Everyday Project Management

Over the past 20 years, I have sold off my entire stock portfolio three times - all times this was within six weeks of a major “correction” in the stock market.   Each time, it was to invest in some real estate transaction.   Every time, whoever was my financial adviser at the time winced as I did this.  And every time, I more than doubled my money in less than three years on the real estate transaction.  This last time, was in early August as I was positioning myself to pursue some great real estate values because of the housing market tanking.

Watching what has been going on in the entire investment community I wonder - why would i ever want to invest in someone else’s business again?   Why are these folks on the stock exchange in the first place?   I run a very successful business and have never relied on OPM (other people’s money).  Why give up control?    I used to think that maybe I was missing something, maybe I wasn’t as smart as these other folks who were taking their company’s public.    Then I participated in this great program at Harvard that helps second stage entrepreneurs grow into mature business owners.   Strangely enough that is called “OPM” as well - http://www.exed.hbs.edu/programs/opm/.   (I am an OPM 35 graduate).    Not one, but several professors there stressed - STAY PRIVATE.    If you’re running a successful company, there is no reason to take it public.

Good advice, but why would I want to invest in someone else’s business that had gone public?   I’ve been joking with my pals lately that it seems that I have learned how to hear the direction of the buffalo running with respect to the stock market.   But really it’s just watching subtle signs and listening to the inner workings of my own gut.

My gut right now is telling me to stay the course with my real estate investing strategy.  I just got another seller today to agree to sell me their house for 50k less than their original asking price.  It’s less than a mile from where my daughter goes to college and the roomates cover the mortgage.   She learned more life skills in the four weeks of house hunting than she has so far in college.   She still laments that spring break in sixth grade where I made her listen to Rich Dad Poor Dad book on tape on the drive to Florida - I think it sank in.

A few years back I wanted to develop better negotiation skills on day to day negotiations so I developed a course and wrote a book called “Cheetah Negotiations” - for the more basic type of negotiations we all do day to day.   I’d say I’ve made my money’s worth with what I learned doing that - many times over.   And just recently, I wanted to figure out just how do I do this “tuning my ear to the direction of the buffalo”  so in the course I just created  called Project Prosperity - I reflected on just how did I learn how to calibrate my gut and tested out and developed a number of activities to do just that.   I create these courses that later turn into books for my own learning first.   If they help other people, great.  But they have helped me tremendously.

After watching the fiasco on Wall Street and the fear being promulgated by our government, I am investing my money in my own way, beating to my own drummer, and tuning into the direction of the buffalo.    At least so far this has kept me from being run over by the stampede.

At Cheetah Learning, we’ve put over 30,000 people through our Project Management programs.   We keep in touch with many of our past students and have noticed that most are weathering this economic down turn exceptionally well.   What are these folks doing to not just survive, but thrive - turning difficulties into opportunities?  

1.       SHOW RESULTS.  Project Management is the art and science of getting things done.  When you improve your Project Management skills, you know how to get things done quickly, and even more important, you learn how to document the results.  In our careers, we are often as good as our last hit.  You can’t be a one-hit wonder.  Instead, you want to keep charting, year after year, with success after success.

2.       BE EFFICIENT.  When you apply Project Management principles to your work or your home life, you stop reinventing the wheel.  Project Management teaches you how to make the most efficient use of resources to generate the best results in the least amount of time.  At the end of every project, you capture best practices and lessons learned, creating an invaluable documentation of hits and misses.  Sound too good to be true?  Good project managers do this on every project, and you can, too.

3.       CREATE AN ONGOING DIALOGUE.  One mistake I see a lot in Project Management and on teams is the assumption that there’s one meeting and everyone goes away, and then the communication ends, and somehow everything is still going to magically get done.  Your communication skills are not about your vocabulary.  They are about how you manage your communication.  Are you communicating frequently enough and with clarity?  Are you communicating what is relevant?  Are you communicating your successes?

4.       PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS.  People hear the word teamwork, and they groan or they say that they are, of course, a team player.  That’s why I like to bring it back to the kindergarten place in our mind:  Back to the sandbox.  Do you play well with others?  Do other people want to be on your project team?  Are you respected?  Do you listen actively to what others have to say?  Good project managers know when to lead and when to get out of the way.  When someone is interviewing you, you know what that person is thinking:  Can I work with him?  Will my team work well with her?

5.       LET YOUR CONFIDENCE SHINE.  When someone shows confidence, everyone in the room feels it, too.  One thing I consistently hear from our students is that the biggest payoff from their Project Management training or PMP® certification is the confidence that they gained.  They went back to their job with a solid Project Management foundation that made them feel more competent and able to project more confidence to their team and their boss.

6.       KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS.   Missed deadlines and projects that slip through the cracks are career killers.  Project Management skills focus on timelines and results that build your reputation and give team members a reason to trust you.  “I know that I can always count on her to get the job done.”  That quote can – and should – be about you.

7.       GET A GRIP.  Good project managers don’t have to freak out.  They can remain calm and in control because they have a Project Agreement which has all the critical information about the project in it.  They know when all the deadlines are, who is responsible for what and when, and they’ve also documented changes.  Everyone wants to have someone on the team who can stay calm when a project gets rocky and bring stability to chaos.

8.       ADAPT TO CHANGE.  Don’t ignore change.  Companies change.  Deadlines change.  People come and go.  Good project managers know they often have to adapt their plans and document what has changed and how that impacts the entire project.

9.       KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW.  What are your strengths and weaknesses?  What skills do you need to move from the status quo to the next level?  Once you have a solid foundation of Project Management skills, keep building on that foundation.  Don’t stagnate.  Continuous learning and a thirst for knowledge are always attractive to employers and team members.

10.   LEAD WITH PURPOSE AND PASSION. People will follow those who know what they are doing and who can generate results.  Project Management is a powerful leadership tool because it not only shows us how to keep our eye on the prize and the purpose, but it’s also about the passion to achieve and succeed.  Nothing feels better than accomplishment.