I just realized it is somewhat funny that as a seasoned project manager that I haven’t really blogged about project management before. I’ve been pondering how organizations, both public and private, are responding to the financial crisis, and have come to some interesting conclusions.

1. Despite all the talk about aligning corporate projects with strategic goals, I am amazed at the impact that a financial downtown has on what projects appear to be worthwhile. Projects that were a high priority just 6 months ago are now deemed frivolous, unnecessary, or just plain wasteful. Recently a local school came under fire for the amount of money it spent on a sculpture that sits in its courtyard. The money could have been spent more wisely on improving the quality of education, instead of the looks of the campus.

• The take away for you – it is important to ALWAYS look at your projects and screen them using some sort of criteria that will allow you to determine if it is money and time well spent.

2. You can’t do more with less – if you were efficient before the downturn. Back in the 1980s and early 90s, there was a mantra to do more with less. After a few years, someone finally said… hogwash (or something like this that was more colorful). There comes a point in time where you just can’t get any more water out of a rock. If you find yourself able to do more with less, all this says is that you were inefficient before the downturn. Why not use some of the premises of project management to ensure that you are always being efficient. This does not mean working your staff to the point of exhaustion. Quite to the contrary, it allows for a good balance of life and work and ensures that you are staffed at the right levels.

• Your take away is two fold.  1) ALWAYS try to be efficient. 2) Don’t expect your staff to be able to do everything it did before if you are letting people go. Prioritize the work or you’ll burn them out and they’ll leave when times get better.

All the best,
All the time
JT

I recently reviewed the videotape of Oscar Grant’s shooting and am appalled at the response that the Oakland Police Dept. has made. I understand that every law enforcement agency has its policy and procedures for handling shootings, and that there is probably a small team of investigators working on this case right now. However, regardless of the guilt or innocence of Officer Johannes Mehserle, the leadership at the police department has made a huge mistake in how they are handling this crisis.

Assuming that the department is being run efficiently (giving them the benefit of the doubt), the officers at the scene of the shooting should have been trained to tell the truth in their internal reports made right after the incident. From the videotape, it appears (although this is in dispute) that Oscar was handcuffed and lying face down on the ground when he was shot by Mehserle. This is important, but almost irrelevant. Why? Because the video clearly, without any doubt whatsoever, shows that the officers were not in any immediate threat, that Oscar appeared to be cooperating with them, and that he was shot at point blank range, in the back, without reason.

Now, Mehserle may have felt threatened, he may have lost his nerve, or a countless number of other scenarios are possible – however, the initial reports filed by officers at the scene should have reflected that there may have been reason to suspect that a mistake was made.

I have not seen the internal reports, but here is the first hint of poor leadership. If the initial reports filed by the officers at the scene made no mention of the possibility of an error being made, then the police chief is not doing his job. If the reports are not accurate, the integrity of every police officer will be questioned. Let’s look at this from the opposite perspective – that the internal report was accurately filed and that there was an indication that a mistake had been made.

If the report was filed correctly, indicating that there were questionable circumstances involved, the officer in question should have been immediately taken into custody while an investigation was carried out. This does not mean that the officer is presumed to be guilty. What this action would have demonstrated is that the police leadership has as much respect for the victim as they do for its officers. Officers are paid by taxpayers to serve and protect… the people. All people. By failing to put Mehserle into custody, the police leadership are clearly sending a signal that they are protecting their own, regardless of the cicumstances.

I understand that this course of action would not be possible in all shootings. It is also clear that you don’t want officers to hesitate to respond with the appropriate amount of force, including discharging their weapon if and when necessary, because they fear they will be reprimanded. However, if good leadership is in place, there would be a mechanism in place to quickly and efficiently determine when to place an officer in custody after a shooting under questionable circumstances.

So regardless of the accuracy of the reports, the incident indicates that poor leadership exists. Either the reports were filed incorrectly, or they were filed correctly but appropriate action was not taken. But wait, there is more. The next indication of failed leadership is that as of today Mehserle is free (although he did resign from the force). I viewed the videotape and it gives a lot of credence to the claims that Oscar was killed unnecessarily. Because of the nature of this shooting, as soon as this video was released, Mehserle should have been placed in custody. If the situation was reversed, and an officer was shot by a known suspect, the suspect would without question be apprehended and put into custody. So what makes this any different?

What course of action would I recommend?  The mayor should terminate the police chief and immediately take Mehserle into custody and expedite the investigation to have it completed within a week.

Leadership has failed on many levels in this case. Oakland’s Mayor Ron Dellum would be wise to consider how other organizations have responded to public relations fiascos successfully in the past. A great example would be how Johnson & Johnson responded to the Tylenol scare back in 1982.

All the best,
All the time,
JT

I tend to be a contrarian which often puts me at odds with mainstream thinking. How we deal with rescuing the economy is no exception. While I certainly don’t want to see anyone lose their job or be put on the street, I’m not sure spending $2 Trillion is the answer. What bothers me most is that a great majority of our nation’s leaders are saying, “we have no choice”. How I translate this is…

To maintain our current standard of living (which is excessive and what got us into this mess in the first place), we have to throw a ton of money at the economy so that the consumer will start spending again.

What does Moral Courage have to do with this? Well, no one wants to commit political suicide by telling the American consumer that our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, in other words, we  bit off more than we could chew. It was a drive to excess, to grab whatever we could regardless of the cost, that got us into this mess. The current financial rescue package is trying to get us back to that point. How wise is that? To return us to a status quo that drove the economy into the ground.

It’s not that I’m against having nice things, even lots of nice things. But, I do have a problem when the system gets out of whack. As an example, I bought my first house when I was in my early thirties. A few years ago, my then teenage son had a friend whose parents bought her a house… IN HIGH SCHOOL! Now, I know that is the exception, but you get the point. Our drive to “have it all” is what put $200+ jeans on the market and is what caused people to invest in things that deep down inside they knew were very risky.

Perhaps we would be better off in the long run if we went back to a simpler time. When we had to save and work for the finer things in life. We are beginning to bemoan the fact that our standard of living is certainly going to decrease. However, we should be reminded that the vast majority of Americans are probably in the top 5% (10% for sure) of the world’s population when it comes to having not only things, but a place to live, food and a relatively crime and war free place to live.

Perhaps part of the answer to our problems is that we simply couldn’t afford the lifestyle we were living and that a return to it is not the best choice. I know our leaders are talking about preventing the economy from entering a depression, but as I sit here at Starbucks, there is still not an empty chair in the room and while people have cut back, most certainly aren’t starving.

Moral Courage is needed to slow down, just a tad, and ask ourselves why we “have no choice” but to spend $2 trillion. Not popular I know – but certainly needed.

All the best,
ll the time
JT

For those of you over 40, beware… times are changing – fast. I was watching an episode of The Office last week, where the theme revolved around technology in the workplace. They hit on the usual things that often occur when new technology (application, computer, PDAs, cell phones etc…) is introduced into an organization. Resistance to change. Older workers/employees feeling pressure to keep up. Possible discrimination against an aging workforce. Most of you know the routine.

If you want to be an effective leader 1 year from now (notice I didn’t say 5 or 10), you need to get plugged in. Just last year, Sacramento County issued Blackberrys to their senior officers in CHP. While some could use it, many were lost. It became a joke amongst the officers when someone missed a meeting or an email because they couldn’t figure out how to use the new technology.

I have been on Linked In, My Space and Facebook for a couple of years now – without really using the features they offer. Based on the recommendation of a friend, I recently started using Twitter about a month ago. Since then, I’ve seen traffic to my blog and website increase. No coincidence. I also found a wealth of information on Twitter. What I found is there are a LOT of credible, smart, well connected people out there. By selectively following others, I come away motivated EVERY time I log on. I am totally convinced that times are changing very quickly.

I also became aware of the impact that Social Networking is having on the marketplace. Branding, Sales, Marketing – are all being transformed by technology. Consider that Barak Obama is now using You Tube as a way to communicate to America.

As a leader, you will need to become proficient in using tools like these to lead. Generation Z – yes they are now in the workforce – is going to expect it. If labor predictions come true, employers are going to have a difficult time keeping talent. Especially if they can’t offer people in their 20s or 30s the technology that they are used to using.

You MUST start getting familiar with the tools now available. If not, you will be left behind. Go get on twitter.

All the best,
All the time
JT

With the start of 2009, many of you are setting your goals for the coming year. For some, this is relatively easy, for others it seems like a daunting challenge. A wise and timely adage bears repeating here. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. So… how do you go about assessing your life and setting your goals for the coming year?

It is Sunday morning and I’m going through this myself. One of the techniques I like best is to compartmentalize your life, and then look at each area individually. The areas I use are:

1. Quality of Life (Hobbies & Interests)
2. Physical
3. Spiritual
4. Work
5. Finances
6. Relationships
7. Worldly Impact (Am I impacting the world in a positive way… giving back)

Take each area and rate yourself on a scale of 1-5 (5 being completely satisfied). Starting with the area with the lowest number, ask yourself, what do I need to do in the next 90 days (the goal) to move ONE notch up the scale. Remember… goals should be SMART… (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Framed).

Now, take one or two of these, and focus on achieving them over the next 90 days. When completed, move on to the next two. Keep going throughout the year.

Sounds simple doesn’t it. So why don’t more people achieve thier goals? I saw Lindsay Lohan giving some bad advice as I was channel surfing the other night. Basically she said no one ever achieves their goals and all it does it makes them feel guilty. So why bother? She advocated being happy and living life in the moment. No wonder why she has so many problems. She has a point though. Why don’t more people achieve their goals?

It is not lack of commitment, as most of you are probably thinking. It is a lack of belief. If you are having trouble achieving your goals – ask yourself… what do I have a hard time believing. What is preventing me from believing that I can really achieve my goal. Then the hard question… why??

Best of luck… remember… there is no try. Just “do”.

All the best
All the time
JT

Happy New Years…

Great Advice from Steve Jobs….

1. You can only connect the dots in your life loooking backwards… not forwards
2. Live each day as if it were your last
3. Love will you can

Enjoy…

Steve Jobs – Standford 2005 Commencement Speech