Monthly Archives: June 2015

Jun 27 2015
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Business Success, Leadership, Personal Success

Have You Done That Before?

I was recently describing to someone an upcoming project that I’ll be working on.

The project involves evaluating commercial banking options, selecting and then implementing a new treasury management solution for one of my longtime clients. The person to whom I was describing this project asked: “Have you ever done this before?” My response: “Nope!” And, in my head I’m thinking: “And, what does that matter!”

You see, there are a number of factors at play here:

  1. Building on the prior post, there is a lot (of experience) rattling around in my head.
  2. The client engaged me to facilitate the process and project manage (PM) the implementation.
  3. The client is the entity, along with the selected bank, with ALL the subject matter expertise (a.k.a. domain knowledge). They know the scenario: the business, requirements, strengths, weaknesses and risks.

In summary, “all” I need to do is get everyone pointed in the same direction, and marching to the same tune towards completion of this very important / high risk project.

Too often we are afraid to put ourselves out there because we “haven’t done that before” or we are concerned that we “won’t know what to do.”

Set no limits!

Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind!

~ Napoleon Hill

A couple of thoughts on this:

  1. At one point we didn’t know how to feed ourselves, walk, talk, ride a bike, swim, use a computer, etc. But – WE LEARNED! Do not stop now!
  2. Anytime you are unsure of what to do, simply ask yourself: “What would I do, if I knew what to do?” We ALL can take things a LOT further along than we give ourselves credit.

In our case study example here, the client “merely” needs a highly capable PM to keep them aligned towards the successful execution of this very important project. Hence, the need for a Powerhouse PM.

In summary, a Powerhouse PM is an invaluable asset that can be thrown at ANY project to ensure its success. 

Yes, all things being equal, a (Powerhouse) PM with domain knowledge may have an edge over one without that particular domain knowledge. However, I’d suggest that the skills and capabilities demonstrated by the Powerhouse PM are MUCH HARDER to come by than specific domain knowledge. That said, a business leader (corporate executive) can rely on their own team’s domain knowledge to support the project while engaging a Powerhouse PM to get them across the finish line.

In closing – Want to be extremely valuable to society? Consider developing yourself into a Powerhouse PM, a topic covered in a prior series of posts (the index is available by clicking here).

All the best!

Jun 26 2015
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Personal Success

How Much Is Rattling Around Up There?

Another one of my favorite movie franchises is Die Hard. And, the latest installment, Live Free or Die Hard, is at the top of that list!

In that movie there are a couple of lines that I thought we’d play on, for this post.

The scene – The 2 main characters (John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, a Police Detective and Matt Farrell, played by Justin Long, a computer hacker) are on the city street, caught-up in the mayhem resulting from a domestic terrorist who has initiated a “fire sale”: an assault against the United States’ government, transportation, and economy by computer hackers. Any and all computer-based systems are the objective with the goal of destroying the modern day life of America.

The unlikely pair needed to decide their next course of action in an effort to prevent further chaos. Matt had a hunch as to the next step in the terror plot but needed access to a communications network to further investigate. Since the public communication networks were down, he decided to use his cell phone to hack into the satellite network. And, the following lines play out…

John McClane: How do you know all this stuff?

Matt Farrell: Dude I don’t know. There is a lot rattling around up there. I couldn’t tell you.

The point…

How many times have we been in a class (school or training), or working on an assignment in which we asked ourselves: Why do I care about this? Or, How/when will I EVER apply this in the future? All the while lamenting the fact that we may be wasting our time.

We must realize: Every minute of every day “can be” a learning experience, whether we know it or not.

Our powerhouse mind takes in information every waking moment of our life, storing it away for future reference. During this process, our brain sorts, sifts and makes connections between all the various data points we’ve stored. The result: we often experience epiphanies in which we seemingly / magically put 2 or more unrelated facts together and come up with an elegant solution to a problem or opportunity we are focused on in our personal or professional life. And, we are often unaware of the source of the information or how we pieced it together to formulate the brilliant idea.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been in a meeting or conversation with others in which we were discussing some vexing situation and I was able to share perspective that was, frankly, quite enlightening. Yet, after the words left my mouth, I’ve often said to myself: Dude, where did THAT come from? How did I know that?

I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing – numerous times!

The reality: There is a lot rattling around up there, because of the input we’ve poured in day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year.

The lesson: we must never cease to take in new ideas via “quality” sources of information. You can decide what “quality” means to you. The point is that we should NEVER look down on a class (school or training) or work assignment thinking that it cannot serve us. If it has been assigned, there is a purpose. Take it in, perform the task and realize that at some point in the future you will (consciously or unconsciously) leverage that experience to advance your life.

An apt quote would be:

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

~ Henry Ford

So, to pose the question that is the title of this post: How much is rattling around in your head?

We could all probably answer: not enough.

What can we do after acknowledging this? We can decide to keep pouring useful information into our powerhouse minds!

How can we keep pouring it in? Well, there are a number of EASY ways to do so:

  • Read positive / constructive / teaching books at least 15 minutes EVERY day
  • Listen to positive / constructive / teaching audio programs while driving
  • Attend training classes (online or classroom) to develop key skills and abilities
  • Seek out a mentor: an experienced person who has deep insight on life and/or in areas you are exploring

And, lest you think I’d leave you hanging, this site is FULL of suggestions for ALL of the above.

So, what are you waiting for? Worried about the (minor) cost (time and/or money)?

The good news is that your employer “may” fund some of the above. If they do, that is GREAT! And, if they don’t – who cares? This is all about investing in yourself! Only YOU can create the life you desire.

So, take action NOW!

All the best!

Jun 25 2015
1 Comment
For Fun!, Travel and Adventure

ALWAYS Get a Room With a Balcony!

My wife and I are at Hampton Beach, as I write / post this.

We decided a couple of days ago to spend 1-2 nights here as the weather looked PERFECT for the beach!

As we’ve done before, we simply packed up, drove here and then figured out where we’d stay.

When we arrived, on a Wednesday afternoon, the main strip (Ocean Boulevard) was packed with cars and people: the normal scene for a hot, sunny, summer day.

About a 1/2-mile onto the strip we spotted a place we had stayed previously. On queue, Cindy jumps out of the car and runs into the office to see if they have any good rooms available. I’m sitting with the car idling in the walking lane as scores of people must avoid me (an annoying obstacle in their path): for what seemed like an eternity. Why doesn’t she just get the room?, I’m asking myself 🙂

Finally, she returns. They ONLY had rooms with an ocean view, but no balcony. She checked-out each available room with the host, and decided they weren’t good enough. At this point I just wanted to get on with life at the beach, but went with her lead.

Thankfully, the motel she visited gave her names and numbers of 2 other places with balconies, which may or may not have availability for the night. We called the first one: $250 / night. Too much! Upon calling the second place we scored: a reasonably priced room with a balcony.

Once we unloaded, parked Rover and finally got into the room I was VERY happy that Cindy didn’t give up by merely accepting a room with a view (as I might have).

You might ask, Why oh why is a balcony so important? So many reasons!

  • We got to sit outside and experience the fresh ocean breeze and watch all the hot cars and cool people go by 🙂
  • We were only 2 rooftops away from the restaurant where the folk singer was strumming on his guitar and sharing some GREAT tunes!
  • We had a front row seat to the awesome fireworks display (which we didn’t expect)
  • We have a nearly 180-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean! The first picture was taken the afternoon we arrived. The second is of this morning’s sunrise, as I began writing this post. If you click on the images you’ll get a better view…

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During our time cruising the strip, looking for our room, I noticed that one of my favorite rock bands, from my teenage years, Blue Oyster Cult, is playing tonight at the Hampton Beach Casino and Ballroom!

So, shortly after settling in to our room I ordered 2 tickets. That is what we’ll be doing tonight 🙂

Now, since the room we are currently in was only available for one night we must go through the “find a room with a balcony” exercise all over again 🙂

Hopefully we’ll score an even better balcony and get out on the beach in the next couple of hours. Wish us luck!

In closing, never settle in life.

When going on vacation, get a room with a balcony. Don’t get stuck in a room that merely has a view. Enjoy life to the fullest!

Have a great day!

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