If you’ve loved playing video games you would recall times when you played a game for hours on end and didn’t feel any hunger or sleep. You would find it to be such an immersive experience that it appeared you transcended time!
You were in a state of Flow.
If you have seen a child intently playing with a piece of thread, and haven’t got an answer to you calling her repeatedly, you would do well not to disturb her. Because she is in a state of Flow.
Most of us have experienced this state one time or another in our lives.
Many sports-persons, musicians, performance artists, researchers, and professionals experience this state routinely.
This state is also known as ‘Csikszentmihalyi flow’ after Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “chick-SENT-me-high”), best known as the architect of the notion of Flow. [continue reading…]
Words are powerful. We often say something while meaning something else. We assume that the other person will ‘get’ what we really meant.
This, if at all works, will only work with people who know us closely. People who really care for us. These people can go beyond the mannerisms with which something was said and can take ‘things the right way’.
Till people get to know us, what we say matters and how we say it also matters. A lot.
The fact is that in organizations where you interact with many people, not everyone has the understanding and thoughtfulness to go beyond the spoken words and understand meaning of the message.
Darlene Price, author of ‘Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results’, concurs. “Words matter,” she says, “they are a key component of persuasive communication. Regardless of the audience, topic, or industry, or whether the setting is a stand-up presentation, sit-down conversation, telephone discussion, or an online meeting, a leader uses language to influence someone’s mind in order to achieve a certain result.”
Let us look at 8 things one must avoid saying at work
..and what can they be replaced with.
While there are more, these in my view, are some of the important ones to consider. [continue reading…]
I was trying to clear my backlog of emails last Sunday and stumbled across one that had the question, “How to Build a Relationship with an Introverted Boss?“.
I found it to be quite interesting. I remember having just one boss in my career that was an introvert – my very first one. It was so long back that I don’t remember having had any experiences of dealing differently with him.
May be I thought that’s how a boss is supposed to be.
However, being a bit of an introvert myself, it got me thinking, “how does my team thinks about dealing with me?”
Now, if you have had an introvert superior, take a moment and think how differently you dealt with her as compared to others? [continue reading…]
Let’s face it. Delivering bad news to the team can be one of the most difficult moments for a project manager.
The reasons could be many:
- Acquisition of the company,
- Shutting down the project,
- A key member quitting,
- Reduction in budget,
- Change of PM,
or something else.
The impact of such news on the team, and thus its morale, depends more on the way the news is delivered than the cause itself.
This is one of the situations where the communication skills of a project manager are tested.
Several years ago, one of my projects was to build a state-of-the-art product in the Medical domain using the latest technology stack.
The team members couldn’t have been happier working with this delightfully supportive customer, feeling a sense of building the next big thing.
Then one day, the bomb was dropped. [continue reading…]
Yet another month rolls by. And we have yet another set of winners on ‘PMP Question-a-Day’ contest for May 2014!
This month has been by-far most active with over 60 people taking part, and with 34 of them getting at least one answer right.
The top 3 positions are captured by…
Before I give away that,
Let us look at some of May month’s numbers
New readers of PMESN blog – 4838
Bounce rate, lowest ever! – 3.57%
Total users of blog – 25510, from 164 countries
Visitors from top 5 countries – United States (37%), India (17%), Canada (5%), United Kingdom (3%), Australia (2.5%)
Articles posted –
3 Ways To Grow In Your Current Job
4 Crucial Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager
5 Things You Must Do Before Appearing For Project Manager Job Interview [continue reading…]
John started his career as a software developer. A bright and hardworking engineer, he soon rose to become a senior analyst and then project lead and project manager. After having spent 12 years in the same organization, he was managing multiple projects, and to certain extent some of the technical aspects (his former love) of projects.
This seems like a pretty good place for John to be in.
But he wasn’t happy. The spark of the past wasn’t there anymore. He was doing many things alright, but essentially he was managing chaos on a daily basis. John needed some change.
If you have been working in a same role for a long time, one of two things might happen –
a. You have mastered the role and set yourself into a comfort zone
You will love what you are doing and probably expect things to happen in a certain fashion as it has happened over the years – if it doesn’t, you tend to fluster. The risk with this situation is that if there is an organizational shake up, or a low-cost younger workforce is available, it can threaten your position. Or, sooner or later you might slip into situation #b below. [continue reading…]
