Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information.
I’ll be focusing on creative fiction in this post (mainly short stories and novels), but poetry, (auto)biography and creative non-fiction are all other forms of creative writing. Here’s a couple of definitions:
Creative writing is writing that expresses the writer’s thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic way. (Sil.org – What is Creative Writing?)
Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals. (Don DeLillo)
Writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work – you’ll gain a huge amount of satisfaction from a finished piece. Being creative can also be difficult and challenging at times, but immensely fun.
How to get started
Many people think that just because they’ve read a lot of stories (or even if they haven’t!) they should be able to write one. But as Nigel Watts writes:
There is a common belief that because most of us are literate and fluent, there is no need to serve an apprenticeship if we want to become a successful wordsmith. … That’s what I thought until I tried to write my first novel. I soon learnt that a novel, like a piece of furniture, has its own set of requirements, laws of construction that have to be learnt. Just because I had read plenty of novels didn’t mean I could write one, any more than I could make a chair because I had sat on enough of them. (Nigel Watts, Teach Yourself Writing a Novel)
By all means, if you’re keen, jump straight in and have a go: but don’t be too disappointed if your first efforts aren’t as good as you’d hoped. To extend Watts’ metaphor, you may find that these early attempts have wonky legs and an unsteady seat. There are lots of great books aimed at new fiction writers, and I’d strongly recommend buying or borrowing one of these:
I’d also recommend starting small. Rather than beginning with an epic fantasy trilogy, a family saga spanning five generations, or an entire adventure series … have a go at a short story or a poem.
And if you end up chewing your pen and staring at a sheet of paper, or gazing at a blank screen for hours, try kickstarting your writing with a short exercise. Don’t stop to think too much about it … just get going, without worrying about the quality of the work you produce.
Tips and tricks for beginners
Do some short exercises to stretch your writing muscles – if you’re short of ideas, read the Daily Writing Tips article on “Writing Bursts”. Many new creative writers find that doing the washing up or weeding the garden suddenly looks appealing, compared to the effort of sitting down and putting words onto the page. Force yourself to get through these early doubts, and it really will get easier. Try to get into the habit of writing every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes.
If you’re stuck for ideas, carry a notebook everywhere and write down your observations. You’ll get some great lines of dialogue by keeping your ears open on the bus or in cafes, and an unusual phrase may be prompted by something you see or smell.
Work out the time of day when you’re at your most creative. For many writers, this is first thing in the morning – before all the demands of the day jostle for attention. Others write well late at night, after the rest of the family have gone to bed. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Don’t agonize over getting it right. All writers have to revise and edit their work – it’s rare that a story, scene or even a sentence comes out perfectly the first time. Once you’ve completed the initial draft, leave the piece for a few days – then come back to it fresh, with a red pen in hand. If you know there are problems with your story but can’t pinpoint them, ask a fellow writer to read through it and give feedback.
HAVE FUN! Sometimes, we writers can end up feeling that our writing is a chore, something that “must” be done, or something to procrastinate over for as long as possible. If your plot seems wildly far-fetched, your characters bore you to tears and you’re convinced that a five-year old with a crayon could write better prose … take a break. Start a completely new project, something which is purely for fun. Write a poem or a 60-word “mini saga”. Just completing a small finished piece can help if you’re bogged down in a longer story.
How to find my goals in my life?
I need to set goals for my life
I need to find my life purpose
These phrases sound familiar right? In fact the question how to find my goals in life is a very popular question that many people ask. The problem with such a question is not that its difficult to answer but the problem is that people ask it the wrong way!!
In this article i will tell you how to find your goals in life.
Finding your goals in life, the biggest mistake
Many people do the mistake of trying to set goals just to have something to go after and not because they really want to achieve something in life.
That's also the same reason those people lose motivation later on. A person might start to pursue a certain goal just because he saw his friends doing it but upon discovering that this is not what he wants in life the guy loses motivation.
In order to find your goals in life you need to make sure that you are not trying to fill spaces and that your goals represent your deep desires.
Its the same as people who send me messages telling me that they want to manage their time because they want to do something useful and not because they have something useful that they want to do in their limited time. (see Top time management mistakes)
How to find your life goals
Contrary to common beliefs finding your life goals is a simple task. In order to find your life goals you need to ask yourself the following questions:
What do i really hate about my life or myself right now?
Is there something that i am badly in need of?
Am i happy? and if not then what are the reasons?
Once you answer these questions you will come up with a list of things that you really want and a list of things that you want to avoid. Use both lists to create life goals that can help you get what you want and avoid what you hate.
Lets suppose that you found that financial insecurity was bothering you and that in the same time you really wanted to be popular. You just found two of your life goals. The first is to become rich and the second is to be popular.
Unmet needs and finding your life goals
Each and every person living on this planet have certain unmet needs. Some people need recognition, others need a better life while a third group might be in need of a stress free life.
Its extremely easy to find your life goals once you know about your unmet needs. If you don't know how to find your unmet needs then just watch how your emotions change whenever you approach something or move away from something.
For example, boredom is a feeling that you experience when you move away from your unmet needs. Anxiety is the feeling you experience when you are not sure about the outcome of an event that can help you reach one of your unmet needs. Indifference is the feeling you get when you believe that your actions wont help you reach your unmet needs.
You don't have to find your life goals today but you just need to monitor your emotions for few days until you find out your unmet needs which will then help you find your life goals. (see Where do emotions come from?
2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.
The Solid confidence program was launched by 2knowmyself.com; the program will either help you become more confident or give you your money back.
Whether you are just starting out or running a large company, it helps to have a mentor to whom you can turn with questions large and small.
mentor is a person with more experience in business, or simply in life, who can help an entrepreneur hone her or his abilities and advise him or her on navigating new challenges. A mentor can be a boon to an entrepreneur in a broad range of scenarios, whether they provide pointers on business strategy, bolster your networking efforts or act as confidantes when your work-life balance gets out of whack. But the first thing you need to know when seeking out a mentor is what you're looking for from the arrangement. How to Find a Mentor: Know What You Want
Bruce Judson, a senior faculty fellow at Yale University's School of Management has been on both sides of the fence. He's had mentors and mentees and when someone seeks him out for his counsel he wants to know what their business goals are. He asks, what's 'your vision at the end? What does success look like and what is your objective? Is it to be financially independent? Is it to do something meaningful? Have time for your family?' Knowing a business owner's goals helps Judson better understand what he brings to the equation and how he can best advise his mentee.
What can your mentor do for you? Determining what type of resource you need is a crucial first step in the mentor hunt. Lois Zachary, the president of Leadership Development Services, a Phoenix, Arizona-based business coaching firm, and author of The Mentee's Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You, recommends starting with a list. You may want someone who's a good listener, someone well connected, someone with expertise in, say, marketing, someone accessible. Ideally you could find a mentor with all of these qualities, but the reality is you may have to make some compromises. After you enumerate the qualities you're looking for in a mentor, divide that list into wants and needs.
The next step, according to Zachary, is to 'do an informational interview [with several candidates] and then go back to your criteria, that way you don't get blown away by chemistry and you stay focused on your business or personal reasons for wanting a mentor.' By gauging a combination of the qualitative and quantitative attributes of each of your potential mentors, a prime candidate will emerge.
Keep in mind that it may be beneficial to have more than one mentor. If you fear that you may monopolize too much of your mentor's time then multiple mentors may be the answer. 'The advantages of having multiple mentors is that you can get a lot of different points of view,' notes Zachary, 'and when you have a lot of mentors at one time, if they're sitting around a table, the synergy between the mentors really helps move your thinking along.' Dig Deeper: What's Ted Turner really like as a mentor? How to Find a Mentor: Know Where to Look
1) Start with family and friends - When looking for a mentor, start close to home. Very close to home. 'Sometimes you can talk to your own relatives or friends, people who you trust, who you know, who you can sit and say ‘gee whiz, what do you think about this?'' says Martin Lehman, a veteran of the women's apparel industry and long-time counselor at the Service Corps of Retired Executives Association (SCORE). SCORE is a Washington D.C.-based non-profit that provides free mentoring services to business owners from its 364 chapters around the country.
2) Consider those in your extended network - If your friends and family give you enough unsolicited advice already, and you don't think that's the route for you, your remaining options are people who don't know you as well or don't know you at all yet. How do you ask for such a big commitment from a near stranger? The first step is to reach out to your network of contacts. A positive word from a mutual friend can go a long way towards getting a mentoring relationship off to a good start.
Additionally, you shouldn't choose a mentor overnight, which means you should keep your antenna poised to pick up on potential mentors at conferences, trade shows, etc. Meeting with a future mentor in person helps build a rapport and you might want to wait until that connection develops before popping the question.
3) Consider complete strangers - Maybe none of the people in your network seem like a good fit for you. Start doing some research. Profiles of business owners in magazines and newspapers might key you in to someone who matches your style. But once you have some prospects proceed delicately. Find out as much as you can about the potential mentor and try to schedule a brief interview by phone saying you have some specific questions or just generally want to pick their brain.
You should travel to them and, especially initially, make it as easy for them to help you as you can. At the conclusion of your first interview, if it seems to have gone well, you can broach the idea of speaking again, whether by phone or in person, some time in the future. Over time, if they seem receptive, you can bring up the idea of a more formal mentoring relationship with more specific parameters and goals.
4) Consider the competition - Well, not your direct competition. For example, if you're in retail selling socks, someone selling ties isn't in direct competition with you but might still have some insights into the garment industry. If you have a brick and mortar store, you can even call someone who does exactly what you do in a far flung location, say you're in New York and they're in Ohio. However the Internet is increasingly putting retailers even on different continents in competition, so tread lightly. Another suggestion would be to seek out counsel from someone at a business larger than yours who might be less likely to view you as competition.
5) Tap your industry - Lehman also suggests that your suppliers, your local chamber of commerce, and relevant trade publications are good sources for potential mentors. These are all good places to find knowledgeable people, but how do you find someone who matches your personal style? Judson recommends seeking a mentor, 'the same way that people look for medical professionals, in the sense that I would be looking for recommendations.'
6) Pay for a mentor - But what if you have a great idea that you want to get off the ground quickly, and you need a quick jolt of expertise? Good informal mentorships are cultivated gradually and can often last for years. If what you need is a crash course, it might be time to bring in the consultants.
'There's a million people out there who are running counseling businesses,' Lehman says, adding a bit derisively, 'there are all kinds of experts who would be delighted to charge you.' NOTE: If you're looking for a mentor outside of your circle of friends and family, how do you find someone invested in your success? You have to keep in mind what the mentor is getting out of the relationship. In the case of consultants, coaches, or especially advisory boards they have a financial stake in your relationship but there are other benefits to the mentor. Judson cites an innate human desire to help others, or put differently an interest in paying it forward. Additionally, the exchange of knowledge in a mentorship flows in both directions. Lehman says, 'there's no question, I'm learning every day. That's why we do this. Also, it keeps the brain going.' Dig Deeper: 7 Tips for Finding a Great Mentor How to Find a Mentor: Building a Relationship
A mentoring relationship can be a significant time commitment on the part of both parties. It's not sustainable to have a mentor who you can never get in touch with, nor will a mentee last long if they call their mentor with a crisis every fifteen minutes. So how do you achieve that happy medium? It's all about setting goals and expectations.
There are four stages to a mentoring relationship, according to Zachary.
1) Getting started - In this stage you establish whether the mentor is a match for you and vice versa. You've zeroed in on a potential candidate, and now it's time to develop and possibly formalize the relationship. Get to know your mentor better, feel out what their time availability is like and think of what each of your strengths and weaknesses are so that you're aware of the things the mentor can teach you most about as well as what they can learn from you. WARNING: If their time's too precious, it won't work. The first clues come early when you try to arrange an informational interview with a potential mentor. 'I would say if you're having a hard time getting fifteen minutes that's a heads up because lack of time, or perceived lack of time, can upend a relationship,' says Zachary. She says you want someone who's committed to the process, invested in your success, and open to learning.
2) Establishing agreements - This doesn't necessarily mean drawing up a formal written document, although you could. Once you have entered into an implicit or explicit mentorship, you want to define certain things such as what success looks like, how often you will meet, what happens if something goes wrong, and what should stay confidential between you. You should meet with your mentor at least quarterly, to touch base, though you can meet more or less frequently as schedules allow or as the need arises, and each relationship will develop its own rhythms. Set both short-term and long-term goals such as running a successful marketing campaign, or expanding to a new location, or launching an IPO.
3) Mentoring at work - The third stage is the body of the mentoring relationship and is therefore the longest of the four. You meet with your mentor periodically and take independent steps towards improving your own business and management skills as well as meeting goals for your company's growth and change.
These steps should, in part, be based on your mentor's advice, so it's important to find someone who won't pat you on the back. Judson often receives calls supposedly soliciting advice only to have the potential mentee rebutting the feedback they were supposedly asking for. Successful mentees have to overcome this instinct. Judson says, 'the most natural thing in the world is not to listen, it's to defend yourself.'
If you can handle it, Judson says, it's not hard to get a mentor to hit you with their frankest feedback. 'Repeatedly people have said to me, how do you get people to tell you these awful things about yourself? And the answer is that I ask for them and I'm open.'
4) Coming to closure - If all has gone well and you have met the goals you originally set out with your mentor, you can discuss meeting less regularly. Hopefully you will have developed a friendship that extends beyond the mentorship and remain in touch, but your status as an acolyte soaking up knowledge at the foot of the expert is a thing of the past and you should be able to take on many of the curveballs that come your way single-handedly.
If you have not met the goals you set out, you can discuss extending the arrangement, or, if you feel that the relationship is not working out as you had hoped, you should politely thank the mentor and let them know that you feel they have given you valuable tools for dealing with your business challenges and that you will keep them appraised of your progress though you will not need to meet as frequently. Phasing things out gradually is advisable, and make sure not to burn any bridges as it could easily come back to haunt you later in your career.
How to Discover Your Own Unique Talents: Ten Eye-Opening Tips
One of the odd things in life is that people are given innate abilities to do things, but aren't told what they are. Everyone pretty much has to find out on their own what they are good at doing. Unfortunately, not all innate abilities are as easy to discover as a talent for drawing or singing. For these people, there has to be some searching. Below are ten eye-opening tips on how to discover your own unique talents. 1 - Test yourself and try things. It might sound obvious, but the best way to find out if you have any talent for something, is to give it a try. Sometimes this may be in the form of a test, written or otherwise, other times it might be in simply seeing something someone else is doing and giving it a try to see if you can do it too. 2 - Copy others. One way to try other things, is to copy what someone else does. This goes without saying in sports or other occupations that by their nature have people watching them. But there are others too, such as laying brickwork or carving statues, or building web sites. Look at how other people do things, then try them for yourself to see if you feel like you are any good at them. 3 - Ask other people. Ask other people about their jobs, what they do, how they do them. Ask them if they enjoy it and if so, what parts. Also, ask other people if you can accompany them to work sometime, to see for yourelf what goes on. Perhaps there are parts of the job you could actually try while you are there. 4 - Read. A great way to find out if you might have a talent for something is reading. Read books, magazines or anything else you can find. Think about the person that wrote what you read, and what they may be like. Perhaps you could write too. Or maybe the writer mentions something that you might find interesting. Being interested is good, because quite often in is an indicator of whether you might have a knack for it. 5 - Do some research. It's easy to do research these days. Just get on the web and start trolling. Search for odd things, and see what comes up. Search for jobs, and careers and hobbies and things people do for fun. Search for whatever comes to mind when you're reading the results of some other search. Think about all the things other people are doing, then try some of them yourself. Maybe you'll find your talent is in searching for stuff on the net. 6 - Travel. Get out of the house, or away from where you work. Get away from where you usually go and do things. Doing so will give you fresh eyes on the world and help you see some of the things people do that don't stand out so much , but might be something you'd be doing. 7 - Open your eyes. Drive downtown, look at all the buildings. Most of them have signs on them that give you a clue as to what goes on in there. Is there something going on in there that you would like to do? 8 - Sign up for courses. Most communities have courses in hobby type stuff; photography or painting or whatever. Why not give each of them a try if you can afford it, maybe you're the next Claude Monet and just don't know it yet. 9 - Join organizations. The cool thing about joining organizations is that they are comprised of people. All of whom do various things and have various interests. You could ask each and every one of them not only what they do, but what they do for fun or as a hobby. You might find something that piques your interest and leads you down a road of discovery. 10 - Notice occupations or activities on television and in movies. Movies and television have all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. The problem though is that most people generally notice only what the star does, which is to bad, because Hollywood doesn't have so much in the imagination department when it comes to jobs for the stars. So, why not start paying attention to what all the supporting characters are doing, or even what the support people do to help make the movie or show itself.
These ten eye-opening tips on how to discover your own unique talents are for anyone who feels like maybe they are just drifting through life, but could be doing something they are truly good at if only they could figure out what that is. If you are such a person, I hope these tips help you find your own unique gift. Good luck.
One myth of project management is certain people have an innate ability to do it well, and others do not. Whenever this myth came up in conversation with other project managers, I asked for an explanation —how to recognize it, categorize it, and, if possible, develop it in others. The only thing we usually identified—after considering many of the other topics covered in this book—is the ability to make things happen. Some people can apply skills in the combinations necessary to move projects forward, and others cannot, even if they have similar skills. The ability to make things happen is a combination of knowing how to be a catalyst in different situations, and having the courage to do so.
This ability to drive is so important to some that it’s used as a litmus test in hiring project managers. Even if PMs can’t precisely define what the ability is without making at least some references to other skills, they do feel that they can sense or measure it in others. For example, an interviewer needs to ask herself the following question about the candidate: “If things were not going well on some important part of the project, would I feel confident sending this person into that room, into that discussion or debate, and believe he’d help find a way to make it better, whatever the problem was?” If after a round of interviews the answer is no, the candidate is sent home. The belief is that if he isn’t agile or flexible enough to adapt his skills and knowledge to the situations at hand, and find ways to drive things forward, then he won’t survive, much less thrive, on a typical project. This chapter is about that ability and the skills and tactics involved.
Priorities Make Things Happen
A large percentage of my time as a PM (project manager) was spent making ordered lists. An ordered list is just a column of things, put in order of importance. I’m convinced that despite all of the knowledge and skills I was expected to have and use, in total, all I really did was make ordered lists. I collected things that had to be done—requirements, features, bugs, whatever—and put them in an order of importance to the project. I spent hours and days refining and revising these lists, integrating new ideas and information, debating and discussing them with others, always making sure they were rock solid. Then, once we had that list in place, I’d drive and lead the team as hard as possible to follow things in the defined order. Sometimes, these lists involved how my own time should be spent on a given day; other times, the lists involved what entire teams of people would do over weeks or months. But the process and the effect were the same.
I invested so much time in these lists because I knew that having clear priorities was the backbone of progress. Making things happen is dependent on having a clear sense of which things are more important than others and applying that sense to every single interaction that takes place on the team. These priorities have to be reflected in every email you send, question you ask, and meeting you hold. Every programmer and tester should invest energy in the things that will most likely bring about success. Someone has to be dedicated to both figuring out what those things are and driving the team to deliver on them.
What slows progress and wastes the most time on projects is confusion about what the goals are or which things should come before which other things. Many miscommunications and missteps happen because person A assumed one priority (make it faster), and person B assumed another (make it more stable). This is true for programmers, testers, marketers, and entire teams of people. If these conflicts can be avoided, more time can be spent actually progressing toward the project goals.
This isn’t to say those debates about priorities shouldn’t happen—they should. But they should happen early as part of whatever planning process you’re using. If the same arguments keep resurfacing during development, it means people were not effectively convinced of the decision, or they have forgotten the logic and need to be reminded of why those decisions were made. Entertain debates, but start by asking if anything has changed since the plans were made to justify reconsidering the priorities. If nothing has changed (competitor behavior, new group mission, more/less resources, new major problems), stick to the decision.
If there is an ordered list posted up on the wall clarifying for everyone which things have been agreed to be more important than which other things, these arguments end quickly or never even start. Ordered lists provide everyone with a shared framework of logic to inherit their decisions from. If the goals are clear and understood, there is less need for interpretation and fewer chances for wasted effort.
So, if ever things on the team were not going well and people were having trouble focusing on the important things, I knew it was my fault: either I hadn’t ordered things properly, hadn’t effectively communicated those priorities, or had failed to execute and deliver on the order that we had. In such a case, working with prioritization and ordered lists meant everything.
Common ordered lists
By always working with a set order of priorities, adjustments and changes are easy to make. If, by some miracle, more time or resources are found in the schedule, it’s clear what the next most important item is to work on. By the same token, if the schedule needs to be cut, everyone knows what the next least important item is and can stop working on it. This is incredibly important because it guarantees that no matter what happens, you will have done the most important work possible and can make quick adjustments without much effort or negative morale. Also, any prioritization mistakes you make will be relative: if work item 10 turns out to have been more important than work item 9, big deal. Because the whole list was in order, you won’t have made a horrible mistake. And besides, by having such clear priorities and keeping the team focused on them, you may very well have bought the time needed to get work item 10 done after all.
For most projects, the three most important and most formal ordered lists are used to prioritize project goals, features, and work items (see Figure 13-1). The project goals are typically part of the vision document (see Chapter 4) or are derived from it. The lists of features and work items are the output of the design process (see Chapters 5, 6, and 7). Because each of these lists inherits priorities from the preceding list, by stepping up a level to reach a point of clarity and then reapplying those priorities back down to the level in question, any disputes can begin to be resolved. Although this may not always resolve debates, it will make sure that every decision was made in the context of what’s truly important. Figure 13-1. The three most important ordered lists, shown in order.
Other important things that might need ordered lists include bugs, customer suggestions, employee bonuses, and team budgets. They can all be managed in a similar way: put things in the order most likely to make the project or organization successful. No matter how complex the tools you use are (say, for bug tracking), never forget that all you’re doing is ordering things. If the tools or processes you use don’t help you put things in order and carry out that order, find a different tool or process. Bug triage, for example, where people get in a room and decide when a bug should be fixed (if at all), is really just a group process for making an ordered list of bugs. The bugs might be classified by group rather than on an individual bug-by-bug basis, but the purpose and effect are the same.
If you do use the three most common ordered lists, make sure that they always map to each other. Every engineering work item should map to a feature, and every feature should map to a goal. If a new work item is added, it must be matched against features and goals. This is a forcing function to prevent random features. If a VP or programmer wants to slip something extra in, she should be forced to justify it against what the project is trying to achieve: “That’s a great feature, boss, but which goal will it help us satisfy? Either we should adjust the goals and deal with the consequences, or we shouldn’t be investing energy here.” If you teach the team that it’s a rule to keep these three levels of decision making in sync, you will focus the team and prevent them from wasting time.
Priority 1 versus everything else
Typically, these ordered lists have one important line dividing them into two pieces. The top part is priority 1: things we must do and cannot possibly succeed without. The second part is everything else. Priorities 2 and 3 exist but are understood to be entirely different kinds of things from priority 1. It is very difficult to promote priority 2 items into priority 1.
This priority 1 line must be taken very seriously. You should fight hard to make that list as small and tight as possible (this applies to any goal lists in the vision document as well). An item in the priority 1 list means “We will die without this.” It does not mean things that are nice to have or that we really want to have: it gives the tightest, leanest way to meet the project goals. For example, if we were building an automobile, the only priority 1 things would be the engine, tires, transmission, brakes, steering wheel, and pedals. Priority 2 items would be the doors, windshield, air conditioning, and radio because you can get around without those things. The core functionality of the automobile exists without them; you could ship it and still call it a car.
Putting this line in place was always very difficult; there was lots of arguing and debating about which things customers could live without or which things were more important than others. This was fine. We wanted all of the debating and arguing to take place early, but then move on. As painful as it would be, when we were finished, we’d have a list that had survived the opinions and perspectives of the team. We could then go forward and execute, having refutations and supporting arguments for the list we’d made. Having sharpened it through debate and argument, we were ready for 90% of the common questions or challenges people might have later on (i.e., why we were building brakes but not air conditioning) and could quickly dispatch them: we’d heard the arguments before, and we knew why they didn’t hold up.
The challenge of prioritization is always more emotional/psychological than intellectual, despite what people say. Just like dieting to lose weight or budgeting to save money, eliminating things you want (but don’t need) requires being disciplined, committed, and focused on the important goals. Saying “stability is important” is one thing, but stack ranking it against other important things is entirely different. Many managers chicken out of this process. They hedge, delay, and deny the tough choices, and the result is that they set their projects up to fail. No tough choices means no progress. In the abstract, the word important means nothing. So, ordered lists and the declaration of a high priority 1 bar forces leaders and the entire team to make tough decisions and think clearly.
Clarity is how you make things happen on projects. Everyone shows up to work each day with a strong sense of what he is doing, why he’s doing it, and how it relates to what the others are doing. When the team asks questions about why one thing is more important than another, there are clear and logical reasons for it. Even when things change and priorities are adjusted, it’s all within the same fundamental system of ordered lists and priority designations.
Priorities are power
Have you ever been in a tough argument that you thought would never end? Perhaps half the engineers felt strongly for A, and the other half felt strongly for B. But then the smart team leader walks in, asks some questions, divides the discussion in a new way, and quickly gets everyone to agree. It’s happened to me many times. When I was younger, I chalked this up to brilliance: somehow that manager or lead programmer was just smarter than the rest of the people in the room, and saw things that we didn’t. But as I paid more attention, and on occasion even asked them afterward how they did it, I realized it was about having rock-solid priorities. They had an ordered list in their heads and were able to get other people to frame the discussion around it. Good priorities are power. They eliminate secondary variables from the discussion, making it possible to focus and resolve issues.
If you have priorities in place, you can always ask questions in any discussion that reframe the argument around a more useful primary consideration. This refreshes everyone’s sense of what success is, visibly dividing the universe into two piles: things that are important and things that are nice, but not important. Here are some sample questions:
What problem are we trying to solve?
If there are multiple problems, which one is most important?
How does this problem relate to or impact our goals?
What is the simplest way to fix this that will allow us to meet our goals?
If nothing else, you will reset the conversation to focus on the project goals, which everyone can agree with. If a debate has gone on for hours, finding common ground is your best opportunity to moving the discussion toward a positive conclusion.
Be a prioritization machine
Whenever I talked with programmers or testers and heard about their issues or challenges, I realized that my primary value was in helping them focus. My aim was to eliminate secondary or tertiary things from their plates and to help them see a clear order of work. There are 1,000 ways to implement a particular web page design or database system to spec, but only a handful of them will really nail the objectives. Knowing this, I encouraged programmers to seek me out if they ever faced a decision where they were not sure which investment of time to make next.
But instead of micromanaging them (“Do this. No do that. No, do it this way. Are you done yet? How about now?”), I just made them understand that I was there to help them prioritize when they needed it. Because they didn’t have the project-wide perspective I did, my value was in helping them to see, even if just for a moment, how what they were doing fit into the entire project. When they’d spent all day debugging a module or running unit tests, they were often relieved to get some higher-level clarity, reassurance, and confidence in what they were doing. It often took only a 30-second conversation to make sure we were all still on the same page.
Whenever new information came to the project, it was my job to interpret it (alone or through discussion with others), and form it into a prioritized list of things we had to care about and things we didn’t. Often, I’d have to revise a previous list, adjusting it to respond to the new information. A VP might change her mind. A usability study might find new issues. A competitor might make an unexpected change. Those prioritizations were living, breathing things, and any changes to our direction or goals were reflected directly and immediately in them.
Because I maintained the priorities, I enabled the team to stay focused on the important things and actually make progress on them. Sometimes, I could reuse priorities defined by my superiors (vision documents, group mission statements); other times, I had to invent my own from scratch in response to ambiguity or unforeseen situations. But more than anything else, I was a prioritization machine. If there is ever a statue made in honor of good project managers, I suspect the inscription would say “Bring me your randomized, your righteously confused, your sarcastic and bitter masses of programmers yearning for clarity.”
Things Happen When You Say No
One side effect of having priorities is how often you have to say no. It’s one of the smallest words in the English language, yet many people have trouble saying it. The problem is that if you can’t say no, you can’t have priorities. The universe is a large place, but your priority 1 list should be very small. Therefore, most of what people in the world (or on your team) might think are great ideas will end up not matching the goals of the project. It doesn’t mean their ideas are bad; it just means their ideas won’t contribute to this particular project. So, a fundamental law of the PM universe is this: if you can’t say no, you can’t manage a project.
Saying no starts at the top of an organization. The most senior people on a project will determine whether people can actually say no to requests. No matter what the priorities say, if the lead developer or manager continually says yes to things that don’t jive with the priorities, others will follow. Programmers will work on pet features. PMs will add (hidden) requirements. Even if these individual choices are good, because the team is no longer following the same rules, nor working toward the same priorities, conflicts will occur. Sometimes, it will be disagreements between programmers, but more often, the result will be disjointed final designs. Stability, performance, and usability will all suffer. Without the focus of priorities, it’s hard to get a team to coordinate on making the same thing. The best leaders and team managers know that they have to lead the way in saying no to things that are out of scope, setting the bar for the entire team.
When you do say no, and make it stick, the project gains momentum. Eliminating tasks from people’s plates gives them more energy and motivation to focus and work hard on what they need to do. The number of meetings and random discussions will drop and efficiency will climb. Momentum will build around saying no: others will start doing it in their own spheres of influence. In fact, I’ve asked team members to do this. I’d say, “If you ever feel you’re being asked to do something that doesn’t jive with our priorities, say no. Or tell them that I said no, and they need to talk to me. And don’t waste your time arguing with them if they complain—point them my way.” I didn’t want them wasting their time debating priorities with people because it was my expertise, not theirs. Even if they never faced these situations, I succeeded in expressing how serious the priorities were and how willing I was to work to defend them.
Master the many ways to say no
Sometimes, you will need to say no in direct response to a feature request. Other times, you’ll need to interject yourself into a conversation or meeting, identify the conflict with priorities you’ve overheard, and effectively say no to whatever was being discussed. To prepare yourself for this, you need to know all of the different flavors that the word no comes in:
No, this doesn’t fit our priorities. If it is early in the project, you should make the argument for why the current priorities are good, but hear people out on why other priorities might make more sense. They might have good ideas or need clarity on the goals. But do force the discussion to be relative to the project priorities, and not the abstract value of a feature or bug fix request. If it is late in the project, you can tell them they missed the boat. Even if the priorities suck, they’re not going to change on the basis of one feature idea. The later you are, the more severe the strategy failure needs to be to justify goal adjustments.
No, only if we have time. If you keep your priorities lean, there will always be many very good ideas that didn’t make the cut. Express this as a relative decision: the idea in question might be good, but not good enough relative to the other work and the project priorities. If the item is on the priority 2 list, convey that it’s possible it will be done, but that no one should bet the farm assuming it will happen.
No, only if you make happen. Sometimes, you can redirect a request back onto the person who made it. If your VP asks you to add support for a new feature, tell him you can do it only if he cuts one of his other current priority 1 requests. This shifts the point of contention away from you, and toward a tangible, though probably unattainable, situation. This can also be done for political or approval issues: “If you can convince Sally that this is a good idea, I’ll consider it.” However, this can backfire. (What if he does convince Sally? Or worse, realizes you’re sending him on a wild goose chase?)
No. Next release. Assuming you are working on a web site or software project that will have more updates, offer to reconsider the request for the next release. This should probably happen anyway for all priority 2 items. This is often called postponement or punting.
No. Never. Ever. Really. Some requests are so fundamentally out of line with the long-term goals that the hammer has to come down. Cut the cord now and save yourself the time of answering the same request again later. Sometimes it’s worth the effort to explain why (so that they’ll be more informed next time). Example: “No, Fred. The web site search engine will never support the Esperanto language. Never. Ever.”
Keeping It Real
Some teams have a better sense of reality than others. You can find many stories of project teams that shipped their product months or years late, or came in millions of dollars over budget (see Robert Glass’ Software Runaways, Prentice Hall, 1997). Little by little, teams believe in tiny lies or misrepresentations of the truth about what’s going on, and slide into dangerous and unproductive places. As a rule, the further a team gets from reality, the harder it is to make good things happen. Team leaders must play the role of keeping their team honest (in the sense that the team can lose touch with reality, not that they deliberately lie), reminding people when they are making up answers, ignoring problematic situations, or focusing on the wrong priorities.
I remember a meeting I was in years ago with a small product team. They were building something that they wanted my team to use, and the presentation focused on the new features and technologies their product would have. Sitting near the back of the room, I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the presentation. None of the tough issues was being addressed or even mentioned. Then I realized the real problem: by not addressing the important issues, they were wasting everyone’s time.
I looked around the room and realized part of the problem: I was the only lead from my organization in attendance. Normally, I’d have expected another PM or lead programmer to ask tough questions already. But with the faces in the room, I didn’t know if anyone else was comfortable making waves when necessary. A thousand questions came to mind, and I quickly raised my hand, unleashing a series of simple questions, one after another. “What is your schedule? When can you get working code to us? Who are your other customers, and how will you prioritize their requests against ours? Why is it in our interest to make ourselves dependent on you and your team?” Their jaws dropped. They were entirely unprepared.
It was clear they had not considered these questions before. Worse, they did not expect to have to answer them for potential clients. I politely explained that they were not ready for this meeting. I apologized if my expectations were not made clear when the meeting was arranged (I thought they were). I told them that without those answers, this meeting was a waste of everyone’s time, including theirs. I suggested we postpone the rest of the meeting until they had answers for these simple questions. They sheepishly agreed, and the meeting ended.
In PM parlance, what I did in this story was call bull*. This is in reference to the card game Bull*, where you win if you get rid of all the cards in your hand. In each turn of the game, a player states which cards he’s playing as he places them face down into a pile. He is not obligated to tell the truth. So, if at any time another player thinks the first player is lying, she can “call bull*” and force the first player to show his cards. If the accuser is right, the first player takes all of the cards in the pile (a major setback). However, if the accuser is wrong, she takes the pile.
Calling bull* makes things happen. If people expect you will ask them tough questions, and not hesitate to push them hard until you get answers, they will prepare for them before they meet with you. They will not waste your or your team’s time. Remember that all kinds of deception, including self-deception, work against projects. The sooner the truth comes to light, the sooner you can do something about it. Because most people avoid conflict and prefer to pretend things are OK (even when there is evidence they are not), someone has to push to get the truth out. The more you can keep the truth out in the open, the more your team can stay low to the ground, moving at high speed.
The challenge with questioning others is that it can run against the culture of an individual or organization. Some cultures see questioning as an insult or a lack of trust. They may see attempts to keep things honest as personal attacks, instead of as genuine inquiries into the truth. You may need to approach these situations more formally than I did in the story. Make a list of questions you expect people to answer, and provide it to them before meetings. Or, create a list of questions that anyone in the organization is free to ask anyone at any time (including VPs and PMs), and post it on the wall in a conference room. If you make it public knowledge from day one that bull* will be called at any time, you can make it part of the culture without insulting anyone. However, leaders still have the burden of actually calling bull* from time to time, demonstrating for the team that cutting quickly to the truth can be done.
Know the Critical Path
In project management terminology, the critical path is the shortest sequence of work that can complete the project. In critical path analysis, a diagram or flowchart is made of all work items, showing which items are dependent on which others. If done properly, this diagram shows where the bottlenecks will be. For example, if features A, B, and C can’t be completed until D is done, then D is on the critical path for that part of the project. This is important because if D is delayed or done poorly, it will seriously impact the completion of work items A, B, and C. It’s important then for a project manager to be able to plan and prioritize the critical path. Sometimes, a relatively unimportant component on its own can be the critical dependency that prevents true priority 1 work from being completed. Without doing critical path analysis, you might never recognize this until it is too late.
From a higher-level perspective, there is a critical path to all situations. They don’t need to be diagrammed or measured to the same level of detail, but the thought processes in assessing many PM situations are similar: look at the problem as a series of links, and see where the bottlenecks or critical points are. Which decisions or actions are dependent on which other decisions or actions? Then consider if enough attention is being paid to them, or if the real issue isn’t the one currently being discussed. You dramatically accelerate a team by putting its attention directly on the elements, factors, and decisions that are central to progress.
Always have a sense for the critical path of:
The project’s engineering work (as described briefly earlier)
The project’s high-level decision-making process (who is slowing the team down?)
The team’s processes for building code or triaging bugs (are there needless forms, meetings, or approvals?)
The production process of propping content to the Web or intranet
Any meeting, situation, or process that impacts project goals
Making things happen effectively requires a strong sense of critical paths. Anytime you walk into a room, read an email, or get involved in a decision, you must think through what the critical paths are. Is this really the core issue? Will this discussion or line of thinking resolve it? Focus your energy (or the room’s energy) on addressing those considerations first and evaluating what needs to be done to ensure those critical paths are made shorter, or resourced sufficiently, to prevent delays. If you can nail the critical path, less-critical issues will more easily fall into place.
For some organizations, the fastest way to improve the (non-engineering) critical path is to distribute authority across the team. Instead of requiring consensus, let individuals make decisions and use their own judgment as to when consensus is needed. Do the same thing for approvals, documentation, forms, or other possible bureaucratic overhead (see Chapter 10). Often the best way of improving critical paths in organizations is to remove processes and shift authority down and across a team, instead of creating new processes or hierarchies.
Be Relentless
“The world responds to action, and not much else.”
—Scott Adams
Many smart people can recognize when there is a problem, but few are willing to expend the energy necessary to find a solution, and then summon the courage to do it. There are always easier ways: give up, accept a partial solution, procrastinate until it goes away (fingers crossed), or blame others. The harder way is to take the problem head-on and resist giving in to conclusions that don’t allow for satisfaction of the goals. Successful project managers simply do not give up easily. If something is important to the project, they will act aggressively—using any means necessary—to find an answer or solve the problem. This might mean reorganizing a dysfunctional team, getting a difficult room of people to agree on goals, finding answers to questions, or settling disagreements between people.
Sometimes, this means asking people to do things they don’t like doing, or raising questions they don’t want to answer. Without someone forcing those things to happen, the easier way out will tend to be chosen for you. Many projects consist of people with specialized roles who are unlikely to take responsibility for things that are beyond their limited scope (or that fall between the cracks of their role and someone else’s). Perhaps more problematic is that most of us avoid conflict. It’s often the PM who has to question people, challenge assumptions, and seek the truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it might make others (although the goal is to do this in a way that makes them as comfortable as possible). PMs have to be willing to do these things when necessary.
Many times situations that initially seem untenable or intractable crumble underneath the psychological effort of a tenacious project manager. A classic story about this attitude is the Apollo 13 mission. In his book Failure Is Not an Option (Berkeley Publishing, 2001), Gene Kranz describes the effort that went into fixing the life-support system on the damaged spacecraft. It was one of the hardest engineering challenges the team faced, and there were grave doubts among those with the most expertise that even a partial solution was possible. Kranz took the position that not only would they find a way, they would do so in the limited time allotted. He refused to accept any easy way out, and he pushed his team to explore alternatives, resolving their disputes and focusing their energy. All three versions of the story, the film Apollo 13, Kranz’s book, and Lost Moon (Pocket, 1995) by Jim Lovell (the mission captain) and Jeffrey Kluger, provide fascinating accounts of one of the greatest project management and problem-solving stories in history.
Effective PMs simply consider more alternatives before giving up than other people do. They question the assumptions that were left unchallenged by others, because they came from either a VP people were afraid of or a source of superior expertise that no one felt the need to challenge. The question “How do you know what you know?” is the simplest way to clarify what is assumed and what is real, yet many people are afraid, or forget, to ask it. Being relentless means believing that 99% of the time there is a solution to the problem (including, in some cases, changing the definition of the problem), and that if it can’t be found with the information at hand, then deeper and more probing questions need to be asked, no matter who has to be challenged. The success of the project has to come first.
In my years in the Windows division at Microsoft, I worked for Hillel Cooperman, perhaps the most passionate and dedicated manager I’ve ever had. I remember once coming into his office with a dilemma. My team was stuck on a complicated problem involving both engineering and political issues. We needed another organization to do important work for us, which they were unwilling to do. I had brainstormed with everyone involved, I had solicited opinions from other senior people, but I was still stuck. There didn’t seem to be a reasonable solution, yet this was something critical to the project, and I knew giving in would be unacceptable. After explaining my situation, the conversation went something like this: “What haven’t you tried yet?” I made the mistake of answering, “I’ve tried everything.” He just laughed at me. “Everything? How could you possibly have tried everything? If you’ve tried everything, you’d have found a choice you feel comfortable with, which apparently you haven’t yet.” We found this funny because we both knew exactly where the conversation was going.
He then asked if I wanted some suggestions. Of course I said yes. We riffed for a few minutes, back and forth, and came up with a new list of things to consider. “Who haven’t you called on the phone? Email isn’t good for this kind of thing. And of all the people on the other side—those who disagree with you—who is most receptive to you? How hard have you sold them on what you want? Should I get involved and work from above you? Would that help? What about our VP? How hard have you pushed engineering to find a workaround? A little? A lot? As hard as possible? Did you offer to buy them drinks? Dinner? Did you talk to them one-on-one, or in a group? Keep going, keep going, keep going. You will find a way. I trust you, and I know you will solve this. Keep going.”
He did two things for me: he reminded me that not only did I have alternatives, but also that it was still my authority to make the decision. As tired as I was, I left his office convinced there were more paths to explore and that it was my job to do so. My ownership of the issue, which he’d reconfirmed, helped motivate me to be relentless. The solution was lurking inside one of them, and I just had to find it. Like the dozens of other issues I was managing at the same time, I eventually found a solution (there was an engineering workaround), but only because I hunted for it: it was not going to come and find me.
Among other lessons, I learned from Hillel that diligence wins battles. If you make it clear that you are dead serious and will fight to the end about a particular issue, you force more possibilities to arise. People will question their assumptions if you hold on to yours long enough. You push people to consider things they haven’t considered, and often that’s where the answer lies. Even in disagreements or negotiations, if you know you’re right, and keep pushing hard, people will often give in. Sometimes, they’ll give in just to get you to leave them alone. Being pushy, provided you’re not offensive, can be an effective technique all on its own.
Being relentless is fundamental to making things happen. There are so many different ways for projects to slide into failure that unless there is at least one emotional force behind the project—pushing it forward, seeking out alternatives, believing there is always a way out of every problem and trap—the project is unlikely to succeed. Good PMs are that force. They are compelled to keep moving forward, always on the lookout for something that can be improved in a faster or smarter way. They seek out chaos and convert it into clarity. As skeptical as project managers need to be, they are simultaneously optimistic that all problems can be solved if enough intensity and focus are applied. For reasons they themselves cannot fully explain, PMs continually hold a torch up against ambiguity and doubt, and refuse to quit until every possible alternative has been explored. They believe that good thinking wins, and that it takes work to find good thoughts.
Be Savvy
But being relentless doesn’t mean you have to knock on every door, chase people down the hallway, or stay at work until you pass out at your desk. Sheer quantity of effort can be noble and good, but always look for ways to work smart rather than just hard. Be relentless in spirit, but clever and savvy in action. Just because you refuse to give up doesn’t mean you have to suffer through mindless, stupid, or frustrating activities (although sometimes they’re unavoidable). Look for smart ways around a problem or faster ways to resolve them. Make effective use of the people around you instead of assuming you have to do everything yourself. But most importantly, be perceptive of what’s going on around you, with individuals and with teams.
A fundamental mistake many PMs make is to forget to assess who they are working with and adjust their approach accordingly. Navy Seals and Army rangers are trained to carry out missions on many different kinds of terrain: deserts, swamps, jungles, tundra. Without this training, their effectiveness would be limited: they’d struggle to survive on unfamiliar terrain because their skills wouldn’t work (imagine a solider in green and olive camouflage, trying to hide on a snow-covered field). The first lesson they learn is how to evaluate their environment and consider what tactics and strategies from their skill set will work for where they are. The same is true for PMs. Instead of geographic environments, PMs must pay attention to the different social, political, and organizational environments they are in, and use the right approaches for where they are.
Being savvy and environment-aware is most important in the following situations:
Motivating and inspiring people
Organizing teams and planning for action
Settling arguments or breaking deadlocks
Negotiating with other organizations or cultures
Making arguments for resources
Persuading anyone of anything
Managing reports (personnel)
Here’s the savvy PM’s rough guide to evaluating an environment. These questions apply to an individual you might be working with or to the larger team or group:
What communication styles are being used? Direct or indirect? Are people openly communicative, or are they reserved? Are there commonly accepted ways to make certain kinds of points? Are people generally effective in using email? Meetings? Are decisions made openly or behind closed doors? Match your approaches to the ones that will be effective with whomever you’re talking to.
How broad or narrow is the group’s sense of humor? What topics are forbidden to laugh at or question? How are delicate/difficult/contentious subjects or decisions handled by others?
Are arguments won based on data? Logical argument through debate? Adherence to the project goals? Who yells the loudest? Who has the brownest nose? Consider making arguments that use the style, format, or tone most palatable to your audience, whether it’s a lone tester down the hall or a room full of executives.
Who is effective at doing , and what can I emulate or learn from them? Pay attention to what works. Who are the stars? Who gets the most respect? How are they thriving? Who is failing here? Why are they failing?
In terms of actual behavior, what values are most important to this person or group? Intelligence? Courage? Speed? Clarity? Patience? Obedience? What behaviors are least valued or are deplored? Programmers and managers might have very different values. Know what the other guy values before you try to convince him of something.
What is the organizational culture? Every university, corporation, or team has a different set of values built into the culture. If you don’t think your organization has one, you’ve been there too long and can’t see it anymore (or maybe you never saw it at all). Some organizations value loyalty and respect above intelligence and individuality. Others focus on work ethic and commitment.
Depending on the answers to these questions, a PM should make adjustments to how she does her work. Every time you enter another person’s office, or another meeting, there should always be some adjustments made. Like a Marine, assess the environment and then judge the best route to get to the project goals. Avoid taking the hard road if there is a smarter way to get where you need to go.
Guerilla tactics
Being savvy means you are looking for, and willing to take, the smarter route. The following list contains tactics that I’ve used successfully or have been successfully used on me. While your mileage may vary with them, I’m sure this list will get you thinking of other savvy ways to accomplish what needs to be done to meet your goals. Some of these have risks, which I’ll note, and must be applied carefully. Even if you choose never to use these yourself, by being aware of them, you will be savvier about what’s going on around you.
Go to the source. Don’t dillydally with people’s secondhand interpretations of what someone said, and don’t depend on written reports or emails for complex information. Find the actual person and talk to him directly. You can’t get new questions answered by reading reports or emails, and often people will tell you important things that were inappropriate for written communication. Going to the source is always more reliable and valuable than the alternatives, and it’s worth the effort required. For example, if two programmers are arguing about what a third programmer said, get that third programmer in the room or on the phone. Always cut to the chase and push others to do the same.
Switch communication modes. If communication isn’t working, switch the mode. Instead of email, call them on the phone. Instead of a phone call, drop by their office. Everyone is more comfortable in some mediums than others. (Generally, face to face, in front of a whiteboard, trumps everything. Get people in a room with a whiteboard if the email thread on some issue gets out of control.) Don’t let the limitations of a particular technology stop you. Sometimes, switching modes gets you a different response, even if your request is the same, because people are more receptive to one mode over another. For anything consequential, it’s worth the money and time to get on a plane, or drive to their office, if it improves the communication dynamic between you and an important co-worker.
Get people alone. When you talk to someone privately, her disposition toward you is different than when you talk to her in a large group. In a meeting, important people have to craft what they say to be appropriate for all of the ears in the room. Sometimes, you’ll hear radically different things depending on who is in earshot. If you want a frank and honest opinion, or an in-depth intense conversation, you need to get people alone. Also, consider people of influence: if Jim trusts Beth’s opinion, and you want to convince Jim, if you can convince Beth first, bring her along. Don’t ambush anyone, but don’t shy away from lining things up to make progress happen.
Hunt people down. If something is urgent and you are not getting the response time you need, carve out time on your schedule to stake out the person’s office or cubicle. I’ve done this many times. If he wasn’t answering my phone calls or emails, he’d soon come back from a meeting and find me sitting by his door. He’d usually be caught so off guard that I’d have a negotiating advantage. Don’t be afraid to go after people if you need something from them. Find them in the coffee room. Look for them in the cafe at lunchtime. Ask their secretary what meetings they are in and wait outside. Be polite, but hunt and get what you need. (However, please do not cross over into their personal lives. If you hunt information well, you shouldn’t ever even need to cross this particular line.)
Hide. If you are behind on work and need blocks of time to get caught up, become invisible. On occasion, I’ve staked out a conference room (in a neighboring building) and told only the people who really might need me where I was. I caught up on email, specs, employee evaluations, or anything important that wasn’t getting done, without being interrupted. For smaller orgs, working from home or a coffee shop can have the same effect (wireless makes this easy these days). I always encouraged my reports to do this whenever they felt it necessary. Uninterrupted time can be hard for PMs to find, so if you can’t find it, you have to make it.
Get advice. Don’t fly solo without a map unless you have to. In a given situation, consider who involved thinks most highly of you, or who may have useful advice for how you can get what you need. Make use of any expertise or experience you have access to through others. Pull them aside and ask them for it. This can be about a person, a decision, a plan, anything. “Hey Bob, I’d like your advice on this budget. Do you have a few minutes?” Or, “Jane, I’m trying to work with Sam on this issue. Any advice on the best way to convince him to cut this feature?” For many people, simply asking their advice will score you credibility points: it’s an act of respect to ask for someone’s opinion.
Call in favors, beg, and bribe. Make use of the credibility or generosity you’ve developed a reputation for. If you need an engineer to do extra work for you, either because you missed something or a late requirement came in, ask her to do you a favor. Go outside the boundaries of the strict working relationship, and ask. Offer to buy her dinner ($20 is often well worth whatever the favor is), or tell her that you owe her one (and do hold yourself to this). The worst thing that can happen is that she’ll say no. The more favors you’ve done for others, the more chips you’ll have to bank on. Also, consider working three-way trades (e.g., in the game Settlers of Cattan) if you know of something she wants that you can get from someone else. It’s not unethical to offer people things that will convince them to help with work that needs to be done.
Play people off each other. This doesn’t have to be evil—if you’re very careful. If Sam gives you a work estimate of 10 days, which you think is bogus, go and ask Bob. If Bob says something less than 10 days, go back to Sam, with Bob. A conversation will immediately ensue about what the work estimate really should be. If you do this once, no engineer will ever give you bogus estimates again (you’ve called bull*). However, depending on Sam’s personality, this may cost you relationship points with him, so do it as tactfully as possible, and only when necessary. Good lead programmers should be calling estimate bluffs on their own, but if they don’t, it’s up to you.
Buy people coffee and tasty things. This sounds stupid, but I’ve found that people I’ve argued with for days on end are somehow more receptive over a nice cup of coffee at a local coffee shop. Change the dynamic of the relationship: no matter how much you like or don’t like the person, make the invitation and invest the 20 seconds of effort it requires. Even if he says “No, why can’t we talk here?” you’ve lost nothing. Moving the conversation to a different location, perhaps one less formal, can help him open up to alternatives he wouldn’t consider before. Think biologically: humans are in better moods after they’ve eaten a fine meal or when they are in more pleasant surroundings. I’ve seen PMs who keep doughnuts or cookies (as well as rum and scotch) in their office. Is that an act of goodwill? Yes … but there are psychological benefits to making sure the people you are working with are well fed and associate you with good things.
12 Most Marvelous Assets You Can Offer Your Company
businesses try and keep up, people discuss all these “issues” in management but in reality it’s all noise.
All we are talking about here are people. People with skill sets, mindsets and varied attributes and abilities — every generation shares them. At the core, despite these generational “categories,” there are some attributes which are “gen”-less. Companies need to identify the specific skills they need to succeed and make judgments based on that, people need to highlight their own skills instead of focusing on their age groups and “Gen Traits”. Regardless of your age, your experience, your status, there are attributes that equal success.
If you show these qualities, you will break the mold. You will stop facing, what I’ve named, “Genrification,” discrimination based on generational grouping and start being valued as yourself. The more of these that you develop, work on or have, the more successful you will be.
Break the mold: here are the 12 Most Marvelous Assets You Can Offer Your Company regardless of age:
1. Be adaptable and manage change
Change is one of the most difficult things for anyone to deal with. When you respond well to change, keep an open mind and embrace the possibilities, you empower yourself with a quality of great value. In contrast, many people resist change, create conflict and struggle. This doesn’t help an organization move forward. We are living in a time of change, one where the ability to adapt, learn new ways and work with your organization in the direction it is going is key. If you’re committed to this, you’re ahead of the game!
2. Recognize that you are always learning
It does not matter what profession you are in, how many degrees you have or how long you have done something for. There is always something new to learn. You would be surprised (or perhaps not) at how many people think they “know” everything — or are afraid they will look bad if they come across something they don’t know. If you look at life through these eyes, you commit yourself to being stunted. Recognize that you have no way of knowing what others know, that you cannot possibly have learned everything. People who take this approach position themselves to be “always evolving.” People who evolve and who learn willingly are fantastic to work with and can view the world as a fresh and interesting place. Note: saying you “like to learn” is not the same as recognizing you are always learning. Be the person who is always open to possibility, approaching life knowing there is always something to learn.
3. Never say “I know”
Oftentimes, when people ask for help they get an answer and respond with “I know.” It is far more admirable and appreciated to hear someone say, “Oh, cool — I thought it might be something like that” or “Thank you, I was missing that piece to the puzzle” than to hear the words “I know.” If you knew, then it’s likely someone wouldn’t have been explaining it to you. It is okay not to know everything (see point #2). People who ask questions and find positive ways of acknowledging that they just learned something are rare. Admit when you don’t know and ask for help. If you can master this, you will always be well-received in a team, and your general demeanor changes from one of defense to one of collaboration. Collaboration is essential. Companies need team players.
4. Be resourceful and investigative
My last two points covered the benefit of knowing you are always learning and responding to feedback or instruction. Those highlight what qualities are appreciated when you ask for help or receive guidance. Being resourceful and investigative in your approach to work and trying to find answers for yourself before you take up another person’s time is also important. We all have tools , references, experiences we can pull from to try and find answers. Resourceful people make it their business to learn what their resources are, and tend to be far more efficient because of it. They do not try to skip steps by asking others things they could have easily done themselves. Before they waste others time, they do everything they can to find a solution.
If you are resourceful and investigate things before you draw conclusions people will stand up and take notice. Beyond that, being resourceful and investigative will allow you to uncover more possibilities, offer solutions and leads to innovation — another extremely powerful asset driving growth. Think for yourself. Put a resourceful person on a desert island, they will find a way to survive. Put five people who are not resourceful on the same island, they might die asking each other what to do.
5. Be motivated and determined — give it your all
No matter where you are in life, no matter what you do, be committed to give it your all. Too many people waste company time and money doing a job at half steam. Some people think a position is just a stepping stone, so they focus on where they are going instead of what they need to do now. This is a huge mistake. Those who are motivated and determined to do their very best take pride in their work and it is evident — they bring it full force, surpassing expectations, setting goals, they “find a way.” People with dedication bring profit. Companies today suffer from the problem of disengaged employees, anyone who is willing to give it their all is treasured.
6. Value others time, treat everyone with the same importance
People who respect others, who can see the value in every human being around them are not only the most pleasant to work with but are the ones who are likely to drive success based on their ability to collaborate, encourage, motivate and make people feel good. Too many people walk around thinking the whole world revolves around them. People who respect other’s are like a breath of fresh air in a polluted world. This quality benefits everyone in meetings, in the day to day workings of any position, and with clients. Be prepared, bring your game, respect others — this means a lot.
7. Keep the big picture in mind, do not lose focus
Before you react to anything nurture the process in yourself to ask what the big picture looks like. A process that doesn’t make sense to you might have factors contributing to it that are beyond your current line of vision. People who do this when they see conflict, when they hear about change, or when they have an objection can come through things positively, act based on objectives and accomplish goals. Try and put yourself in another’s shoes, see things from different points of view. When things happen to people who are able to step back and see the big picture, it allows them to always move in the right direction and not get hung up on the little things. This also allows people to identify areas of improvement, or new opportunities. If you have this ability you will always accomplish the goals you are working towards. It’s a tremendous asset.
8. Be a strong communicator
Communicating means listening too. Take the time to listen, observe body language and truly be present in your communications. When something bothers you, when you see something that you question — do exactly that, ask questions, listen, explore possibilities by interacting with the people around you. If you have something on your mind, communicate it clearly, don’t make people read between lines. If there is a problem, speak up. If you have an idea, share it. Someone who truly communicates well is precious. The ability to truly communicate is easily one of the greatest assets for any position.
9. Be the smile
It is not easy staying positive. We face constant challenges in our daily environments: change, difficult clients, technical difficulties, underlying personal issues, general frustrations. We choose how we respond. It is very easy to jump on a bandwagon of frustration or complaint. When this happens, what we really need is some light in our day. Being that light, whether it be with a smile, by working on solutions, or having a positive word to turn things around is arguably one of the biggest gifts you can give. People who can respond positively keep things moving forward. Be the ray of light, it takes work, but it is well worth it.
10. Be reliable
Reliability is essential for anyone who is part of a team, who has a job to do. Showing up, doing what you said you would do, being present consistently — both physically and mentally makes a difference. We have all worked somewhere where we have experienced people who are consistently absent, or who say they will do something and don’t. Being accountable for yourself, taking pride in being reliable is an asset that is recognized and appreciated by employers, team members and clients. Being reliable does not mean being superhuman — everyone gets sick, everyone gets too busy to finish something on schedule. It happens. Being reliable is about self management, about keeping people up to date on your current status, about recognizing that people are relying on you and being there.
11. Be appropriate and professional
Corporations lean more and more towards providing liberal environments that foster growth and development in their employees — at least this is what we hope for. As human beings, we “make” our corporations, we are the workings that create what is within the culture. Those who recognize how to behave, how to treat others with respect, how to live within a culture nurture positive environments, encourage stability and foster the ability for growth. We are each responsible for our part in a company’s success. Alexandra Levit wrote a book called “They Don’t Teach Corporate in College.” The book is geared at 20 something’s and it’s a fantastic resource for all ages.
“Unprofessional behavior” is not limited to people “just leaving college”, it’s seen at all ages, at all levels of success and in all fields. No matter how good your work is, no matter how brilliant you are, professionalism is necessary in all work environments. It’s not measured by a degree or list of accomplishments. It’s the ability to navigate waters without ever stepping on others toes, being diplomatic, being level headed and keeping that smile even when debating a difficult issue. It’s also about keeping “personal” and “emotional” out of the equation; Knowing your place and respecting the role you have, as well as the roles others have to play. If you do not conduct yourself in a professional manner, it makes working with you very difficult. There’s always a professional way to handle something. People who master this are well respected, will advance in their careers and are strong assets to their companies and peers.
12. Know yourself
You should be able to identify for yourself all of your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses. Many people feel they have a great deal of self knowledge — yet real self knowledge is one of the hardest things to truly have. It is difficult because it involves examining what is wrong with you, nobody wants to look at that. This knowledge is valuable, hard to come by and should be sought after and appreciated — not dreaded. It’s okay not to be perfect, “nobody is perfect.”
Bite the bullet, ask people around you to share with you where they think you can improve. Don’t be defensive, listen and understand it. If you do not understand or see these qualities, start paying attention, seek this information from multiple sources. Ask the question, “How could I be a bigger asset, what can I do to improve?” A good manager should be a guide in sharing both your strengths and challenges with you. Feedback from others is the greatest gift we can receive, be it negative or positive — it is all important. It allows you to work better in teams, understand what support you need, understand where you can excel. In knowing yourself, you become a better more balanced person.
People who have true self knowledge are the strongest assets to a company because they will position themselves to do their best work, and work through tough spots with a positive approach, constantly developing, growing and providing value for their organization and those around them. The 12 most marvelous assets you can offer your company do not come with age, they come with approach, focus and character. No matter where you are in life or what you are doing if you have these you will be at an advantage.
Putting people in “boxes” and making judgments on age, generational groups or experience alone will only foster a rigid organization that will struggle as the world changes around them. Companies that will succeed today will be the ones that recognize the top qualities individuals can bring and not fall into the trap of stereotyping and discrimination. They will be the ones that will offer people the opportunity to evolve and grow with the company. They will see these core qualities as assets. The individuals and leaders who provide the above will break the mold and flourish.
Let’s start thinking and acting above all the “noise” and focus on the true value and strengths of talent in the workplace today.
Have you faced challenges because of being placed in a Generational “box”?
Have you been sidetracked by a person’s generational stereotype when going through the hiring process?
At the end of the day, isn’t it a group of skills, abilities or qualities like the ones above that truly make you/your star employees shine, or is it really age?
What skills would you add to this list? What qualities do you value?
HOW TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES AS AN ENTERPRENEUR
The day you make up your mind to start a business, that’s the day your name will be written in the ‘’book of world changers’’. Being an entrepreneur isn’t as easy as some people think. If it was, we would have a high number of job opportunities.
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner reading this content, congratulations! You’re indeed a blessing to the world.
Without mincing words, here are 9 ways to overcome obstacles and limitations as an entrepreneur.
1. Move with Positive Thinkers
If you’re surrounded with positive minded people, you’ll focus more on achieving your dreams even when the going seems tough. If you move with negative minded people, your mind would be corrupted, and soon enough you’ll lose zeal and focus.
Ignore naysayers and build a network of positive minded people. Don’t make ‘’anyhow’’ friends, build relationships with people that share the same goal and vision.
2. Go Back to Your Roots
It’s easy to lose focus and start doubting your mission as an entrepreneur. Anytime you feel like you’re discouraged, don’t give in. Go back to your roots and re-think (or re-analyze) on why you started the business at the first place.
Write down your goals and put them on the wall (a visible area), and meditate on it.
Soon enough, you’d be energized and more determined to face any obstacle.
3. Don’t Give Up, Keep Trying
Do you think we would have been able to have all the nice and beautiful things we have today if people like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs had given up their businesses?
Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page started from a University dormitory but today, they control the biggest firms in the world. I know it’s not easy to be an entrepreneur but, you must understand that it is not where you are that matters, but where you’re going.
Keep trying even when the going seems tough. Never give up! Pro tip: Be persistent. Keep trying and with time, you’d experience that breakthrough you’ve always wanted.
4. Change Your Thoughts–Meditate on the Right Things
Thoughts are pictures or images of the mind with constructive or destructive meaning. They are machines of the mind that can either grow or destroy your business. Your thoughts determine whether you’re go far in business or not.
If you desire to become a world-celebrated entrepreneur, change your thoughts!
Re-frame your thoughts by moving with positive thinkers, reading inspirational and motivational books, listening to inspirational messages, and meditating on the right materials. Pro tip: Change your thoughts and become a successful entrepreneur.
5. Change your Perception Towards Challenges
Challenges are your best business partners so, don’t see challenges as a personal affront; see it as a stepping stone to your promotion.
6. Don’t Overwork Yourself–Outsource
As an entrepreneur, you like doing everything 24/7. Not only are you doing what you love, you’re also working on projects you’re not good at. If you’re someone like this, my advice to you today is to outsource the areas you’re weak at to save eons of time. Pro tip: This may sound stupid or absurd but it’s the truth, you’ll be more productive if you outsource your weaknesses (the things you’re not good at).
7. Make Tenacity your Friend
‘’Where there’s a will, there’s a way”…
My top tip for overcoming limitations as an entrepreneur is to believe in YOU. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will! Believe that there’s nothing you can’t achieve.
Stand up tall and say, ”I believe in the possibility of a bright future”.
8. Think BIG!
The universe does not support small dreams. Make your dream big so that the universe would be part of it.
9. Work Smarter, Not Harder
If you think that working hard is the secret to becoming a successful entrepreneur, you’re wrong. If it was, why are Carpenters and Bricklayers not the richest people in the world today? Pro tip: stop working hard–work smart!
Do one thing at a time and measure your results consecutively!
These recommendations do not guarantee a successful research application! They are intended to help you conceptualize and prepare a research proposal, giving the process structure and a timetable for you to develop. Good luck!
When applying for a research grant or a study scholarship, you are expected to hand in a "detailed and precise description of study or research proposal as well as information on any previous study or research projects of particular relevance to a decision of award."
The purpose of the proposal is to ensure that
the candidates have done sufficient preliminary reading/research in the area of their interest
that they have thought about the issues involved and are able to provide more than a broad description of the topic which they are planning to research.
The proposal is not a fixed blueprint. One cannot predict one's findings beforehand or mechanically stick to an argument since the research will inevitably alter or even unseat one's initial expectations. There is no fixed formula for writing a proposal.
However, your challenge is to convince members of the scientific community that you
have identified a scientific problem
have a theoretical background and a methodical approach to solve the problem
within a realistic time frame and at reasonable expenses.
With your research you will add a new aspect to the scientific discourse.
First, consult your advisor on length, layout (typeface, line spacing, font, etc.), format, as well as a table of contents and page numbers. Members of the selection committee may have to read a large number of research proposals so good construction and legibility of your proposal is to your advantage. Title Page:
Personal data (name, academic title, your position at your own university, date of birth, nationality, your contact information, institutional contact.
(Working) Title of your planned dissertation or research report. words in the title should be chosen with great care, and their association with one another must be carefully considered. While the title should be brief, it should be accurate, descriptive and comprehensive, clearly indicating the subject of the investigation.
In order to develop a clear title, you must also be clear about the focus of your research! Strive for the title to be ten words or 60 characters: focus on or incorporate keywords that reference the classification of the research subject
Indicate a realistic time frame toward project completion, followed by the name(s) of your supervisor(s), the university department where you hope to do your research and, if applicable, information about other academics with whom you plan to collaborate.
Refer to successfully funded projects to determine whether your topic fits with the granting organization's mission and to mimic their title/proposal structure
Abstract/summary statement of the research project: This one page summary focuses on the research topic, its new, current and relevant aspects. Strive for clarity; your greatest challenge might be narrowing the topic Review of research literature A short and precise overview about the current state of research that is immediately connected with your research project.
Reference the most important contributions of other scientists.
Discuss the theoretical scope or the framework of ideas that will be used to back the research.
Demonstrate that you are fully conversant with the ideas you are dealing with and that you grasp their methodological implications.
Indicate the open problem which then will be the motive for your project. State clearly how your research will contribute to the existing research.
Your history/preparation Summarize the most important impact of your own work on the topic (if applicable). Attach copies of your own publications that might be seen in relation to your research project. Objective of the research project Give a concise and clear outline of the academic (possibly also non-academic, e.g. social and political) objectives that you want to achieve through your project. Your proposal needs to show why the intended research is important and justifies the search effort. Here you outline the significance (theoretical or practical) or relevance of the topic. Such justification may either be of an empirical nature (you hope to add to, or extend an existing body of knowledge) or of a theoretical nature (you hope to elucidate contentious areas in a body of knowledge or to provide new conceptual insights into such knowledge). All research is part of a larger scholarly enterprise and candidates should be able to argue for the value and positioning of their work. Outline the project This is the central part of your research outline.
Detail your research procedure within the given time.
List sources and quality of evidence you will consult, the analytical technique you will employ, and the timetable you will follow. Depending on the topic, suitable research strategies should be defined to ensure that enough and adequate empirical data will be gathered for a successful research project.
Describe the intended methods of data gathering, the controls you will introduce, the statistical methods to be used, the type of literature or documentary analysis to be followed, etc.
Consider your work to be a Work-in-Progress and allow yourself a flexible planning: Stay ready to revise the proposal according to new insights and newly aroused questions and keep on modifying the working hypothesis according to new insights while formulating the proposal and the working hypothesis. Once you have a useful working hypothesis, concentrate on pursuing the project within the limits of the topic. Timetable Develop a time table (if possible in table form), indicating the sequence of research phases and the time that you will probably need for each phase. Take into account that at this stage, it can only be estimated, but make clear that you have an idea about the time span that will be needed for each step. Selective research bibliographyList academic works mentioned in your research outline as well as other important works to which you will refer during your research Attachments: List other documents attached to your proposal. References, CV, etc. Editing: Once you have finished the conceptual work on your proposal, go through a careful editing stage Writing/presentation style:
Verify that the title, the abstract and the content of your proposal clearly correspond to each other!
Maintain a clear structure, an intuitive navigational style throughout the document with headings and summaries, enabling the reader to quickly reference where they are for future commenting; (Have a reader skim your document to verify)
Summarize significant issues and make no assumptions where possible.
Keep a reasonable, clear, declarative writing style (active verbs!) throughout the document;
Breakup the narrative with bulleted lists, visuals, etc. demonstrating a command of abstract concepts and relationships Use white space to highlight and emphasize important sections
Make sure your proposal does not contain any grammatical/spelling mistakes or typos; engage a proofreader;
Request an experienced academic to proofread your proposal in order to ensure the proposal conforms to institutional and international academic standards.
