PM Paradigm

05/25/2012

3 Ways to Improve Your Positive Intelligence (PQ)

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/05/3-ways-to-improve-your-positive.html

Daniel Goleman made a compelling and accurate case nearly two decades ago that Emotional Intelligence (EQ) was more important to leadership effectiveness and performance than IQ. But most attempts at increasing EQ have resulted only in temporary improvements. The reason is that a more foundational and core intelligence has been ignored, which is a pre-cursor to high EQ. In my lectures at Stanford University, I define this as Positive Intelligence (PQ). Without a solid PQ foundation, many of our attempts at improvements fizzle due to self-sabotage.

Your mind is your best friend, but it is also your worst enemy, involved in self-sabotage. To illustrate, when your mind tells you that you should prepare for tomorrow’s important meeting, it is acting as your friend, causing positive action. When it wakes you up at 3:00 a.m. anxious about the meeting and warning you for the hundredth time about the many consequences of failing, it is acting as your enemy; it is simply exhausting your mental resources without any redeeming value. No friend would do that.

Your PQ is the percentage of time your mind is serving you as opposed to sabotaging you. For example, a PQ of 75 means that your mind is serving you 75 percent of the time and sabotaging you about 25 percent of the time. Compelling evidence from a synthesis of research in psychology, neuroscience, and organizational science shows that with higher PQ teams and professionals ranging from leaders to salespeople perform 30-35 percent better on average. What’s more, they report being far happier and less stressed.

3 Strategies to increase PQ

I have coached hundreds of CEOs and their senior executive teams on the tools of Positive Intelligence. I take them to the front lines of the unceasing battle raging in their minds. On one side of this battlefield are the well-disguised Saboteurs, who wreck any attempt at increasing either happiness or performance. On the other side is the Sage, who has access to one’s wisdom, insights, and often untapped mental powers. The Saboteurs and Sage are fueled by different regions of the brain. We are literally of two minds and two brains. This suggests three strategies to increasing your PQ:

Strategy 1. Weaken your Saboteurs:
The Saboteurs are the internal enemies. They are a set of automatic and habitual mind patterns, each with its own voice, beliefs, and assumptions that work against your best interest. They come in ten varieties, with names like the Judge, Controller, Victim, Stickler, Pleaser, and Avoider.

Saboteurs are a universal phenomenon. The question is not whether you have them, but which ones you have, and how strong they are. Of the executives participating in my Stanford lectures, nearly 95% conclude that they do have Saboteurs that cause “significant harm” to them reaching their full potential for success or happiness.

The great news is that you can significantly reduce the power of these mental foes. The key to weakening your Saboteurs is to identify which one you have and expose its key hidden beliefs, patterns, thoughts, and emotions. This, in effect, allows you to create a “mug shot” of your internal enemy. It allows you to identify the Saboteur the moment it shows up in your head. At that point, what you do is to just label that thought as Saboteur thought and let it go rather than pursue it seriously. To be sure, it will keep coming back, which means you will keep labeling it, and letting it go. This simple act of observing, labeling, and letting go has profound impact.

For example, notice the difference between saying “I believe I can’t succeed” and “My Judge says I can’t succeed.” The moment you label a Saboteur thought as such, it loses much of it credibility and power over you.

(Discover your top Saboteur with free online assessment at http://www.positiveintelligence.com/)

Strategy 2. Strengthen Your Sage:
Your Sage’s great wisdom and strength is rooted in its perspective: any problem you are facing is either already a gift and opportunity or could be actively turned into one. Your Saboteurs mock that perspective and cause you instead to feel anxious, frustrated, disappointed, stressed, or guilty over “bad” outcomes. Both the Sage and the Saboteur perspectives are self-fulfilling prophecies.

If you follow the Sage perspective, you get greater access to its five vastly untapped mental powers which can meet absolutely any work or life challenge without being worked up about it. There are simple and fun “power games” you can play in the back of your mind to facilitate this process.

Strategy 3. Strengthen PQ Brain muscles:
The PQ Brain gives rise to the Sage perspective its powers. Its focus is on thriving rather than surviving, which is the Saboteurs’ focus. It consists of three components: the middle prefrontal cortex, portions of the right brain, and what I call the empathy circuitry. The PQ Brain “muscles” are activated and strengthened when you command your mind to stop its busy mind chatter and direct its attention to any of your five physical sensations. An example might be to feel the weight of your body on your seat, or feet on the floor, or sensations of your breathing.

This might appear simplistic, but it is backed by a massive amount of research. Every time you attempt such a shift of attention for about 10 seconds, you have performed a “PQ rep,” strengthening the muscles of your PQ Brain. The goal is to do 100 PQ reps per day to build up and maintain strong PQ Brain muscles. This can be done while sitting in a meeting, driving, walking the dog, or taking a shower. It doesn’t need to take any extra time from your busy day. These muscles build up really fast.

Without a strong foundation of Positive Intelligence, attempts at improving performance or personal fulfillment are analogous to planting elaborate new gardens while leaving voracious snails free to roam. The wise investment is to raise Positive Intelligence first. The results are often reported to be game changing for the team, and life changing for the individual.

Try this out. Discover your top Saboteurs and PQ score with the free online assessments at http://www.positiveintelligence.com/

Bio:
Shirzad Chamine is author of New York Times bestseller Positive Intelligence. He is Chairman of CTI, the largest coach-training organization in the world. A preeminent C-suite advisor, Shirzad has coached hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams. His background includes PhD studies in neuroscience in addition to a BA in psychology, an MS in electrical engineering, and an MBA from Stanford, where he lectures.

By Dan McCarthy
http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/05/3-ways-to-improve-your-positive.html

03/02/2012

_*Appreciation To Build A High Performing Team*_

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*Feeling genuinely appreciated lifts people up.* At the most basic level, it makes us feel safe, which is what frees us to do our best work. It's also energizing. When our value feels at risk, as it so often does, that worry becomes preoccupying, which drains and diverts our energy from creating value.

So why is it that openly praising or expressing appreciation to other people at work can so easily seem awkward, contrived, mawkish and even disingenuous?

The obvious answer is that *we're not fluent in the language of positive emotions* in the workplace. We're so unaccustomed to sharing them that we don't feel comfortable doing so. Heartfelt appreciation is a muscle we've not spent much time building, or felt encouraged to build.

In the workplace itself, researcher Marcial Losada has found that among high-performing teams, the expression of positive feedback outweighs that of negative feedback by a ratio of 5.6 to 1. By contrast, low-performing teams have a ratio of .36 to 1.

So what are the practical steps you can take, especially as a manager, to use appreciation in the service of building a higher-performing (and more sustainable) team?

*1. As the Hippocratic oath prescribes to physicians, "Above all else, do no harm."* Or perhaps more accurately, do less harm, since it's unrealistic to do none. The costs of devaluing others are so great that we need to spend far more time thinking than we do now about how to hold people's value, even in situations where they've fallen short and our goal is get them to change their behavior for the better.

*2. Practice appreciation by starting with yourself.* If you have difficulty openly appreciating others, it's likely you also find it difficult to appreciate yourself. Take a few moments at the end of the day to ask yourself this simple question: "What can I rightly feel proud of today?" If you are committed to constant self-improvement, you can also ask yourself, "What could I do better tomorrow?" Both questions hold your value.

*3. Make it a priority to notice what others are doing right.* The more you work at it, the better you'll get at it, and the more natural it will become for you. For example, start by thinking about what positive qualities, behaviors and contributions you currently take for granted among the members of your team. Then ask yourself, what is it that each of them uniquely brings to the table?

*4. Be appreciative.* The more specific you can be about what you value — and the more you notice what's most meaningful to that person — the more positive your impact on that person is likely to be. A handwritten note makes a bigger impression than an email or a passing comment, but better any one of them than nothing at all.

We're all more vulnerable and needy than we like to imagine. Authentically appreciating others will make you feel better about yourself, and it will also increase the likelihood they'll invest more in their work, and in you. The human instinct for reciprocity runs deep.

By Tony Schwartz

02/29/2012

Four Ways to Exceed Client Expectations

Pleasing clients is a no-brainer in any economy. Exceeding client expectations in a bad economy can make the difference in whether or not you win the next job.

Use these four tips to go above and beyond and win a client for life:

Beat the deadline.
Getting work done ahead of time gives the client flexibility and demonstrates you are efficient and customer-focused. When agreeing to a deadline, choose one you know you can beat.

Ask proactive questions.
Clients appreciate it when you act as a thought partner and demonstrate your concern for the process and its result.

Know when to defer.
Deference is important but too much of it positions you as hired help. Inspire confidence by acting collegial and proving yourself to be a competent expert, not a lackey.

Give feedback.
Every process can be improved, and you are in a unique position to provide feedback. If the circumstances are right, tactfully give thoughtful and constructive criticism.

Adapted from "Four Ways to Exceed Clients' Expectations" by Steven DeMaio.

02/23/2012

Management Tip
Meetings

Make Your Meeting Worthwhile
A common complaint people have about work is that they are often forced to suffer through worthless meetings. Yet, meetings are an important way to get work done.

Instead of wasting people's time, follow these three steps to make your meeting valuable to attendees:

Keep it small:
Only invite people who need to attend and who can directly help achieve the meeting's objectives.

Prepare and circulate an agenda: Without an agenda, you'll no doubt waste time agreeing on what you are there to do and how you'll do it.

Be mindful of time:
Always underestimate how much a group can accomplish. Keep the meeting as short as possible while still achieving its objectives. If you go late, don't hold people captive, schedule a follow up meeting.

Adapted from the Harvard ManageMentor Online Module, "Meeting Management."

02/11/2012

Helping Project Team To Succeed

How often do we hear project managers complaining that they have been set-up to fail? If you're like me then often. I am sure that organisations want their project managers to succeed. If this is true where does the "set-up to fail" idea come from. Could it be the organisation doesn't have an environment that supports success?

Projects will be successful when the right environmental conditions exist. It is important to ensure that project estimating and project selection are working well and done carefully. Just as important is finding the right team and providing the necessary resources.
Always encourage good practice in planning. Plans are used to manage a project and must be kept up-to-date. If you create plans at the beginning of a project, put them in a draw and forget them, why bother creating them in the first place?

Focus on implementation control, not just reporting. Use exception reporting on well-planned projects and assume if you hear nothing everything is running according to plan.
If your project teams succeed despite your organisation rather than because of it, read on.

Creating the Right Environment
Creating an environment that supports success is a major step towards helping your project teams succeed. Everybody needs to work together and support one another; this includes customers and suppliers.
Make sure everyone understand the organisations' strategy, business plan and current priorities. Ensure people know where their business unit or department fits into the plan.
Find out whether project managers follow a consistent structure, process and method. Consistent doesn't mean ridged.
If you answer no to any of the following questions then your environment doesn't fully support success:
Has the organisations' strategy, business plan and current priorities been cascaded down?
Do people know how they will help the organisation achieve it strategy and business plan?
Is project management taken seriously in your organisation?
Are people encouraged to challenge the project management methodology and improve it?
If this is not the case then you need to do something about it.

Project Estimating
Good estimating means allocating the right amount of time and effort to projects. Link estimation to categorisation and risk. Many organisations under achieve in the area of risk management.
It is also important to link estimation to project definition, don't estimate a project before its definition has been established. It also helps if you involve the project manager in the estimation and selection process.
Projects fall into different categories, decide what type a project is. One example of categorisation is:
Runner (something we know how to do, easy to plan and estimate, low risk and easy to perform).
Repeater (a runner with a difference, something outside the norm).
Stranger (something we have little experience of but know can be done, harder to plan and estimate, higher risk and harder to execute).
Alien (a project nobody has done before, hard to plan and estimate, high risk and unclear how to perform).
In estimates, it is advisable to use ranges rather than exact figures for projects other than runners. "The cost will be between n and n." The Project Management Institute (PMI) suggests a -25% and + 75% range for projects other than runners. For senior people who insist on an exact figure, give them the top one. For projects classified as aliens, split them up and estimate in stages.
To gain buy-in involve project teams in the estimating process, at least bounce the estimate off them.
For each project, clarify the measure of success. Which is more important?
On time (schedule).
On budget (cost).
Accuracy (quality).

Project Selection
A good practice approach for selecting projects with the highest value is the stage and gate process. This process tests for important projects by considering fit with the organisations' strategy, whether the cost and benefits are valid periodically and by considering any risks emerging at each gate.
Projects tend to start optimistically and the stage and gate process allows them to be evaluated and validated during their life cycle.
Be prepared to match the organisations portfolio to capacity:
Consider how a project fits within the portfolio.
What is the projects affect on the capacity of the organisation.
Avoid doing too many projects at the same time.
As Bob Buttrick pointed out in his book Project Workout, "Directing the individual project correctly will ensure it is done right. Directing all the projects successfully will ensure we are doing the right projects."
Project Team Selection
The team that will estimate the project is usually different from the implementation team. You won't know what the team make up is until the project is understood.
Base team structures on project needs. Should people be:
Full time or part time?
Reporting to the project manager?
Allocated for 100% of their time?
Don't employ resources on an "as needed basis," use a qualified number, for example, 20% per week for three weeks.
The project sponsor is not just a title; they should support the project and help resolve issues. Worse still is not having a project sponsor - don't start the project!
Ensure time is provided for planning and team building, don't get pushed into doing the project at the expense of planning. Support virtual teams, they take longer to develop and much more time to manage.
Project Planning
Good project planning means linking planning to requirements, estimates and selection. Base plans on normal working practice, don't start with an end date and work back reducing the estimate. It is better to increase the number of resources, reduce scope or change the plan. Remember, a lot of time-pressure causes inefficiency with meetings to discuss why things are going wrong.
Create a project contract or project brief in which you specify the roles and responsibilities. Use it if issues arise.
Agree a change control process as part of the planning. Change control protects everybody, helps avoid scope creep and stops senior people changing the plan.
Encourage continuous risk management and make sure you baseline and re-baseline your projects.

Control Rather Than Reporting
Creating project plans at the beginning of a project and putting them in a draw, never to look at them again, is a waste of time. Shocking news to some people, I'm sure. If your project team does this then stop, it has no value.
Encourage plans to be updated and used as a reference point for project assessment. Facilitate an "earned value" approach where you monitor the plan; actual and work completed value.
The project managers responsibility is to measure, assess, adjust and then report things they cannot control, along with a summary of what is going to happen next. Reporting everything that has happened in a project takes the focus away from running the project. Report by exception and assume if you don't hear anything that everything has run according to the plan.
Project teams will be successful when the right environmental conditions exist, sadly this is not always the case. Don't leave your project teams to succeed despite the organisation. Take steps to create an environment that supports success. After all, it's not rocket science!

By Duncan Haughey, PMP

02/09/2012

MaRs Discovery District

Engaging in social media is no longer optional for many businesses, especially those online. But in a startup environment, everyone already wears a lot of hats. Who should take this on? What types of media should they embrace? Should a startup try to reach the entire internet?

02/01/2012

12 Reasons You Will Be a Better Leader this Year

1. Because you are generous with information. You know it enables and values others.

2. Because you eschew the trappings of power. You respect your position too much to let yourself become self-absorbed and disconnected from those you serve.

3. Because you know leadership isn’t about how well you are appreciated, but it’s about endlessly showing your appreciation of others. Leadership isn’t about how you feel, but how you make others feel.

4. Because you are honored to lead, you genuinely respect and care for the people you serve.

5. Because you avoid the trivial and stay focused on your core values and the vision they enable. You will always pay attention to what matters most and you communicate it tirelessly and with clarity.

6. Because you are driven to produce and are accountable for it and expect the same from others.

7. Because you take time to reflect to keep yourself aligned and to continually evaluate your impact.

8. Because you exercise. You know that regular exercise not only makes you feel better physically and it has a profound impact on your cognitive abilities and mental health.

9. Because you are curious, you are committed to being a lifelong learner and building a learning culture within your team and organization. You won’t rely on what worked for you in the past.

10. Because you are humble enough to know that you don’t have all the answers and it doesn’t have to be your way and it is in fact, unhealthy for you to insist on it.

11. Because you are committed to building others greater than yourself. You are validated not by your own knowledge and accomplishments but by those you help succeed. You are passionate about and energized by the people you serve.

12. Because you know that you are setting an example for others to follow. Everything you do matters. You know it’s not about you.

By Michael McKinney

01/31/2012

When Everything Is Labeled Urgent!

A few months ago, a former client called me in a panic: Her CFO wanted to start several process simplification projects immediately — and she needed a proposal to review with him the next day ... Read More @ http://pmparadigm.tumblr.com/post/16824466061/when-everything-is-labeled-urgent

01/31/2012

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