The Journey of a 1000 Days Begins With A Single Blog Post

1,000 days.

24,000 hours.

1,440,000 minutes.

86,400,000 seconds.

474 blog posts.

1,403 comments

But who's counting?

It's been exactly 1,000 days that have passed since I asked the question, "Why Carpe Factum?"  You've given me a lot of answers to this question.  Here's hoping the next 1,000 of Carpe Factum go as well as the first.

I can honestly say that I've been changed for the better... for good.

Counting My Blessings

Before reading this post, please link to this YouTube video (it wouldn't allow embedding).  It's only about 90 seconds in length, but it's the perfect preface.

It's the evening before Thanksgiving, and I've been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of weeks.  I've appreciated all of the questions about my well-being after the accident.  After a discussion with Phil Gerbyshak late last week, I was reminded how things can always turn out much worse (his tribute to Susan was beautiful and fitting for such a great lady).

But my talk with Phil also reminded me about all I have going for me.  While on the surface, this year has had its share of challenges, as I look back, I'm so grateful:

• I have a family and many friends, all of whom play a role in making my life very full and very rich.  These relationships mean the world to me.

• I have the opportunity to touch the lives of many professional graduate students, to influence lives for the better, and to improve my community through them.

• My consulting practice allows me to "do what I love in the service of those who love what I do."  I get to work on meaningful projects to improve the business environment for my clients.

• I have balance in my life, a harmony of different pursuits which complement each other and create a synergy most people only dream of.

• I have my health.  This alone makes it all worth while.

• I have faith in a God who loves, protects, teaches, and guides me in all areas of my life.

• I have you.  While reaching out to the individual readers of this blog wouldn't be possible, I can tell you that "if you can read this, you're too close."  And I mean it in a good way.  With all of the possible things competing for your attention, you spend time reading my thoughts.  Thank you!

Have a tremendously blessed Thanksgiving.  Remember:  Count your blessings.  You might be surprised how great you have it!

Car Pay D.M.

With my recent ordeal, I'm now driving a rental vehicle (which I like so much, it's actually made my final four selection for new cars).  The only problem is that I picked it up in KC and have to drop it off in Des Moines.  This means a drop off fee, which the insurance company doesn't cover (note to everybody out there negotiating auto insurance... make the insurance company cover drop off fees between cities).

This whole issue of logistics has been weighing on my mind recently, as I've contemplated every configuration to avoid paying the fee... not on affordability but more on principle.  But then again, it's had me applying those same thoughts to the workplace.  I've worked on many projects where there have been multiple geographic sites involved (some spread internationally).  One of the key issues in projects is communication - many would argue communication IS the key issue.  When you have a geographically dispersed workplace, how do you get information from point A to point B without undue stress and burden?

Communicating across a geographicaly dispersed project team does not have to be challenging:

• Bring them together - on one large program for a major financial services institution, executives paid to bring the project team together once a quarter.  It was a very expensive investment but well worth it.  While we were able to give face-to-face accounts to each other on our project process, the more important thing was the ability to have some face-to-face time.

• Just in Time - If you do bring people together physically, make sure there's a purpose and it happens at a strategic time for the project.  Bringing in an engineer when requirements planning is occurring or an executive for a key decision-making presentation are good examples of this principle.

• Build relationships - some small talk is OK over the conference calls as you wait for the invariable stragglers to join.  Learning about the weather, major news, or family activities of other team members strengthens the bonds.

• Create accountability - since you are dealing with people without seeing them, make sure your project tasks have been well defined and you can share with a high degree of confidence what constitutes "done" with your project activity.  Nothing kills credibility like somebody taking advantage of the geographic distance to hide their own lack of progress.

• Visit - while you may not be able to get the whole project team together, almost everyone can find it in their budget to send one or two people to visit various sites on occasion.

• Use technology - phone and video conferencing systems have come down in price.  For that matter, you can now do a lot right on your laptop.  Take advantage of these tools for those who are "visual learners" and need to see things rather than just hear them.

Now if anybody can figure out how to get a Nissan Altima from Des Moines to Kansas City (and get me from Kansas City to Des Moines) without inconveniencing too many other people, please let me know.

The Show Me (How To Drive) State

Another week of blogospheric silence... what gives?

Well, to be honest, I've been a little preoccupied.  You see, I had a boo-boo.  More appropriately my car, Gerald, had a boo-boo.  Specifically, the Ford Escape was not engineered to smooch a utility pole.  So the car is now totaled... gone to that great parking lot in the sky.

How did it happen?  Well, funny you should ask.  There was another driver... an evil Missouri driver... also heading south on the same rain-soaked street last week.  He decided he would rather be in my lane than his, so he made a rather rapid switch immediately.  Then he also decided that he was going too fast in his efforts to get around me, so after he made his lane change, he proceeded to slam on his brakes before eventually speeding back up, leaving me to take evasive measures to avoid rear-ending him.  My evasive maneuvers led me right into the nearest parking lot where the Kansas City public works department decided a utility pole should be strategically placed.  Meanwhile, he was merrily on his way, unaware he had caused anything.  Enough said.

Amazingly, even Missourians criticize themselves when it comes to driving.  The people at my client site have made worse comments about their fellow drivers than my inside voice could ever conjure up.

Office politics sometimes work like that other driver.  People changing lanes, slamming on brakes, performing tactics on wet pavement... not very happy for the rest of us.  So how do we practice DEFENSIVE DRIVING in an office setting?

• Lane Changers - look for people who change their decisions and positions quickly and often.  Get things in writing from them and hold them publicly accountable.
• Jerks and Stops - beware of those who pull the "hurry up and wait" game on you.  Validate urgencies and deadlines before work begins.  Make everyone aware of the consequences of starting and stopping tasks frequently.
• Wet Conditions - what is your business environment right now?  With the current economic crisis, "slippery when wet" probably doesn't even begin to cut it.  Be extra careful when playing politics if there are bigger business issues to address.
• Immovable Objects - if you find yourself having to take evasive action when dealing with office politics, make sure the avoidance won't cause even more trouble (i.e., utility poles) than actively engaging the other poor drivers.

These are just a few of the lessons I learned last week.  All in all, I have much to be thankful for.  Outside of a banged up knee, I wasn't injured.  The car was insured.  Nobody else was hurt.  The pole was replaceable.  And it's a great time to be car shopping.  And I've re-learned the importance of defensive driving... on and off the road.

Mow-tivation

Returning from the paradise splendor of O'ahu, I found a thick blanket of leaves on my back lawn.  Well, it is autumn, after all.  Still, I find myself groaning this time of year (and have every November since we moved into this house).  I'm not groaning because of the need to mulch and bag the leaves with my mower; I'm groaning because it is a weekly lesson in futility.

It seems like I no more than have all of the leaves collected in my yard over the weekend and out to the curb to be recycled as mulch on Monday morning, than the yard looks exactly the way it did before I touched a single leaf... usually within 48 hours.  Mowing up the leaves is a huge lesson in futility.  And it takes every ounce of motivation to tackle this task week after week for about five consecutive weeks.  (And for all of my environmental friends out there, please do not lecture me on using my mower to rake.  I'll reduce my carbon footprint in other ways, thank you.  If it still bothers you, you're more than welcome to hold a weekly raking party at my house whenever you want.)

We have high maintenance lawns at our work places, too.  They are called "co-workers who don't get it."  You can lecture them, coach them, threaten them, praise them, cajole them, and train them.  They always seem to go back to their old ways within 48 hours after a feedback event.  Some of you are in union shops where firing is almost unheard of.  Some of you are in companies where HR functions are non-existent.  Some of you just have wimpy bosses who won't take action.

Unlike my lawn (where the trees do EVENTUALLY run out of leaves), these co-workers seem to hang on forever.  How do I deal with them?

1. Document - write down the specifics of their behavior and what was done to correct it.  This is the number one reason why people are unable to remove the poorly behaving coworkers... no paper trail.
2. Demonstrate - you may be the reason for the bad behavior.  If they are a tactile learner and all you've done is tell them how to do something, they still may not get it because they need to do it first.  Make sure your approach matches their learning style.
3. Detail - be very clear about your expectations and what the end result looks like.  Often, we provide ambiguous terms and wonder why the outcome isn't what we really wanted.
4. Direct - sometimes people aren't following because you aren't there to lead.  Get out of your cubicle and be around to provide meaningful feedback.
5. Design - one reason for lack of follow-through is the co-worker wasn't allowed a say in the solution.  Let them help design the solution and you might be surprised how well they follow through... as opposed to just being told to do something.

Of course, it may be that they are just utterly clueless, a classic W.U.H.O.T. in a land of functioning human beings.  In that case, reassign them to something harmless and keep them out of the way of productive people until you can get rid of them.

Ho'Oko = Seize The Accomplishment

When you're having this much fun presenting at a conference...

And when the view from the room where you are presenting looks like this...

...It's not too hard to keep your presentation mojo flowing.  It was A TON of fun in Hawaii.  I was able to hear Andrea Ames of IBM talk about career management, listen to Elizabeth Larson of Watermark Learning compare "The Italian Job" to good project management skills, and learn from Bernard and Vivian Aschwanden about selecting a translation vendor.  I found out how great Hawaiian love songs sound as mediocre Karaoke.  I ate more pineapple and other fresh fruit than any Midwesterner has a right to devour in November.   Old friendships were solidified.  New friendships were forged.  And I won't rub it in by talking about the morning walks along Waikiki Beach.

So it's not really surprising that I was a little melancholy on the flight home yesterday.  As the pilot announced that it was 39 degrees in Des Moines, I reached into the seat pocket in front of me and found a bookmark a prior passenger had left behind.  Written on it was just the message I needed:  "Look back with pride on all you've accomplished.  Look forward with excitement to all the adventures ahead.  And just enjoy yourself - you've earned it!"

Thanks to the folks from LavaCon and the Honolulu PMI chapter for an awesome experience!

Dear Mr. President-Elect

(Originally posted on Iowabiz.com yesterday)

As of writing this, I do not know if I'm addressing John McCain or Barack Obama.  My message is the same, regardless of which one of you wins.

First of all, congratulations on winning one of the most epic and historic elections ever.  As one who loves the art and science of office politics, I've been riveted to the dramatic twists and turns the past 10 months have provided.

Now, however, it's time to get down to business.  And I have but one request for your performance as "Leader of the Free World":  it's time to quit acting like a politician and start acting like a project manager.  Since you're a Washington Insider, I'll explain in simple terms and try to use small words:

1. Prioritize - As a project manager, it's impossible to do everything to make everybody happy.  Our profession is blocked in by the triple constraint.  You'd better learn this principle quickly.  You have a few things that are the top of everybody's minds:  Economy, environment, education and enforcement being among them.  Special interests and party politics will need to take a back seat.
2. Define - once you've established your priorities, you will need to figure out what your project solution will look like.  You're going to get battered around quite a bit, but you're the leader we elected, so we'll expect you to have the diplomatic backbone to sell your solutions across party lines and also make all of the Joe-The-Plumbers and Joe-Six-Packs content.  Along with this, don't forget to create some metrics so you can prove to your nay-sayers you were successful.
3. Plan - create a timeline for the tasks needed to make your solution.  Get the right resources in place to make them a reality.  Make a budget.  Identify and strategize your risks.  Set the expectations of your stakeholders.  Don't get distracted by all of the special interests who will want to add to your plans.  It's called "pork" and we're sick of it.  (In project terms, we call it "scope creep."  Either way, it's bad.)
4. Lead - protect the project priorities, stay focused on the key things, execute your plans, remove obstacles for your project resources and keep us informed.  Work with us... ALL of us... Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Federal employees, State employees, Local employees and regular citizens who know how to think and solve and articulate and get things done.

Regardless of which of you wins the election, my wish, my hope and my prayers are the same, Mr. President-Elect: Act more like a project manager than a politician and figure out how to Carpe Factum.

Carpe Factum Goes Aloha

I'll be out of pocket for a few days.  I'm going to speak at LavaCon '08 in Honolulu.  It's a tough sacrifice, but I'm willing to "take one for the team."  I've heard they're predicting snow in Iowa by the end of the week.  The forecast is pretty consistent on Waikiki Beach for the next several days.  (I think I'm more excited that I'll be on a plane all day tomorrow and won't have the opportunity to listen to the talking heads dissecting Election Day coverage.)

Now where did I leave my Hawaiian floral print shirts???