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How to Say “No” and Not Get Fired
This morning, I woke up upset. Last night I had a nightmare that Lena Dunham kicked me off the screenwriting team for her hit television show Girls. I awoke in an outrage—how dare she! Then I remembered—I was never actually on the screenwriting team for Girls. In fact, getting fired from this position I never had might be my brain’s way of telling me to just let go of that dream. Still, dream or not, there are few things that are as crushing as getting fired from your job. However, with project-based work, the potential for your client to cut...
read more3 Reasons Your Project Management Software Isn’t Saving You Time
People have a lot of expectations when it comes to project management software, so it can be a major disappointment if things don’t work out. Especially when the hefty investment you fought tooth and nail for ends up sucking up more time than it saves. It can be easy to blame it on poorly built project management software; but let’s take a step back and try to examine the real reason it’s not working for you: Needs Don’t Match Features When you first go shopping for project management software, it’s good practice to ask yourself a few key...
read moreWhy a “Family Culture” is Overrated
Management often likes to brag to the press and interviewees that their business operates “like a family”. Unfortunately, some project managers buy into this fairy tale and try to imbue this same family “culture” into their team, whether or not the team actually wants it. The results are often even more destructive than before they even tried it. So why is wanting to operating like a tight, close-knit group such as a family such a bad thing? 1. It’s not for everybody Many of us treasure our workplace relationships. We meet some great people...
read moreLaptop or Desktop? Mobility in Project Management
There is an age-old (or at least, 1975-old) question in business that has very little to do with the fundamentals of revenues costs or profits: Should I go with a laptop (also known as notebook) computer, or should I choose a desktop one? In today’s blog post, we’ll break this down to manageable steps and help you decide which is the best for your personal situation. First and foremost, let’s start with the basics: Do you need to be mobile? This can mean two different things: 1) You need to be mobile because your job takes...
read more5 Ways to Automate Your Marketing Processes To Be More Efficient
Remember the old days, when you had to walk to school uphill both ways, search for information in the library, and drop handwritten letters in the mailbox? Actually, to be honest, I don’t, but I do notice some current business practices that are as archaic and inefficient. In today’s economy, where efficiency can make or break our businesses, we can’t always afford to do things the good old fashion way. So with that in mind, today’s blog post will uncover 5 ways to automate your marketing processes to increase efficiency, save time, and...
read moreGuest Post: 5 Project Management Skills You Won’t Learn In School
To be successful at project management, you certainly need a strong technical foundation and a solid grasp of existing project management frameworks. This is the sort of understanding and knowledge you develop through coursework and classroom training. But while project management training is important, to become a truly great project manager, one also needs to exercise skills that simply cannot be learned in school. In order to reach their full potential, a project manager needs to hone a set of “softer” skills through experience, practice,...
read more7 Deadly Sins of Project Management
Project managers are people, too. We have weaknesses and bad days like anyone else. But we’re also responsible for projects with a high material, financial, and manpower cost, and we need to hold ourselves to higher standards than most. Below I’ve listed the seven deadly sins that lead project managers to failed projects and shortened careers: 1. Complacency This is one of the easiest traps to fall into, partly because it’s hard to stay vigilant 100% of the time. Everything may seem to be running smoothly, but there may be trouble under...
read moreUnlock The Hidden Potential of Your Project Management Software
Most project managers use project management software in the same way: plug in deadlines, plug in hours, compare, adjust, rinse, repeat. That’s perfectly fine—in fact, it’s what project management software is built to do. But there are other ways you can use project management software that can not only help you manage your project better, but can also improve your team’s performance and smoothen your department’s operations. All it requires is a little out of the box thinking. Go Beyond the Project Projects don’t happen in a vacuum. The...
read moreIndustry News Digest: May 6
Hi everyone, this week’s industry news digest has success stories from Jimmy Kimmel to Arianna Huffington, social tips to remove awkwardness from networking, hilarious notes from kids, and insane technology conspiracy theories– aka, all the ingredients for a fun Monday afternoon read. Business “12 Successful People Share The Biggest Career Risk They Ever Took” I don’t know how many of you aspire to have a career like Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, but this list reveals a common theme. The successful had the...
read moreWeird Psychological Tricks to Make Customers Happy
Did you know we all have a magic threshold to happiness, and that when we reach this ratio of good-to-bad events we turn from alright to happy? Do you know the best drink to offer at a client meeting to increase their good will toward you? We’ve discussed unusual ways to be a better project manager, but another necessity to be a great project manager is to ensure you’re great to your clients and customers. Take a look at these weird psychological tricks to make customers happy: 1. Offer a Hot Cup of Coffee or Tea How many times...
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