession may seem like the ultimate humiliation. But it was the right move, say the experts.
"He wins points for being humble and accountable," says Chris Gidez, director of crisis communications at PR firm Hill & Knowlton.
"Very straightforward," says Karen Doyne, a crisis PR consultant at Burston Marsteller.
"You'll never please everybody," says Torod Neptune, crisis management leader at Waggener Edstrom. "But he seems to have nipped it in the bud."
When Zuckerberg's apology surfaced, the protest's 70,000 or so privacy advocates still represented a relatively small seed of revolt--less than .2% of Facebook's 50 million plus members. Facebook's apology and changes to Beacon seem to have appeased that angry minority before it could swallow up the site.
That such a small group could pull a contrite message out of a chief executive also shows just how the Web can channel consumers' anger. And tech companies may be especially prone to those backlashes: Not only are tech customers particularly Web savvy, but the tech industry itself frequently sails into uncharted and--from a PR perspective--dangerous waters, says Waggener Edstrom's Neptune.
"The tech world is focused on innovation," says Neptune, whose clients include Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ). "Where CEOs are having a hard time is where that innovation runs counter to users' attitudes, especially in the world of new media and social media."
Those collisions lead to PR crises, and not every tech companies has handled them as cleanly as Facebook, Neptune points out. Back in 1994, for instance, Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) CEO Andy Grove was far less wary of the Internet's ability to bring a chief executive to his knees.
When customers learned about a flaw in Intel's Pentium chips, Grove refused to acknowledge the bug. By his engineers' calculations, the flaw would actually manifest itself just once in thousands of years of use. But when a report of the Pentium flaw made its way on to an early Internet newsgroup, users erupted. Grove dragged his feet, but as the protests mounted, he issued a reluctant apology and a warranty for the chips. That fumbled crisis was the worst mistake in Grove's career, according to biographer Richard Tedlow.
Much more recently, Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) CEO Jerry Yang, has become a textbook case of how not to apologize, Waggener Edstrom's Neptune says. In 2004, the Chinese government demanded the e-mail records of Chinese journalist Shi Tao from Yahoo! China. The company provided them, and Shi Tao was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Human rights groups accused Yahoo! of being the puppet of an authoritarian government. Yahoo! argued that it had little control over Yahoo! China, a portion of the Chinese Web company Alibaba partially owned by Yahoo!
Those arguments fell flat, however, when Yahoo!'s Chief Executive Jerry Yang was hauled in front of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs in October. The Committee's Chairman, Representative Tom Lantos, lambasted Yang and Yahoo!'s general counsel Michael Callahan, calling them "moral pygmies." Yang himself squirmed uncomfortably and then apologized sheepishly to the jailed journalist's mother, who sat behind him.
"A lot of us watched that hearing and were stunned at how unprepared Yahoo! was," says Neptune. "They really didn't seem ready to apologize publicly like that."
By contrast, Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Chief Executive Steve Jobs caught on quickly when his company was confronted by angry consumers in September. Just two months after diehard fans had waited in line for hours to buy the newly released iPhone, Apple had slashed the price by $200. Hundreds of enraged e-mails poured in from customers who felt snookered by the original $600 price. Jobs apologized within just 24 hours, offering those customers a $100 coupon at Apple stores.
"He gets very good marks for that," says Randy Pitzer, a technology public relations specialist with Edelman. "Essentially he turned a crisis into an opportunity to bring more customers into Apple's stores."
Jobs' real insight, says Pitzer, was understanding just how willing his customers would be to forgive him. He points to an Edelman survey done early this year of more than 3,000 people who ranked technology at the top of a list of "most trusted" industries, ahead of businesses like banking, telecommunications and health care. "A lot of technology companies don't realize that they have a bit of leeway," he says. "There's a kind of built-in trust factor, and when executives don't realize that, they don't leverage it." And most important, Pitzer says, Jobs didn't wait to say: "I'm sorry."
In fact, Jobs' apologetic skills come from practice. Despite his reputation for stubbornness, Apple's chief apology officer has staged two other turn-arounds in the recent past. In May, Jobs caved to Greenpeace's demands that Apple become more transparent about its use of toxic minerals and apologized to customers for "keeping them in the dark." And in October of last year, he expressed his regret to Apple's shareholders and employees for the company's stock options back-dating.
The lesson from all that grovelling? Apologizing pays.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Top 10 access-related controls for PCI compliance
By Robert Westervelt
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of minimum security guidelines put in place to protect sensitive credit card data. But the standard outlines some of the most vital technologies and access-related policies and procedures needed to determine who has what and who did what on your systems, according to Viresh Garg, a member of Oracle's enterprise manager team and Oracle identity and compliance initiatives.
In a recent presentation conducted at Oracle OpenWorld last month in San Francisco, Garg outlined the top 10 access-related controls for PCI compliance and described why they are important in locking down data and keeping out intruders. Companies that have the tools to ensure continuous monitoring, identify, report and investigate audit trails and conduct risk analytics are taking the right steps to protect critical data, Garg said.
# Data cleanup: Detect and remediate rogue accounts and grants. An effective security plan begins with data cleansing, Garg said. Access and identity related data must be cleansed to avoid duplicate information, wipe out terminated employees and start with a clean slate.
# Access control policies: Define policies and procedures and ensure that they apply to applications and the data center. This can often be a difficult area to tackle, Garg said. Business and IT roles need to be determined as well as the roles of all end users to define who has access to certain applications and the kind of authority they have to make changes to those applications.
# Access control processes: Review accounts and privileges and discover who has been given approval to access sensitive information or conduct certain business processes.
# Physical security: Investigate and determine the company's access badge procedures. Integrate the procedures into the overall security guidelines.
# Password management: Identify the current password procedures and possibly deploy a single sign-on technology. Develop a password plan that makes it easier for users to remember their passwords so they avoid writing them down.
# Risk-based adaptive authentication: Two-factor authentication should be in place. It forces end users to provide two means of identification, one of which is typically a physical token, such as a card, and the other of which is typically something memorized, such as a security code. This helps block access from potential intruders and notifies administrators of the potential of fraudulent activity, Garg said.
# Audit trails: By collecting and keeping accurate audit trails, companies gain a big benefit by allowing an investigator the ability to capture a point-in-time snapshot of system activity, Garg said. For example, an administrator could look at who had access to an application a year ago to determine the source of suspected fraudulent activity.
# Reports: By keeping reports of system logs and reviewing those logs, companies can reduce risk to acceptable levels, Garg said.
# Attestation: Much like the attestation used to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act, attestation is used to meet PCI access control standards by forcing a periodic review of user access rights. Companies can set up an automated review process to enable the right managers to certify or reject the access rights of employees in their unit. This keeps access data clean and eliminates duplicate and outdated information.
# Risk analysis: Similar to deploying a business intelligence solution for financials, deploy a tool to analyze the audit trails that were developed. Find weaknesses in critical infrastructure and applications.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of minimum security guidelines put in place to protect sensitive credit card data. But the standard outlines some of the most vital technologies and access-related policies and procedures needed to determine who has what and who did what on your systems, according to Viresh Garg, a member of Oracle's enterprise manager team and Oracle identity and compliance initiatives.
In a recent presentation conducted at Oracle OpenWorld last month in San Francisco, Garg outlined the top 10 access-related controls for PCI compliance and described why they are important in locking down data and keeping out intruders. Companies that have the tools to ensure continuous monitoring, identify, report and investigate audit trails and conduct risk analytics are taking the right steps to protect critical data, Garg said.
# Data cleanup: Detect and remediate rogue accounts and grants. An effective security plan begins with data cleansing, Garg said. Access and identity related data must be cleansed to avoid duplicate information, wipe out terminated employees and start with a clean slate.
# Access control policies: Define policies and procedures and ensure that they apply to applications and the data center. This can often be a difficult area to tackle, Garg said. Business and IT roles need to be determined as well as the roles of all end users to define who has access to certain applications and the kind of authority they have to make changes to those applications.
# Access control processes: Review accounts and privileges and discover who has been given approval to access sensitive information or conduct certain business processes.
# Physical security: Investigate and determine the company's access badge procedures. Integrate the procedures into the overall security guidelines.
# Password management: Identify the current password procedures and possibly deploy a single sign-on technology. Develop a password plan that makes it easier for users to remember their passwords so they avoid writing them down.
# Risk-based adaptive authentication: Two-factor authentication should be in place. It forces end users to provide two means of identification, one of which is typically a physical token, such as a card, and the other of which is typically something memorized, such as a security code. This helps block access from potential intruders and notifies administrators of the potential of fraudulent activity, Garg said.
# Audit trails: By collecting and keeping accurate audit trails, companies gain a big benefit by allowing an investigator the ability to capture a point-in-time snapshot of system activity, Garg said. For example, an administrator could look at who had access to an application a year ago to determine the source of suspected fraudulent activity.
# Reports: By keeping reports of system logs and reviewing those logs, companies can reduce risk to acceptable levels, Garg said.
# Attestation: Much like the attestation used to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act, attestation is used to meet PCI access control standards by forcing a periodic review of user access rights. Companies can set up an automated review process to enable the right managers to certify or reject the access rights of employees in their unit. This keeps access data clean and eliminates duplicate and outdated information.
# Risk analysis: Similar to deploying a business intelligence solution for financials, deploy a tool to analyze the audit trails that were developed. Find weaknesses in critical infrastructure and applications.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Be Careful of What You Dream
By Keith A. Shaw
"Be careful of what you dream, because it may come true."
My high-school football coach, Coach "Pic," would tell us this every day in his motivational speech as we prepared for the upcoming game. His goal was to get each of us to create a mental picture of what we wanted to do -- individually and as a team.
So, here are three strategies that I have used successfully and that you can utilize to achieve your dreams as well...
Number 1 – Write your dreams down on paper.
There are numerous studies that prove the value of writing down and keeping track of your thoughts and goals. A study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found that:
* 23% of the population has no idea what they want from life, and as a result, they do not have much.
* 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want, but they do not have any plans for how to get it.
* Only 10% of the population has specific, well-defined goals, but even then, seven out of the ten of those people reach their goals only half the time.
* The top 3%, however, achieved their goals 89% of the time.
What accounted for the dramatic difference between the top 3% and the others? The top 3% wrote down their goals, their dreams, their THOUGHTS. Simply put, dreams are not goals until they are written on paper. They become a road map for you to follow.
Number 2 – "Pre-set" your mental state for the next day before you head off to bed.
Here's my secret. Before my head hits the pillow, I spend about five to ten minutes in quiet reflection and thought as to what I want my next day to be like. I think about the things that I want to achieve, such as a financial goal, spiritual strength, courage, or other goals, and let my subconscious "dream-mind" work on these while I sleep. I have learned from experience that this strategy not only works in the short term to solve an immediate problem, but also helps me to come up with solutions to achieve a longer-term goal.
Number 3 – Review your list of dreams and do not be discouraged when you are "off course."
When you focus your mind on your dreams and goals, you centralize your attention, just like you focus a camera lens on the subject of your photograph. Be sure to monitor and check yourself from time to time. People who do not follow the practice of honest self-evaluation can never identify when they are getting off course.
For example, before an airplane takes off and flies from one city to another, the crew maps out a flight path. Along the way, they must account for headwinds, tailwinds, turbulence, weather issues, and more that cause the plane to drift off course. Now, do the pilots panic? No! They read and analyze the plane's telemetry and systematically make the adjustments needed to get the passengers to the destination. Systematic and ongoing self-evaluation will allow you to do the same by reading your "telemetry" and keeping you on your "flight plan" so that you successfully reach your destination.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Design the future of your dreams. And be careful, they may come true!
"Be careful of what you dream, because it may come true."
My high-school football coach, Coach "Pic," would tell us this every day in his motivational speech as we prepared for the upcoming game. His goal was to get each of us to create a mental picture of what we wanted to do -- individually and as a team.
So, here are three strategies that I have used successfully and that you can utilize to achieve your dreams as well...
Number 1 – Write your dreams down on paper.
There are numerous studies that prove the value of writing down and keeping track of your thoughts and goals. A study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found that:
* 23% of the population has no idea what they want from life, and as a result, they do not have much.
* 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want, but they do not have any plans for how to get it.
* Only 10% of the population has specific, well-defined goals, but even then, seven out of the ten of those people reach their goals only half the time.
* The top 3%, however, achieved their goals 89% of the time.
What accounted for the dramatic difference between the top 3% and the others? The top 3% wrote down their goals, their dreams, their THOUGHTS. Simply put, dreams are not goals until they are written on paper. They become a road map for you to follow.
Number 2 – "Pre-set" your mental state for the next day before you head off to bed.
Here's my secret. Before my head hits the pillow, I spend about five to ten minutes in quiet reflection and thought as to what I want my next day to be like. I think about the things that I want to achieve, such as a financial goal, spiritual strength, courage, or other goals, and let my subconscious "dream-mind" work on these while I sleep. I have learned from experience that this strategy not only works in the short term to solve an immediate problem, but also helps me to come up with solutions to achieve a longer-term goal.
Number 3 – Review your list of dreams and do not be discouraged when you are "off course."
When you focus your mind on your dreams and goals, you centralize your attention, just like you focus a camera lens on the subject of your photograph. Be sure to monitor and check yourself from time to time. People who do not follow the practice of honest self-evaluation can never identify when they are getting off course.
For example, before an airplane takes off and flies from one city to another, the crew maps out a flight path. Along the way, they must account for headwinds, tailwinds, turbulence, weather issues, and more that cause the plane to drift off course. Now, do the pilots panic? No! They read and analyze the plane's telemetry and systematically make the adjustments needed to get the passengers to the destination. Systematic and ongoing self-evaluation will allow you to do the same by reading your "telemetry" and keeping you on your "flight plan" so that you successfully reach your destination.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Design the future of your dreams. And be careful, they may come true!
C Stands for Different
By Lynn M. Scheurell
By Webster's Dictionary definition, a catalyst is something that provokes significant action. That's what I do -- I provoke my clients to think and act differently in their lives for greater fulfillment. After all, we have to do different to get different.
It is my intention that you find something thought-provoking enough to do something different in your own life.
Connection
Connection happens on two levels. First is connection with the self in an essential sense of center that's unshakable by external events. The second is connection with others for community.
Creativity
When creativity is open, it's delicious to explore the unseen -- what's around your next corner. By being curious, receptive, and initiating questions or actions, you can play with infinite possibilities.
Clarity
By reducing the "noise" in your head, your being, thinking, and doing become crystallized. Decisions are easier, right action is smoother, communications and relationships are cleaner -- and your calendar becomes focused.
Considerations
Life is full of considerations, some of which are necessary. However, it is important to recognize which are real. It is important to not tolerate the unnecessary. Compromise only when it's meaningful.
Courage
There are times when situations require us to confront things that make us uncomfortable or even afraid. Until we pass through it, we do not learn our lessons. Having the courage to face it gives us the ability to move forward.
Confidence
When you are comfortable in who you are, you naturally make choices that support your knowingness and demonstrate trust in who/where you are. It's a powerful magnet to attracting more of what you want.
Contribution
It is in giving that we grow, by sharing what we have that we increase our own capacities. Giving back where we can creates good karma.
Collaboration
Building by partnership/teamwork creates a synergy that otherwise wouldn't exist. When two or more people are gathered in focus, great things are created and achieved.
Celebration
Honoring what has happened in celebration feels good. It is a timeless ritual to acknowledge hard work and mark a milestone or an ending. Without celebration, we may not know that we are moving into a new beginning.
Circle Back
Review the lessons learned to see if you've missed anything, or if you can use something previously discarded in a new way. Circling back allows you to express appreciation for both the people who have been touched by your learning journey and your progress.
Compassion
Through compassion for others, we acknowledge our oneness. While we are all at different places on our respective journeys, the destination is the same.
Conviction
As long as you are in alignment with your higher self, believing in what you know to be true for you is the backbone to good decisions, personal leadership, accountability, and good health.
Communication
Speak your truth clearly, concisely, and honestly. You can avoid about 80% of problems with other people by having good communication skills. You can resolve 100% of your personal challenges by being honest with yourself.
Control
Control means doing what you can and releasing whatever you just did; it has to go do/be whatever you have given it life to do. Control is a superficial illusion, attempting to force situations, people, or things to fit -- it's like trying to push a river. Being in flow means recognizing that there is no control.
Common Sense
Maybe this should be "un"-common sense... common sense comes from everyday living. If something makes sense to you, do it. However, just because somebody else does it a certain way doesn't mean that it makes the best sense for you.
If any one of these resonated with you on some level, that's an indicator of where you can start in doing something different. If more than one hit a nerve, start with the first one.
You will notice that people and situations around you will change -- be alert. Watch for synchronicities and pay attention to how you feel -- that's the best measure of your success in being different.
By Webster's Dictionary definition, a catalyst is something that provokes significant action. That's what I do -- I provoke my clients to think and act differently in their lives for greater fulfillment. After all, we have to do different to get different.
It is my intention that you find something thought-provoking enough to do something different in your own life.
Connection
Connection happens on two levels. First is connection with the self in an essential sense of center that's unshakable by external events. The second is connection with others for community.
Creativity
When creativity is open, it's delicious to explore the unseen -- what's around your next corner. By being curious, receptive, and initiating questions or actions, you can play with infinite possibilities.
Clarity
By reducing the "noise" in your head, your being, thinking, and doing become crystallized. Decisions are easier, right action is smoother, communications and relationships are cleaner -- and your calendar becomes focused.
Considerations
Life is full of considerations, some of which are necessary. However, it is important to recognize which are real. It is important to not tolerate the unnecessary. Compromise only when it's meaningful.
Courage
There are times when situations require us to confront things that make us uncomfortable or even afraid. Until we pass through it, we do not learn our lessons. Having the courage to face it gives us the ability to move forward.
Confidence
When you are comfortable in who you are, you naturally make choices that support your knowingness and demonstrate trust in who/where you are. It's a powerful magnet to attracting more of what you want.
Contribution
It is in giving that we grow, by sharing what we have that we increase our own capacities. Giving back where we can creates good karma.
Collaboration
Building by partnership/teamwork creates a synergy that otherwise wouldn't exist. When two or more people are gathered in focus, great things are created and achieved.
Celebration
Honoring what has happened in celebration feels good. It is a timeless ritual to acknowledge hard work and mark a milestone or an ending. Without celebration, we may not know that we are moving into a new beginning.
Circle Back
Review the lessons learned to see if you've missed anything, or if you can use something previously discarded in a new way. Circling back allows you to express appreciation for both the people who have been touched by your learning journey and your progress.
Compassion
Through compassion for others, we acknowledge our oneness. While we are all at different places on our respective journeys, the destination is the same.
Conviction
As long as you are in alignment with your higher self, believing in what you know to be true for you is the backbone to good decisions, personal leadership, accountability, and good health.
Communication
Speak your truth clearly, concisely, and honestly. You can avoid about 80% of problems with other people by having good communication skills. You can resolve 100% of your personal challenges by being honest with yourself.
Control
Control means doing what you can and releasing whatever you just did; it has to go do/be whatever you have given it life to do. Control is a superficial illusion, attempting to force situations, people, or things to fit -- it's like trying to push a river. Being in flow means recognizing that there is no control.
Common Sense
Maybe this should be "un"-common sense... common sense comes from everyday living. If something makes sense to you, do it. However, just because somebody else does it a certain way doesn't mean that it makes the best sense for you.
If any one of these resonated with you on some level, that's an indicator of where you can start in doing something different. If more than one hit a nerve, start with the first one.
You will notice that people and situations around you will change -- be alert. Watch for synchronicities and pay attention to how you feel -- that's the best measure of your success in being different.
Empowerment Changes Your Life Forever
By Lisa Whatley
Perhaps you are asking, "What is personal empowerment?"
Put in simplistic terms, empowerment is freeing yourself from limitations or living a life of misery and taking full responsibility for everything that is in your life. It's about quitting making excuses for things that aren't going right in your life and DOING something about changing them! It's about choices, the choices that you make on a daily basis regarding all aspects of your life. It's about being in control of what you allow in your life, who you associate with, what you read, what you watch on television and at the movies, who your mentors are, what music you listen to, what you eat, etc. Why are these choices so important to empowerment? ... You literally ARE your choices.
A general definition: empowerment is a process that helps people gain control over their own lives.
Therefore, empowerment is about learning there are choices, in which you have the right to be the healthiest and happiest person you can be in this now. The past is the past, and it cannot be changed; therefore, the focus is placed upon what you can do in this very moment. What choices can you make to empower yourself NOW? As you exercise your choices and take responsibility and action, you will gain increased control over your life. I had a million excuses for everything crummy in my life. I even blamed my addictions to cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol on other people. I blamed everyone for everything because that enabled me to justify in my own mind that it was O.K. I was slowly killing myself to avoid having to face my problems, the exact problems that I was creating by the choices that I was making. It's a vicious cycle, but empowerment can change it!
Let's take a look at a list of empowerment key words:
* Self-Mastery
* Personal Development
* Positive Thinking
* Mind Power
* Self-Improvement
* Spiritual Growth
* Enlightenment
* Responsibility
* Law of Attraction
* Self-Power
* Self-Acceptance
* Self-Reliance
* Self-Esteem
* Self-Discovery
* Self-Strength
* Self-Love
* Self-Confidence
* Self-Control
* Own Choice
* Independence
* Own Decision Making
* Being Free
* Awakening
* Capability
* Choices
* Power Into Action
This is a small list, but as you can see, it's a list that outlines qualities that cannot be found outside of ourselves because empowerment comes from within. I was looking outside of myself. That is where I went wrong and where millions of others are going wrong too. When we activate this power within ourselves, we have the strength and courage to make choices and act on issues that we define as important. These issues can relate to any and all areas of our life: relationship, financial, personal, spiritual, and physical. It's very important to understand that empowerment is a multidimensional process which includes all levels of our being: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual, and each of these areas must be brought into balance.
The empowerment process may be facilitated and supported through outside sources such as utilizing the assistance of a person specializing in life coaching, learning energy healing and mind techniques, attending self-help groups and seminars, home study programs, reading books, etc. It is very important that these programs teach you and give you the skills on how to do these things independently for yourself after the program has been completed. You are looking for independence, not codependency within the system, because empowerment is a process that develops as we work through it. It is impossible to dabble in empowerment, expecting life-changing results. It must become a path, journey, lifestyle, or way of life for complete liberation of all pain and suffering.
I have a "rags to riches" true-life story. I learned how to overcome poverty, addictions, and abuse to create the life that I once thought was completely impossible for me to have. I have beaten the odds because I dared to believe and listen ONLY TO MYSELF, which IS the power within! Guess what I have accomplished since I learnt the secret of self-mastery and empowerment? I'm now a successful entrepreneur, a published writer, an international life coach, energy healer, and empowerment specialist. Not too bad for a once "high-school dropout, sexually and physically abused, druggie, alcoholic, welfare case," huh? That's what empowerment is! It's about making choices that improve the quality of your life.
With empowerment comes wisdom, and by wisdom I do not mean knowledge of facts so much as the ability to perceive and understand facts, and to judge soundly and act right in all matters relating to life. Wisdom is the power to perceive truth and the ability to make the best use of the knowledge of truth.
With wisdom comes poise and the power to think right, to control and guide your thoughts, and to avoid the difficulties which come from wrong thinking. With wisdom you will be able to select the right courses for your particular needs, and to guide yourself in all ways as to secure the best results.
The beauty of empowerment is the ripple effect. Through personal empowerment, you have the potential through leading by example to teach those around you to empower themselves as well! You not only manage to change yourself, but also contribute to changing the lives of your children, family, and friends. You have the ability to break the chain of poverty, addictions, abuse, and suffering within your own family. You are able to show them that where you once were powerless, you were able to gain full control over your life, improving your situation by taking full responsibility and action over your own mastery. This will show them that it can be done because YOU did it! You lead by example, and your children are only learning and repeating what you teach them. Lead them into empowerment.
So what can be more empowering than gaining control over self? I invite you to start today, right NOW!
Perhaps you are asking, "What is personal empowerment?"
Put in simplistic terms, empowerment is freeing yourself from limitations or living a life of misery and taking full responsibility for everything that is in your life. It's about quitting making excuses for things that aren't going right in your life and DOING something about changing them! It's about choices, the choices that you make on a daily basis regarding all aspects of your life. It's about being in control of what you allow in your life, who you associate with, what you read, what you watch on television and at the movies, who your mentors are, what music you listen to, what you eat, etc. Why are these choices so important to empowerment? ... You literally ARE your choices.
A general definition: empowerment is a process that helps people gain control over their own lives.
Therefore, empowerment is about learning there are choices, in which you have the right to be the healthiest and happiest person you can be in this now. The past is the past, and it cannot be changed; therefore, the focus is placed upon what you can do in this very moment. What choices can you make to empower yourself NOW? As you exercise your choices and take responsibility and action, you will gain increased control over your life. I had a million excuses for everything crummy in my life. I even blamed my addictions to cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol on other people. I blamed everyone for everything because that enabled me to justify in my own mind that it was O.K. I was slowly killing myself to avoid having to face my problems, the exact problems that I was creating by the choices that I was making. It's a vicious cycle, but empowerment can change it!
Let's take a look at a list of empowerment key words:
* Self-Mastery
* Personal Development
* Positive Thinking
* Mind Power
* Self-Improvement
* Spiritual Growth
* Enlightenment
* Responsibility
* Law of Attraction
* Self-Power
* Self-Acceptance
* Self-Reliance
* Self-Esteem
* Self-Discovery
* Self-Strength
* Self-Love
* Self-Confidence
* Self-Control
* Own Choice
* Independence
* Own Decision Making
* Being Free
* Awakening
* Capability
* Choices
* Power Into Action
This is a small list, but as you can see, it's a list that outlines qualities that cannot be found outside of ourselves because empowerment comes from within. I was looking outside of myself. That is where I went wrong and where millions of others are going wrong too. When we activate this power within ourselves, we have the strength and courage to make choices and act on issues that we define as important. These issues can relate to any and all areas of our life: relationship, financial, personal, spiritual, and physical. It's very important to understand that empowerment is a multidimensional process which includes all levels of our being: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual, and each of these areas must be brought into balance.
The empowerment process may be facilitated and supported through outside sources such as utilizing the assistance of a person specializing in life coaching, learning energy healing and mind techniques, attending self-help groups and seminars, home study programs, reading books, etc. It is very important that these programs teach you and give you the skills on how to do these things independently for yourself after the program has been completed. You are looking for independence, not codependency within the system, because empowerment is a process that develops as we work through it. It is impossible to dabble in empowerment, expecting life-changing results. It must become a path, journey, lifestyle, or way of life for complete liberation of all pain and suffering.
I have a "rags to riches" true-life story. I learned how to overcome poverty, addictions, and abuse to create the life that I once thought was completely impossible for me to have. I have beaten the odds because I dared to believe and listen ONLY TO MYSELF, which IS the power within! Guess what I have accomplished since I learnt the secret of self-mastery and empowerment? I'm now a successful entrepreneur, a published writer, an international life coach, energy healer, and empowerment specialist. Not too bad for a once "high-school dropout, sexually and physically abused, druggie, alcoholic, welfare case," huh? That's what empowerment is! It's about making choices that improve the quality of your life.
With empowerment comes wisdom, and by wisdom I do not mean knowledge of facts so much as the ability to perceive and understand facts, and to judge soundly and act right in all matters relating to life. Wisdom is the power to perceive truth and the ability to make the best use of the knowledge of truth.
With wisdom comes poise and the power to think right, to control and guide your thoughts, and to avoid the difficulties which come from wrong thinking. With wisdom you will be able to select the right courses for your particular needs, and to guide yourself in all ways as to secure the best results.
The beauty of empowerment is the ripple effect. Through personal empowerment, you have the potential through leading by example to teach those around you to empower themselves as well! You not only manage to change yourself, but also contribute to changing the lives of your children, family, and friends. You have the ability to break the chain of poverty, addictions, abuse, and suffering within your own family. You are able to show them that where you once were powerless, you were able to gain full control over your life, improving your situation by taking full responsibility and action over your own mastery. This will show them that it can be done because YOU did it! You lead by example, and your children are only learning and repeating what you teach them. Lead them into empowerment.
So what can be more empowering than gaining control over self? I invite you to start today, right NOW!
Crucial Elements For Jumping Sales Numbers
By Allyn Cutts**
Marketers from every niche have common ground when it comes to bills. Yeah, every month there’s a new stack of bills demanding to be paid. Will there be enough profit to slide right through bill paying time without a flinch? Or do you find yourself fretting about whether you’ll even break even? You don’t have to be victimized by envelopes and 8x10 sheets of paper. Implement these 3 techniques to boost your sales.
1. Find More Customers
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of making more money is getting more customers through our doors. In fact, the majority of advertising focuses on doing just that. There are several things you can do to entice more customers to buy from you.
Implement Follow-Ups
Marketing gurus have discovered that follow ups can increase your customer conversion rates by as much as 50%. Now, that’s a whopping improvement! Don’t let potential customers fade away. Keep the doors for future communication open, and watch the drastic growth in your profits.
Encourage Referrals
Every satisfied customer will tell 3 friends or family members about your business - without encouragement. Imagine what would happen if you start rewarding their efforts.
Get Free Publicity
Nearly everyone keeps a sharp eye on the local news. Hey, it’s funner to know what’s going on when you personally recognize the names and faces in print! Find ways to make your business newsworthy and catch the attention of potential customers without even paying advertising fees.
2. Sell More Per Customer
Think about it... how can you get every customer that walks through your doors to spend more money before walking back out the doors? Here are 3 sure-fire, profit increasing tips:
Increase your prices.
Hey, that might not be as bad as you think. Along with the price increase, focus on increasing the perceived value of your product. Yeah, we all expect to pay a little more for high quality stuff. Not everyone is bent on finding the absolute cheapest price in town... they may be more interested in lasting quality.
Add some higher end products or services to your business.
It’s never wise to put all of your eggs in one basket. That’s why wise marketers diversify their products and services. Think of it this way... higher priced products may not make as many sales, but each sale will bring in a much greater profit. You don’t need to make as many sales to come out on the best end of the deal.
Upsell
Offer every customer an additional product that accents his current purchase at the register. Hey, maybe they forgot they’d need batteries to go with the toy they're getting for their niece's birthday gift! You can be a hero... a richer hero.
3. Sell More Often
The fact that it’s easier to sell to the people who know and trust you is obvious. Sometimes we get so focused on new customers that we miss the gold mine in our own back yard. Take advantage of the hard work you’ve invested in winning the loyal customers you already have with these ideas:
Create a Special Deal
Show your customers you appreciate them and understand their needs with a special offer catered just for them. You’ll be thanking them, and selling more in the process.
Add New Products
Increase the number of products you already have available - especially products that your customers have asked for. They’ll know that you’re looking out for them, and you’ll take their thanks to the bank.
Communicate
Resell yourself on a regular basis. Don’t forget to let them know about upcoming specials that they’ll appreciate. Most of all... keep selling them on the benefits of the products or services you offer.
Marketers from every niche have common ground when it comes to bills. Yeah, every month there’s a new stack of bills demanding to be paid. Will there be enough profit to slide right through bill paying time without a flinch? Or do you find yourself fretting about whether you’ll even break even? You don’t have to be victimized by envelopes and 8x10 sheets of paper. Implement these 3 techniques to boost your sales.
1. Find More Customers
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of making more money is getting more customers through our doors. In fact, the majority of advertising focuses on doing just that. There are several things you can do to entice more customers to buy from you.
Implement Follow-Ups
Marketing gurus have discovered that follow ups can increase your customer conversion rates by as much as 50%. Now, that’s a whopping improvement! Don’t let potential customers fade away. Keep the doors for future communication open, and watch the drastic growth in your profits.
Encourage Referrals
Every satisfied customer will tell 3 friends or family members about your business - without encouragement. Imagine what would happen if you start rewarding their efforts.
Get Free Publicity
Nearly everyone keeps a sharp eye on the local news. Hey, it’s funner to know what’s going on when you personally recognize the names and faces in print! Find ways to make your business newsworthy and catch the attention of potential customers without even paying advertising fees.
2. Sell More Per Customer
Think about it... how can you get every customer that walks through your doors to spend more money before walking back out the doors? Here are 3 sure-fire, profit increasing tips:
Increase your prices.
Hey, that might not be as bad as you think. Along with the price increase, focus on increasing the perceived value of your product. Yeah, we all expect to pay a little more for high quality stuff. Not everyone is bent on finding the absolute cheapest price in town... they may be more interested in lasting quality.
Add some higher end products or services to your business.
It’s never wise to put all of your eggs in one basket. That’s why wise marketers diversify their products and services. Think of it this way... higher priced products may not make as many sales, but each sale will bring in a much greater profit. You don’t need to make as many sales to come out on the best end of the deal.
Upsell
Offer every customer an additional product that accents his current purchase at the register. Hey, maybe they forgot they’d need batteries to go with the toy they're getting for their niece's birthday gift! You can be a hero... a richer hero.
3. Sell More Often
The fact that it’s easier to sell to the people who know and trust you is obvious. Sometimes we get so focused on new customers that we miss the gold mine in our own back yard. Take advantage of the hard work you’ve invested in winning the loyal customers you already have with these ideas:
Create a Special Deal
Show your customers you appreciate them and understand their needs with a special offer catered just for them. You’ll be thanking them, and selling more in the process.
Add New Products
Increase the number of products you already have available - especially products that your customers have asked for. They’ll know that you’re looking out for them, and you’ll take their thanks to the bank.
Communicate
Resell yourself on a regular basis. Don’t forget to let them know about upcoming specials that they’ll appreciate. Most of all... keep selling them on the benefits of the products or services you offer.
Turning Around a Dysfunctional Project Team
Turning Around a Dysfunctional Project Team
Many teams have some personality conflicts among team members. However, on some teams the personal animosity is so great that the team has a hard time functioning together. The project manager that is originally a part of the team is probably part of the problem, so he or she usually has a limited ability to identify and resolve the problem. However, when this problem is recognized by the sponsor or the functional manager, the project manager is often replaced (this is usually an easier option than trying to replace the entire project team).
If you are a project manager that takes over a dysfunctional project team, there are a number of areas that require your attention.
The first thing you want to do is assess the current state of the project. Your response to the project team problems will depend on where you are at with the schedule. For instance, if you have 30 days of work remaining, you will have less ability to make an impact on the team dynamics. In this case, the best course of action may be to try to motivate the team for the final push and watch the schedule closely. On the other hand, if your project has many months to go, then you need to see what can be done to repair the damage on the team as well as re-plan the schedule to deliver on a new realistic time frame. Any plan is going to include the following items.
1. Communicate well. If the project manager is a poor communicator, it can result in a miserable project experience for everyone. Teams with poor morale tend to have poor communication channels. Don't let rumors and uncertainty fester. Make sure you share as much information as you can about the project status and anything else that may impact the project team.
2. Praise and compliment. When people on your team do a good job, make sure they know it. People don't expect money or gifts when they do a good job - just a pat on the back and a 'well done' by their manager. Give it to them - both informally and formally.
3. Set clear expectations. People need to understand what is expected of them so that they know the challenges they need to meet. Make sure you give clear instructions when you hand out work so that people understand what they are expected to do.
4. Don't over commit your team. As you try to improve morale, you also need to be careful not to over-commit the team. Determine the work remaining to finish the project and remove anything that is extraneous or can be done after implementation.
5. Manage scope. Make sure you manage scope tightly and try to defer all changes until after the original project is completed.
6. Win some small battles. Poor morale can cause your team to miss deadlines, which causes more pressure and degrades morale even further. The opposite is true as well. If the team can start hitting some interim deadlines (and you communicate this fact and praise them), the team morale should improve, which may make it easier to hit your next deadline.
These are some ideas for turning the project around. Make sure you understand where you are in the schedule so you know how much time you have to make significant changes. Also, make sure you try to identify as many team problems as you can, as well as the root causes if possible. Then, put together an action plan based on how much work and time is remaining on the project. If there is not a lot of time remaining, focus on the schedule. If a lot of time is remaining, focus on repairing the project team, as well as completing the schedule.
Exhibit Leadership on Challenging Projects
Project managers need to be leaders. Leadership can be easy when things are going well. Everyone will follow you then. However, when times are tough, leadership can be hard, but it is also more vital than ever. Here are some things to keep in mind to lead your team through the difficulty.
1. Keep your eyes on the big picture. When things get tough, everybody's temptation is to become acutely focused on the problems. A leader stays focused on the vision of completing the project objectives.
2. Keep positive. When circumstances get tough, even the most loyal team members can be tempted to start shooting and, unfortunately, they sometimes shoot each other. They begin to question each other and find many faults with one another. A leader must keep positive and act rationally and objectively.
3. Be the first to sacrifice. When there is pain to share, leaders should do just that - lead. If the team needs to work overtime, the project manager should work overtime as well. If the project team needs to come in on Saturday, the project manager needs to be in as well.
4. Remain calm. Panic is a common human emotion and no one is immune to it. A leader, however, thinks the problems through and remains calm. Being calm will enable the leader to make the right decisions for the entire team. Panic only leads to disaster, while calm leads to victory.
5. Motivate. In tough and challenging times, people are naturally down. They tend to be pessimistic. They can't see how it is all going to work out. The project manager should focus on motivating the team and show how the end result will be good.
6. Create Small Wins. One of the ways to motivate is to create small wins. When things are bad, the team starts to wonder how they can win. The project manager should look for ways to win - even small, interim victories. With each small win, the leader will build esteem and a positive attitude.
7. Keep a Sense of Humor. Hardly anything in life can't be laughed at. As the project manager you need to look for opportunities to instill fun, and laugh at yourself and the situations that present themselves.
A weak project manager is usually unable to get the team out of a large hole because they do not have the ability to lead the way out. When project managers show leadership, the team will follow - maybe not immediately, but eventually. The project manager is in the right position to lead the charge and get the entire project back on sound footing again.
From TenStep Project Management Tip of the Week: Manage Human Resources
Many teams have some personality conflicts among team members. However, on some teams the personal animosity is so great that the team has a hard time functioning together. The project manager that is originally a part of the team is probably part of the problem, so he or she usually has a limited ability to identify and resolve the problem. However, when this problem is recognized by the sponsor or the functional manager, the project manager is often replaced (this is usually an easier option than trying to replace the entire project team).
If you are a project manager that takes over a dysfunctional project team, there are a number of areas that require your attention.
The first thing you want to do is assess the current state of the project. Your response to the project team problems will depend on where you are at with the schedule. For instance, if you have 30 days of work remaining, you will have less ability to make an impact on the team dynamics. In this case, the best course of action may be to try to motivate the team for the final push and watch the schedule closely. On the other hand, if your project has many months to go, then you need to see what can be done to repair the damage on the team as well as re-plan the schedule to deliver on a new realistic time frame. Any plan is going to include the following items.
1. Communicate well. If the project manager is a poor communicator, it can result in a miserable project experience for everyone. Teams with poor morale tend to have poor communication channels. Don't let rumors and uncertainty fester. Make sure you share as much information as you can about the project status and anything else that may impact the project team.
2. Praise and compliment. When people on your team do a good job, make sure they know it. People don't expect money or gifts when they do a good job - just a pat on the back and a 'well done' by their manager. Give it to them - both informally and formally.
3. Set clear expectations. People need to understand what is expected of them so that they know the challenges they need to meet. Make sure you give clear instructions when you hand out work so that people understand what they are expected to do.
4. Don't over commit your team. As you try to improve morale, you also need to be careful not to over-commit the team. Determine the work remaining to finish the project and remove anything that is extraneous or can be done after implementation.
5. Manage scope. Make sure you manage scope tightly and try to defer all changes until after the original project is completed.
6. Win some small battles. Poor morale can cause your team to miss deadlines, which causes more pressure and degrades morale even further. The opposite is true as well. If the team can start hitting some interim deadlines (and you communicate this fact and praise them), the team morale should improve, which may make it easier to hit your next deadline.
These are some ideas for turning the project around. Make sure you understand where you are in the schedule so you know how much time you have to make significant changes. Also, make sure you try to identify as many team problems as you can, as well as the root causes if possible. Then, put together an action plan based on how much work and time is remaining on the project. If there is not a lot of time remaining, focus on the schedule. If a lot of time is remaining, focus on repairing the project team, as well as completing the schedule.
Exhibit Leadership on Challenging Projects
Project managers need to be leaders. Leadership can be easy when things are going well. Everyone will follow you then. However, when times are tough, leadership can be hard, but it is also more vital than ever. Here are some things to keep in mind to lead your team through the difficulty.
1. Keep your eyes on the big picture. When things get tough, everybody's temptation is to become acutely focused on the problems. A leader stays focused on the vision of completing the project objectives.
2. Keep positive. When circumstances get tough, even the most loyal team members can be tempted to start shooting and, unfortunately, they sometimes shoot each other. They begin to question each other and find many faults with one another. A leader must keep positive and act rationally and objectively.
3. Be the first to sacrifice. When there is pain to share, leaders should do just that - lead. If the team needs to work overtime, the project manager should work overtime as well. If the project team needs to come in on Saturday, the project manager needs to be in as well.
4. Remain calm. Panic is a common human emotion and no one is immune to it. A leader, however, thinks the problems through and remains calm. Being calm will enable the leader to make the right decisions for the entire team. Panic only leads to disaster, while calm leads to victory.
5. Motivate. In tough and challenging times, people are naturally down. They tend to be pessimistic. They can't see how it is all going to work out. The project manager should focus on motivating the team and show how the end result will be good.
6. Create Small Wins. One of the ways to motivate is to create small wins. When things are bad, the team starts to wonder how they can win. The project manager should look for ways to win - even small, interim victories. With each small win, the leader will build esteem and a positive attitude.
7. Keep a Sense of Humor. Hardly anything in life can't be laughed at. As the project manager you need to look for opportunities to instill fun, and laugh at yourself and the situations that present themselves.
A weak project manager is usually unable to get the team out of a large hole because they do not have the ability to lead the way out. When project managers show leadership, the team will follow - maybe not immediately, but eventually. The project manager is in the right position to lead the charge and get the entire project back on sound footing again.
From TenStep Project Management Tip of the Week: Manage Human Resources
Knowledge Park
GNIDA is also developing a "Knowledge Park' with the aim of providing quality institutional facilities for education and research.
1.The Greater Noida Authority has earmarked 1400 acres for the Knowledge Park. Allotments have already been made to 340 institutions. These institutions range from schools, management institutes, vocational training institutes, institutes for the handicapped, maritime institutes etc.
2. 9 Engineering colleges are already functional and 10 more are under construction
3. IT campus of Roorkee IIT is coming up
4. 1870 acres of land has been developed as a Knowledge Park I, II, III, IV of the Master Plan
5. Another 1000 acres is being developed as Knowledge Park V.
1.The Greater Noida Authority has earmarked 1400 acres for the Knowledge Park. Allotments have already been made to 340 institutions. These institutions range from schools, management institutes, vocational training institutes, institutes for the handicapped, maritime institutes etc.
2. 9 Engineering colleges are already functional and 10 more are under construction
3. IT campus of Roorkee IIT is coming up
4. 1870 acres of land has been developed as a Knowledge Park I, II, III, IV of the Master Plan
5. Another 1000 acres is being developed as Knowledge Park V.
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