On the Critical Path

Blog 111 – An Introvert Responds to the Last Post

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Ron Munroe

The last post in this blog started by poking some gentle fun at introverts, then shared some challenges of being an extravert, and finished by inviting others to respond with their thoughts. I’m obliging. As an introvert with a casual interest in personality typing, I thought I’d offer a mirror-image perspective of us introverts versus our friends, the extraverts.

We introverts do find that social situations drain our energy after a while, whereas extraverts tend to be enlivened by them.
We recharge through solitude whereas extraverts find being alone for an extended period unstimulating and/or boring.
We like to listen more than talk, whereas extraverts prefer to talk more.
We prefer to think through a subject on our own, form a point of view, and then talk about it with others. Extraverts prefer to think through it by first talking about it.
Whereas extraverts tend to take the lead in discussions, sharing their views early and often, introverts like to listen to others first, think for a while, then express an opinion later in the discussion.
It does not necessarily take a group interaction to drain an introvert. My idea of terror in the sky is sitting next to a chatty stranger on a long flight; I will arrive exhausted by just that one person.
I have to agree with the author’s most recent conclusion that introverts probably do not feel they are being rescued by being small-talked by extraverts.

Writing this post prompted me to google this subject as I had not explored it in several years. This helped me update my understanding of the introversion-extraversion phenomenon.

The concept of extraversion and introversion originated in the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung, and was popularized by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which includes introversion-extraversion as a dimension of its personality typing system. The Myers-Briggs view of extraversion and introversion is based on where people get their energy. Extraverts are motivated and energized by the external world and interactions with others. Introverts get their energy from within; they prefer to be alone or with a few people they know. It’s not that they dislike people; they just don’t derive their energy from them.

The Myers-Briggs extraversion-introversion scale is a continuum. Few people are pure introvert or extravert. When people answer the test questions to determine their type, they usually find that they have elements of both preferences.

The popular view of extraverts and introverts is usually based on different things. Some think extraverts like people and introverts don’t. Others say introverts are shy and extraverts outgoing. As I read on the intranet, this combines two dissimilar things; shyness has to do with discomfort in social interactions, whereas introversion involves gaining energy by alone time. Many introverts aren’t shy; they are at ease around people, but need time alone to recharge after expending energy in social situations. So, at least according to Carl Jung and Myers-Briggs, the main way introverts differ from extraverts is that we recharge through solitude whereas they gain energy through engaging others.

Well that was fun. I continue to find this subject interesting and thank the last blogger for reminding me.

Posted in Communication | Comments Off

How many introverts does it take to change a lightbulb?

Posted on June 2, 2016 by admin

Okay, Sandra. If you promise to read the entire blog, I am going to give you the answer up front so you don’t fear you’ll get to the bottom only to find out there is no answer.

Here you go . . . the answer is five.

Why five you ask?

Each of the five introverts takes a place in the room farthest from every other introvert, and the 5^th will end up in the middle of the room near enough to the lightbulb to change it.

Another possibility . . .

Just one, but three will show up with a new lightbulb because they wouldn’t talk to anyone else about their plans.

Or how about . . .

None. Having the lights on just makes more people come and visit.

I am not an introvert by any stretch of the imagination, but being an extrovert wouldn’t be my first choice. I don’t like being an extrovert, but it seems that I cannot help it because it is part of my wiring.

In my earliest memories (age four or so), I recall striking up conversations with complete strangers and I know why I did it. I thought that I was helping them. I interpreted their silence and neutral emotion as discomfort, and my mission was to make them feel okay, one introvert at a time. This practice carried over into adulthood and for years, I remained steadfast in my thinking that I was doing the introverts of the world a favor.

Recently, I searched the web to help me understand the characteristics of each personality type, hoping to modify my personality a bit. I came across many attempts at humor, not just introvert humor. See if you can figure out who this targets . . .

I prefer not to think before speaking. I like being just as surprised as everyone else by what comes out of my mouth.

OUCH! That hurt and only made me more compelled to find a balance between the two personality types.

Not undaunted, I continued my search, typed “25 extrovert”, and found many lists –

Lists about extroverts mentioned things such as word-vomit, people pleasers, shallow – you get the picture. Can an extrovert change? There are far more articles about how an introvert can become an extrovert. I would be very happy to find a blend of both personalities. If I were an introvert, I expect that I would be less likely to make a cringe-worthy social gaffe “open mouth, insert foot”.

Through this journey, memories have worked their way to the surface. When I was 12, I suffered two deeply traumatizing events that slapped the extrovert right out of me. I withdrew for approximately two years. I am not saying that I had become an introvert. I did not. But I certainly wasn’t myself; the extrovert inside me had gone dormant for a while.

So how did I revive my inner extrovert? The trigger was that I left New England and visited my father and sister in Florida. I had never been past New York state, so it was a surprise to see how friendly people were down south. I saw extroverts – they were everywhere!

When I returned home and started my freshman year in high school, I had an epiphany. I realized that many New Englanders surround themselves with walls. I felt I was responsible for my walls, not the person next to me. I believed (still do) that my life would be richer with human interaction, so I decided to make an effort to make eye contact and say hello. If my hello went unanswered, then I would move on and try not to take it personally.

Back then, I was what I would call an oblivious extrovert; in my opinion, the worst kind. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t appreciate my introverted friends and acquaintances until I was in my 50s. I thought they were just shy. I was fortunate enough to participate in webinars and trainings that opened my eyes and changed my thinking.

I believe it is never too late to change.

What I plan to embrace –

My ability to break the ice (used in moderation)

Five dos and don’ts for this enlightened extrovert –

Do be more sensitive – Not everyone wants the ice broken.
Don’t feel compelled to rescue the introverts of the world – Introverts don’t need me to make them feel better. My small talk is probably making me feel better, not them. It could even make them feel worse
Do be more observant – Research has shown that introverts exhibit increased brain activity when processing visual information, as compared to extroverts.
Do give others a chance to speak first – Sit back and really listen and process what is being said.
Don’t think out loud – It’s called brainstorming, not mouth storming!
And don’t forget to apply filters – Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it funny (use this one sparingly)?

I do sincerely apologize to all the introverts that I may have annoyed along the way. Being the extrovert that I am, I’d love to hear thoughts from introverts and extroverts so I can continue to learn and grow.

Posted in Communication | 1 Comment

Advice from third graders

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Michael Madden

Hello again everyone. It’s great to be back! As you might recall, I worked at Dana-Farber a few years ago, left for a couple of years, and started back in the IS PMO on the last day of February (a leap year this year). This week I am “up to bat” in writing for our PMO blog. To be honest, I’ve been struggling trying to think about what to write about. I’m never sure what topic might interest people. Will my blog post be captivating, entertaining, will anyone even care?

Yesterday, when I returned home and walked into our kitchen I saw a large poster with all kinds of color Post-its. It immediately drew my attention. You see, on Friday, May 6 at 5:21 p.m. our third child (and third daughter) Brigid was born. The poster that was in our kitchen had been made by all the children in our eldest daughter Charlotte’s 3^rd grade classroom. Their teacher, Mrs. Ahern, had asked all the kids to write a nice note welcoming our newest arrival. The following are some direct quotes written by these third-graders:

“I hope you stay safe” from Ava
“Have good relationship with your family” from Joey
“I hope you have a fun and exciting life” from Andrew
“Follow your own rules. Live your own life” from Charlotte (our eldest daughter)
“I wish for you not to get in a lot of trouble” from Robbie
“Get a good education” from Barrett
“I hope you have a healthy life” from Kate
“I hope you have lots of freedom and lots of choice in your life” from Gabriella
“I hope you stay happy all your life” from Annie
“I hope you make lots of friends and make the world a better place” from Brooke
“I hope you have lots of comfort” from Rebecca
“I hope you have lots of friends” from Mira
“I hope you do what interests you” from Clark
“I hope you have a long good life” from Jace
“I hope you follow your dreams” from Tyler

This made me stop and realize what opportunities and choices await a new life. It has also made me stop and think about how wonderful and adorable our next generation of children are. Reading these quotes has made me reflect on my own choices in life. I’m probably in what one might call the mid-stage of my life. What have I done with my life and have I been living a life as fulfilling as some of these quotes suggest?

Luckily, for the most part, I have lived the life that I have wanted and am happy with the choices I’ve made. That said, certain times have been difficult and I could have made better choices along the road. As I read these quotes from our younger generation, a few themes come to mind: happiness, freedom, family, education, safety, and friends.

I have read my fair share of inspirational books and articles from respected authors, but at least for now, none of them have had as much impact as this poster created by third graders and their “advice” to our newborn daughter and to all of us.

I look at this poster now every morning as I begin my day and try to remember at least one quote from it. As we go through our lives, it’s easy to get caught up in the motions – go to work, pay the bills, attend obligatory family events, care for our elders, eat, sleep, etc. and before we know it, our lives are well into our fall years.

My hope is to have a long, happy, and interesting life surrounded by friends and family. I’ll try to remember these quotes from our younger generation and incorporate them into my life when and where I can. As you reflect on your life, what has influenced you? Do you have a sticky I can add to this list?

Thank you and may you have a long, happy, and interesting life.

Posted in Learning, Motivation, Team, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance | 4 Comments

An Immigrant’s Story

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Vanessa Aller

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Chances are that either you are an immigrant or you know somebody who is one. Even if you’re not an immigrant yourself, you can still relate to this article because it’s about transitions. What are they? How do you manage them? I’d like to share my story about how I came to this country, and the challenges I faced in the process.

It was November of the year 2000 and I was excited to come to the United States from my native Venezuela. My mother’s mother had already been here for 30-plus years living in Andover, Mass., with her American husband, my step-grandfather Joseph. I was looking forward to the opportunity to enroll at UMass-Boston, to learning, working, and making a living here. I wanted to be able to walk safely without fear of getting mugged, in a place where a woman can wear whatever she wants without worrying that someone may want to rob you because your necklace is too pretty.

Although it is still a Third-World nation, I come from a country that was also a safe haven for immigrants at one time. Both of my paternal grandparents came to Venezuela from abroad before World War II. My paternal grandpa was from Asturias, Spain, and grandma came from Larache, Morocco. They made their home and continued to grow their family in Venezuela and it seemed to them like paradise back then. Only four percent of the population lived in poverty. The economy was great until 1983 when Viernes Negro (Black Friday) happened and the Venezuelan currency suffered such a severe devaluation that soon 26 percent of the population was living below the poverty line.

My Paternal Grandparents: Ramon and Maruja

Today, about half the population that is left in Venezuela (because so many people have left during the past two decades) lives below the poverty line. It’s a country run by a former bus driver with no political experience, and not much education. The current president never went to college and I’m not sure he even finished high school. He recently declared that government employees would only work two days a week. The social, economic, and political situation has continued in a long and messy, downward spiral.

At some point, I decided to look to the United States for new and better opportunities. I was ready to try to make the first major transition I had to face in my life.

Anatomy of Transitions
What is considered a major transition? Any significant change in life like a graduation, getting married, buying a house, having children, losing loved ones, moving to a new country, are good examples. The changes can be wanted or unwanted. It doesn’t matter. The adjustment is traumatic either way. Transitions start with an ending, go through a neutral zone and end with a new beginning. A version of what happened to me is explained in the book: Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges.

The initial excitement of being here was soon worn away by a number of things: by the headaches I would get when I had to switch from speaking in Spanish at home in Somerville, Mass. with my Venezuelan roommates, to speaking English at school for class and for work, by the long hours of school, followed by work, followed by tutoring, by no longer being able to spend my holidays with my siblings and parents, by missing the Venezuelan food I’ve always loved, and by no longer having perfect weather almost all year round. It started to hit me: I’m not on vacation. My life in Venezuela is over. I live here now.

My New Beginning
It wasn’t easy for me to be homesick, but thanks to the support of my parents and friends, I knew a light would be waiting at the end of the tunnel. So, I pushed through the neutral zone, I graduated from college and got a full-time job. I stopped tutoring so I had more time to do fun tourism in and around the amazing city of Boston. And I began to save money to be able to visit my family for the holidays. I also learned that it is better to have the right layers of wool in the winter rather than wearing six layers of cotton clothes. I also found ingredients at the supermarket to make Venezuelan food, and Latin American restaurants that made me feel like I was home, even just for a meal.

I have now been in the United States for a long time. I became a U.S. Citizen in August of 2007. I no longer feel Venezuelan because I can’t relate to the idiosyncrasies of that country anymore. Nor do I feel fully American yet. I am still getting used to idiomatic expressions in English, and odd things like why Americans abuse acronyms. As the musician Sting says in a song: “I’m an alien. I’m a legal alien.”

I have been through many other major transitions since I moved to the US: I got divorced and then found love again and remarried. I bought a house (talk about stress!). My husband started his own practice from home (he’s a therapist). And recently I began working at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Immigrating to this country helped me to become better equipped to understand the transitions that would come later in life, but I am still learning. It isn’t always easy. But, my friends and family will always be there to support me and that is what matters most. I wish you luck in your own future transitions. Just remember: A new beginning always waits just beyond the neutral zone.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Motivation | Tagged Change Management, Immigration, Transitions | 2 Comments

Fascinating Jobs – If You Know About Them

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Deb Cote

Every year, Parade publishes What People Earn. This annual report is presented simply as photos of individuals and underneath each: their location, name, age, title (and sometimes organization), and their annual salary. I find the issue intriguing for a number of reasons. First, who are these people who don’t mind publishing such a taboo subject as income? Second, it’s just plain interesting to see what different positions earn (a professional bull rider makes $1.5M?!). My most recent marvel with last week’s publication is the actual jobs. I didn’t know what a number of them were.

Professional line sitter – This job was one of the first that I scratched my head. I thought it had something to do with sports. Underneath, it explained this guy from New York will wait in line for you for anything from iPhones to theater tickets. How cool is that? (Cool for the clients, not him, in my opinion, since waiting is not fun for me, especially outside.)

Ice observer – Unfortunately this one didn’t give a written explanation, so I had to research it. “Vessels and offshore platforms operating in ice-covered waters require personnel skilled in observation, analysis, and management of ice.” Also not fun, for the reasons stated above. I read that the International Ice Patrol was formed after the loss of the Titanic. Since then, no vessel heeding their warnings has struck an iceberg, according to this particular ice observer. So not fun, but important. For those interested, you can go to training to also be an ice advisor or an ice navigator. The training is in Canada, of course.

SEO specialist – I had actually heard of this role before, but since only the acronym was referenced, I didn’t at first recall it. The profiled Search Engine Optimization specialist helps companies improve internet hits, visibility, etc. Let me just say that if you have children that love web surfing, don’t bother sending them to college. They can get this SEO gig and take care of YOU during your golden years.

Lox slicer – I don’t eat fish, but I know enough people who LOVE bagels and lox. So while I knew what lox was, I didn’t think cutting it would be a whole job. It is. The guy featured is 86. So it sounds like a good profession to take into your later years unless you’re a really good golfer.

Street corner astronomer – I thought this job might be for Google Earth or something. But no, it’s really just a guy with a telescope on a street corner. And I assume a hat on the sidewalk, since he does earn a salary from it.

Snake milker – Yes, it says “snake” not “cow”. I hate snakes. I’m petrified of them. I didn’t know they had udders. They don’t. Whereas you couldn’t pay me enough to do anything with snakes, the featured person does it for free. When I learned what a snake milker does (“A snake milker is someone who extracts, or ‘milks’, venom from poisonous snakes in order to create antivenom used by hospitals and laboratories. If a person is bitten by a snake, it is important they be rushed to a hospital to get an antidote, which is made from the venom of a snake. Also, new medical research is showing that snake venom can be used to help in strokes and malignant tumors.”), I felt bad not knowing this and working here. Venom from this milker’s snakes has been used in cancer, Alzheimer’s, pain release, and lupus research. I hope I don’t have to turn in my DFCI and Partners badges.

The article reminded me that a number of people will ask what I do. When I tell them, they ask, “What is a PMO?” Falling prey to the job hazard of using acronyms, I explain, “Project Management Office.” Often, I still get a blank look. Just because project management is what I do for a living, people who are not exposed to it are in the same boat I was with “professional line sitter.” We often get caught up within our industries and job boundaries, when clearly a whole world of fascinating jobs abound.

So when I read Parade’s most popular edition each year, I’ll try not to focus on why a rubber duck manufacturer makes $108K yet a dairy farmer only earns $10K. Instead I’ll use it as a learning experience of the diverse workforce.

Although admittedly, ignoring the profiled “Mom’s blogger” who makes $150K a year is difficult. Perhaps we should start charging for this blog.

Posted in Accomplishments, Learning, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance | 4 Comments

How to Do the Impossible

Posted on April 12, 2016 by David Pesta

Recently, I read the book “The Fight” by Norman Mailer that chronicles the 1974 heavyweight boxing match known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Set in Kinshasa, Zaire in Africa, this fight saw the imposing brute champion George Foreman challenged by the aging former champ Muhammad Ali. Against seemingly insurmountable odds, Ali beats Foreman to regain the title by summoning physical, mental, and spiritual forces.

The book is a compelling read, even for those with no interest in boxing. Ultimately, it is not the story of a sports event. It is the story of a person writing his own history moment by moment, forging his own destiny in defiance of both the gods and all common sense. It is Muhammad Ali’s blueprint for how to do the impossible.

Today we think of George Foreman as a benevolent, pudgy grandpa selling grills on TV. And we think of Ali as the greatest fighter of all time. But in 1974, both of those characterizations were decades away.

In 1974 at the height of his career, Foreman’s ferocity and sheer physical power were staggering. He brutally dispatched legends of that era like Ken Norton and Joe Frazier as if they were amateurs. By contrast, at the age of 32, Ali seemed to be past his prime and fading fast. In his preceding fights, Ali struggled to barely win against boxers who Foreman had previously obliterated. Some in the boxing world legitimately feared Ali might be killed in the ring during this fight.

But Ali had other plans. He was both a brilliant tactician and an unearthly visionary. In my reading of Mailer’s book I see four essential qualities that Ali brings to bear in his path to an impossible victory, qualities we all can emulate:

Audacity

At the very start of the fight, Ali does something radical: the first punch he throws is a right hand lead. For a boxer whose main strength is speed, this is an unusually aggressive tactic. The right hand lead is a power punch, usually deployed in the later rounds when an opponent is already worn out. It was widely expected that Ali would play to his strength by peppering Foreman with many quick jabs through the early rounds of the fight. Any power punches thrown by Ali would come much later. That had been his pattern for many years.

So to throw a right hand lead at the start of Round One is outrageous. Ali knows he will not knock out Foreman with this punch, or even really hurt him. And he leaves himself vulnerable to a deadly Foreman counterpunch. In this case, the right hand lead from Ali is a message, a declaration of disrespect, an insult. Foreman was duly insulted. This provocation was the last thing he expected. Enraged, Foreman was thrown off his game plan from the first moment of the fight. Mentally, he would never recover. Such bold, unconventional thinking gave Ali the immediate advantage.

Intelligence

The right hand lead was just the beginning of Ali’s psychological dominance of Foreman. Once provoked, Ali knew that Foreman would come after him with a furious vengeance. So he set the most famous trap in the history of sports: the Rope-a-Dope. In this tactic, Ali leaned back against the ropes, covered up and just let Foreman punch away at him. Occasionally he would clutch Foreman around the neck and whisper taunts “Is that all you got George? They told me you hit hard George, so hit me”.

Ali set the trap and George could not resist waltzing right in. Foreman was an aggressive, unrelenting fighter. Knowing he could not overpower him, Ali lured Foreman into punching himself into exhaustion. His guile in devising the Rope-a-Dope and executing it to perfection was nothing short of genius. Ali shows us intelligence can turn your own weaknesses into strengths and turn your opponent’s strengths into weaknesses.

Endurance and Evasion

The Rope-a-Dope was a brilliant plan but Ali knew it was no free ride. Some of Foreman’s punches would get through his defenses. Foreman possessed one-punch knockout ability. To this day he is considered one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. Months before the fight, Ali knew he would have to manage Foreman’s lethal onslaught.

Though he possessed a tough chin (he could take a direct punch), Ali had to block and absorb Foreman’s attack to succeed. Throughout the fight, his hands, arms, and elbows shifted with lightning reflexes as wave after wave of Foreman punches rolled in. Here the Rope-a-Dope stance proved a key asset. The ropes to his back acted as a shock absorber for Ali diminishing the impact of each punch that Foreman landed. If you watch the fight online you can see Foreman landing what looks like big punches, all with little or no effect on Ali.

In addition, Ali practiced a technique for evading punches while training for the fight. With superhuman dexterity, he could turn away from the full force of a punch in a nanosecond. His opponent’s glove would pass within millimeters or gently graze his skin. After the fight, he famously said “I have a radar built inside me; I know how to judge punches.”

In life we all take our share of metaphoric blows. Ali’s game plan was a simple one, and serves as an example we all can follow: evade what you can, endure what you must, find a shock absorber to lean back on.

Belief

Ali was known as a braggart who did not lack in self-confidence. But his bravado was mostly an act, a part he played to promote fights, sell tickets. The run up to Rumble in the Jungle changed him. Due to a medical issue with Foreman, the original fight date was postponed for four months. Ali stayed in Zaire training the whole time, six months in total. In that time he developed a deep connection with his African roots and the African people. Ali came to see the fight as a spiritual quest. In his mind and soul, there was no difference between the physical struggle and the metaphoric one.

In the days before all those Rocky movies, no one thought of boxing as a metaphor for life’s struggles. Boxers fought for money or glory or because they sought an outlet for their violent nature. Muhammad Ali was the first boxer to truly believe his work had a higher purpose. In this fight above all, he embodied this belief in its purest form. He stood alone in the ring as a single man, but believed he was a conquering hero fighting a monster for the salvation of millions.

Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the 8th round of the Rumble in the Jungle. But he was no longer content to be World Heavyweight Champion. He wanted it all, he wanted to be the Champion of the World. If you listen carefully at the end of the video of the fight, the announcer literally says: “the great man has done it…the thing they said is impossible he’s done”. Ali did the impossible not for money or glory. He did the impossible to show the world that anyone can.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Motivation, Planning, Productivity, Risk Management | 1 Comment

The Puppy Project, Part 3: Agility and Emotional Intelligence

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Sandra Cadogan-Beebe

I’ve recently started teaching the soft-skills course “Team Dynamics from a Project Manager’s Perspective” for DFCI Project University. In the course we explore the topic of emotional intelligence, which is our ability to understand our mood, and how it affects ourselves and others – including teammates – around us. We explore this topic in part from its impact on the winningest sports team in history, to its impact on a project team’s potential for success in the workplace.

The model of Emotional Intelligence was first published by Yale and UNH researchers in 1990, gaining broader visibility outside of the academic sphere with the 1995 book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. In 2014, Marc Brackett Ph.D., Director of the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, co-developed the Mood Meter mobile app so you can devise on-demand greater insight into how you’re feeling and strategize how to change how you’re feeling.

The vertical axis denotes one’s energy level and runs from -5 to +5. I’d call -5 comatose and +5 jumping out of my skin from too much espresso. The horizontal axis denotes one’s level of pleasantness. -5 is downright nasty and +5 is so nice you’re probably hugging everyone right now. -5/-5 is not so good!

During the time I was developing the DFCI course, my 2 year old Shetland Sheepdog, Finn, and I enrolled in Canine Agility Training down on the Cape. It was that or sheep herding. We don’t have sheep. Who knew there would be content intersection with the DFCI soft-skills course? By week 8 we were counseled on our energy levels.

No, it’s not Finn. It’s me. The human.

I thought we were doing great, we were having fun. We were having too much fun. Our Westminster-winning instructor Lori explained, “One of you needs to be the ‘plus’ to the other’s ‘minus’. “ Huh?

Both of us could not be in the Mood Meter “red zone” and train or compete very successfully, too much energy. Finn was already super-excited, tail raised high, yipping gleefully in anticipation of his turn to literally jump through hoops. I’d have sworn he was cheering other dogs’ accomplishments while waiting in the queue, that’s how excited he was. As the young Doberman ran off course to steal some not-yet-sold sold training treats, I pictured Finn parading around with his 16” class purple and gold ribbon. Ah, someday…

But first, one of us had some toning down to master (not to mention months and months more of obedience and agility course training). I needed to find my “blue zone,” the state of mind that has helped teams like the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team stay in winning form. Not too energetic and not too unpleasant.

Thinking about Lori’s advice in context of Yale’s work on the emotional intelligence mobile application, if I click on my iPhone’s Mood Meter and select the top-right most blue dot, words like “calm” and “at-ease” are selectable. In contrast and characterizing Finn’s mood, clicking on the red dot just below the top right-most red dot, words like “hyper” and “energized” appear. Yes, that sounds like Finn on the course. Matching calm and at-ease with hyper and energized now makes sense. Plus and minus.

Posted in Communication, Learning, Team, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Learning Lessons about Lessons Learned

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Sandie Kimball

Recently I attended a DFCI Project University project management class. I worried a little about what people might think about a staff member in the PMO attending a class on project management, especially since I teach several of the Project University classes. Wasn’t I supposed to already know all this stuff? But it seemed that the Lessons Learned exercises I had completed for the last couple of projects I managed were not as helpful as they could have been. What better way to get a few pointers than to take the Lessons Learned class taught by my manager?

For example, how do you talk about a project’s lessons learned without people blaming each other? The best way is to keep the focus on the lessons themselves, not on the mistakes that led to them.

During one of the exercises, we were asked to list three lessons that would be helpful for other project teams to keep in mind when doing a project. My team asked me to be the scribe. I felt compelled to write everything that happened leading up to the lesson. For example: “Because the team did not gather certain information in the requirements phase of the project, the stakeholders were disappointed that some things they thought were important were not included in the final deliverables.”

But when the class went around the room voting on the most helpful lessons, the ones they selected were those expressed in a short sentence, such as “Be sure all stakeholders are involved in requirements gathering” or “Take detailed minutes during team meetings so you don’t forget decisions made during the project”.

I discovered I had been complicating the exercise. What was the actual lesson we were trying to gain? Simply “validate the requirements with stakeholders to be sure you capture everything.” No wonder we were scrambling to keep up with the rest of the class when listing our lessons!

I learned a lot more than I expected from this class, not only about how to gather and conduct lessons learned, but how it feels being on the other side of the classroom. I was hesitant to answer questions raised by the instructor because I thought I would sound silly or be viewed as a know it all. I felt the stress of not wanting to let down my team mates during the exercises. And I wanted to be sure I captured everything the instructor said so I wouldn’t forget.

Once I got past these fears, I was able to enjoy participating in this class with my fellow students and to learn a lot. I hope these lessons learned will make me a better teacher!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Why is your floor lumpy?

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Meagan Turner

Why is your Floor Lumpy?

Home-improvement projects are by far my favorites. In these projects, I’m one of the major stakeholders but also the project planner, budget approver, and end user.

Problem Identification: This February we embarked on a laundry room project in my house. The washer and dryer had always lived in the foyer/landing area in my kitchen. This inconvenient location made entering the house stressful. Picture entering the house in a small narrow hallway where the washer and dryer and two cats are crowding the entrance to the kitchen. Now picture yourself with a handful of groceries entering that same area. We needed a better configuration!

Planning: In order to move the washer and dryer to a new room, we had to move the electricity and plumbing but also outfit the room to be appropriate for laundry facilities. The room had carpet, which wouldn’t be suitable in case it got wet from an overflowing washer. After many trips to Home Depot and hours online researching floor options, we decided to tile the room. We had a few tile options that we liked and samples of each.

Execution: Once we found the contractor, we were ready to execute the project. The contractor happened to be my uncle, which made it easy to manage, in a way. But, it also posed challenges.

The old floor was torn out, new plumbing went in, and the electricity outlets were installed. Next, the subfloor was put in. It was time to go and purchase the tile. When I asked my uncle what type of tile would be best, he said any kind would work. We reviewed the samples and opted for the ceramic tile that looks like hardwood floors. The tiles were around 3 feet in length and 9 inches in width. The installation was going fine, but then they started to have problems. Instead of talking to me about the problems, the work slowed and it started to take longer to finish parts of the floor.

Issue Management: After he had left one day, I looked at the progress of the floor and noticed that some of the tiles were uneven. There were dips in the floor. The next morning I asked why the floor looked that way. He said because the floor was uneven they were having a hard time installing the tile we picked because it was so long. Had we chosen one of the smaller square tiles, he said this wouldn’t have been an issue because they contour to the subfloor better. This clearly should have been a conversation that we had before ordering and installing the tile. Wait! We did talk about the tile and he said any tile would do! Since it was my uncle, I couldn’t in good conscience make him rip out the tiles that he had already installed. I may have done so, had it been a purely business relationship.

Risk Management: This wasn’t a risk I had planned for, which unfortunately turned into an issue. My husband and I discussed the floor and made a decision to let him finish, accepting the fact that there would be small dips in the floor tiles. The reasoning was once the floor was grouted, the room had furniture, and the washer and dryer moved in, the floor dips may not be as visible.

Quality Management: The tile was completed and the grout was applied. We moved the furniture, washer, and dryer into the room. It was true that the dips are less noticeable, but I can still see them in the floor. Maybe it’s because I know that they are there. It looks like an antique wood floor, however it’s brand-new!

Success Metrics: I love that the project was completed and still consider it a success. Entering my house is no longer as stressful; it seems like I have tons of room now to take off my jacket and shoes, put down those groceries, and pet those cats. And who really cares if your laundry room floor is lumpy?

Posted in Accomplishments, Planning, Productivity | Comments Off

Lured by Large Lotteries

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Ron Munroe

I played the lottery a few times leading up to January’s ultimate $1.5 Billion Powerball drawing. The enormity of this record jackpot prompted me to think about the lottery phenomenon. I mused that big jackpots can make some people do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. And I realized I’m one of those people.

I’ve heard that the chances of winning Powerball are something like 1 in 272 million. Microscopic. But does that stop me from buying a ticket? Yes, most of the time. I hardly ever play. But when huge jackpots beckon, thoughts about long odds suddenly become inconvenient and not fun. Instead, I shift my focus to the far sunnier notion that “someone has to win”. I know – not smart.

Most of the time I don’t even think of playing the lottery. Under normal circumstances, when the jackpots are at historically unremarkable levels and the lottery is not in the news, my brain functions better and allows me to recognize that these lotteries are bad bets and not even particularly fun to play. The transaction is mundane, and not much more interesting than buying a pack of gum. There’s no excitement, no fanfare, no pomp or circumstance. And I guess I just don’t want to spend the money, AND LOSE, much more often than I do now. Waiting for the largest of jackpots confines my playing to a handful of times a year.

When the jackpots surge to the multi-hundred million dollar levels, they command attention. People that normally don’t play start buying tickets. The lines get longer, the din louder, and the phenomenon becomes a prominent feature in the newscasts. And I’m drawn to participate – again. Even some people who understand the odds and the math much better than I join in. In the week of the $1.5 billion lottery drawing, a respected Wall Street Journal financial columnist admitted on TV that he bought a ticket. He wasn’t proud of it, but said if everyone else in his office pool won, he feared they’d quit their jobs and he’d be the only one left holding the bag. So he bought one in self-defense. It sounded extra funny coming from an expert in Finance.

I don’t have much more excuse than he does however. I’m a project manager called upon to make decisions objectively and conduct sober assessments of risk in our projects. Such an appraisal of buying a Powerball ticket would quickly compel me to steer clear, even if the investment is only $2. Yes, one need not be a financial expert to understand that this decision is not difficult. DO NOT BUY THE TICKET!

… But I expect I’ll play again the next time the jackpots swell and the news of it heats up. It’s sometimes fun to do things one doesn’t ordinarily do.

Posted in Risk Management | Comments Off