The Cranky Middle Manager Show #311 Serial Innovators Claudio Feser
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #236 Why Projects Slip Ron Holohan
Posted on 30. Apr, 2010 by Wayne in Podcast
Seems like no matter how well we plan them, projects get away from us. Wayne Turmel talks to Ron Holohan of PM411 about the three reasons projects slip. Also we look at the project manager of the Tower of Babel, a quote from a cranky Frenchman and we look at a new Cranky Middle Manager audio CD- The Cranky Middle Manager’s Guide to Project Management.
Ron Holohan is a very smart guy, and the host of the PM411.org blog.
You can hear my interview on PM411 Here
Don’t forget May’s How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams webinar workshop. Click here to learn more and register.
June 28th’s workshop will be also be How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams. Find out more here
As always, use the discount code cranky to save 10%!
Also, check out our new BNET blog on Managing Remote and Virtual Teams.
Now you can get 3 of the best Cranky interviews on project management on one CD for $15 plus postage
- Green PM
- Lazy Project Management
- Managing Projects Across Distance
Click here to learn more and to purchase this CD. Contains a discount coupon for all Greatwebmeetings.com webinar workshops.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. We dedicate this episode to a project manager who really let things slip- King Nimrod, the PM on the whole Tower of Babel fiasco.
3:45 The quote of the week is from Gustav Flaubert, and it’s cynical and counterproductive. Still, it made me feel better.
4:40 Welcome Ron Holohan. If you haven’t checked out the PM411 podcast, (and you promise to keep listening to me) you really should. Ron recently gave a great presentation and you can get a copy of it by emailing me. “3 Reasons Projects Slip”. He explains that statistic that 70% or so of projects fail. Actually 44% come in late or over budget. The other 24% are cancelled or are never implemented. Sleep well.
8:44 Why the rush to PMP and other Certifications? Ron points out that even perfect plans are prone to slippage. Is a Zombie takeover a risk or a constraint? The 3 reasons projects slip are:
- Student Syndrome
- Parkinson’s Law
- Bad Multitasking
10:03 What is Student Syndrome and why does it impact us? This is a fascinating look at why we screw up deadlines we impose on ourselves? The answer is to focus on duration not dates.
19:41 Parkinsons law is similar but basically we wait to turn in finished work but then spend time polishing the work and last minute snags arise. Turn it in when it’s done, not when it’s due.
22:08 The chance that something will go wrong on any task is high…the odds of something going wrong on every task is very low. The man is an optimist….
24:08 Multitasking is a myth but by golly we cling to it…. it’s like driving drunk only you put it on your resume.
30:00 Okay repeat after me: turn off the email and the phone, turn it on when you’re done. How hard can it be?
Ron’s Resources
Check out PM411 or drop him a line for a copy of his presentation
Cornelius Fitchner’s PMPodcast you can also hear my Cranky #163 interview with Cornelius here
Our FREE Whitepaper: 3 Reasons Virtual Teams Fail and How To See It Coming
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #235 Death To The Performance Review! Sam Culbert
Posted on 24. Apr, 2010 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today we look at something that makes everyone cranky- the annual performance review. What do they really accomplish? If you ask Sam Culbert, author of “Get Rid of the Performance Review: How companies can stop intimidating, start managing and focus on what really matters”, the answer is not a whole lot. Also we look at an official witchfinder and recite a little doggerel verse just because we’re bored.
Sam Culbert says we should kill the performance review…. and I thought I was cranky………
Don’t forget May’s How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams webinar workshop. Click here to learn more and register.
June 28th’s workshop will be also be How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams. Find out more here
As always, use the discount code cranky to save 10%!
Also, check out our new BNET blog on Managing Remote and Virtual Teams.
You can also follow us on Twitter
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show all ye who labor and are sore weary…especially of doing performance reviews. Since these things are so often witch hunts, we dedicate this episode to a real witchfinder… Matthew Hopkins. Good news, you’re not a witch. Bad news, finding that out killed you. I’ve worked in companies like that…..
4:04 The quote of the week is from Lord Byron ….. are you the Boring or the Bored?
4:45 Welcome Dr Sam Culbert to the show. He’s crankier than I am, and mostly about performance reviews. So what’s wrong with them? He uses a word I have never used on this show…..although highly tempted from time to time. The problems include: they’re not objective, the standards are bogus and it kills the trust between managers and each employee.
7:30 Being a pessimistic historian, I am curious as to where the performance review came from. Turns out the real culprit is “management by objectives”- a flawed concept to start with. Astonishingly I find myself defending
HR and Sam will have none of it.
12:42 The HR department should be seeking alternatives instead of keeping the Kabuki theatre going. Sam claims it’s in their interests to keep these things alive. They get to keep the dirty little secrets.
14:28 Oh, and the notion that pay is tied to performance reviews is nonsense, it just ticks off the employee and frustrates us managers.
19:08 Don’t get him started on 360 degree feedback either. Anonymous sniping is not feedback.
22:02 There is a difference between a “job description” and describing the job- the unique way each person tackles the job to accomplish their results.
25:30 So what’s the alternative to the Review? Sam calls it the Performance Preview. Constant,candid conversation about the goals, how they’re doing all along the way and honest communication without fear.
30:30 How do companies do this preview without a paper trail? Sam doesn’t seem to understand the insane need for documentation in companies. Sam’s goal is to make work fit for human consumption….
Sam’s Resources
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #234 Embrace Failure Erik Van Slyke
Posted on 15. Apr, 2010 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Wayne Turmel knows a thing or two about failure, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. So why is Erik Van Slyke telling managers to embrace it? Because that’s where innovation and invention come from. We don’t have to like it but we do have to get used to it, it would seem. Also the last king of Jerusalem and a Romantic Poet share what they know about the topic.
Erik Van Slyke of the Solleva Group joins us to talk about failure. So why is he smiling?
Don’t forget April’s How to Create and Manage Remote Teams webinar workshop. Click here to learn more and register.
May’s workshop will be How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams. Find out more here
As always, use the discount code cranky to save 10%!
Also, check out our new BNET blog on Managing Remote and Virtual Teams.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show and the ultimate irony- you’re here to succeed, so why are we insisting you learn how to fail??? That’s today’s topic and we dedicate this show to Guy de Lusignan who succeeded in failing spectacularly yet wound up with not a bad gig. Something for us all to learn from.
3:35 The quote of the week is from John Keats…. romantics dig failure, even the successful ones.
4:30 Welcome Erik Van Slyke to the show to discuss the F word. Well not THE F word, but just about as shocking. Why should we enjoy failure? Because we’re so good at it.
7:00 An important semantic difference: accepting failure isn’t the same as expecting it and coping. Expecting failure is a key component of project management. If you don’t think about what can go wrong, you’re not planning properly.
11:50 How can we get comfortable with failure when so many other people are connected and counting on us? Organizations are so complex we’re doomed to fail somewhere. It’s not being perfect, it’s being in the process of perfection.
14:20 Where is the line between striving for excellence and driving yourself crazy? Again, it’s in the process.You have to be collaboratvie- really collaborative.
16:24 Erik claims to have an actual case study where people do this without getting fired. Listen up.
19:23 A lot of people who live in the PMI world are amazed when projects go wrong. The problem isn’t planning, it’s communicating during the plan. How can we create an environment where people are comfortable talking about failure and getting into trouble? Make it safe for your team to screw up.
22:36 How do we communicate our teams’ failure to our bosses in constructive way. The trick is to admit to the problem but also offer a solution. Don’t just say “00ps”.
25:20 There is a relationship between innovation and failure. You can’t innovate without stuff going wrong. The quest for perfection will kill real creativity.
Erik’s Resources
The Cranky Middle Manager Show # 233 Lords of Strategy Walter Kiechel
Posted on 07. Apr, 2010 by Wayne in Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel looks at the consulting industry: who are they, where’d they come from and why do they torture us? Author Walter Kiechel III, author of “The Lords of Strategy- A Secret Intellectual History of The New Corporate World” joins us. We also talk Ottoman outsourcing and the triumphant return of Francis Bacon.
Walter Kiechel III talks to us about The Lords of Strategy and makes it so even I understand it.
Don’t forget April’s How to Create and Manage Remote Teams webinar workshop. Click here to learn more and register.
May’s workshop will be How to Create and Manage Remote Project Teams. Find out more here
As always, use the discount code cranky to save 10%!
Also, check out our new BNET blog on Managing Remote and Virtual Teams.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show middle managers- even if you refuse to accept the title. We all know what you are. Today’s show is dedicated to the Ottoman sultan Murad Bey who understood both outsourcing and the power of independent advice.
5:30 The quote of the week is from my boy Francis Bacon who knew a thing or two about being a consultant. Advice and example is what we’re looking for…and it helps if you have a cool model.
6:03 Welcome Walter Kiechel who will explain where consultants came from and what they’ve done to the business world- and it’s not all bad. Really. Actually, you wouldn’t think strategy is new, but it’s only been around since the mid 1960s.
9:00 With no track record to run on, why were the big consulting companies so successful? The power of a practical tool like the Growth Share Matrix. What has it wrought on us? Are we now driven only by stock performance?
14:00 Let’s be fair, the advantage of a consultant is the ability to offer objective insight…when it is objective.
15:45 One of the first consulting models that really took off was BCG’s Experience Curve.
18:15 What has been the impact on business overall of all this consulting? Walter maintains it’s an overall healthier competitive landscape. Competitive advantage only lasts 6 months if you don’t watch it.
20:35 Besides making sure you keep your job, what’s the best way to work with consultants? Volunteer for one thing to make sure you’re heard, and this is not the time to be shy. A great tip- ask to present with them instead of having them tell the story on your behalf.
23:21 Not that I want to kill new ideas, but there are consulting fads so as a service to you the new ones are “analytics” and innovation.
Walter’s Resources