Project World – Orlando, Florida – November 6 – 9



Project World & World Congress for Business Analysis, November 15 – 17, 2016Friends and Colleagues,Thank you for your interest in reading “Chuck’s Snippets 26.0” from the November 2016 Project World & World Congress for Business Analysis Conference sponsored by the Institute for International Research (now KNect365). I have included the highlights from the presentations that I attended below.I was blessed with the opportunity to provide two keynote addresses during this year’s PW&WCBA.Leveraging Brain Science to Optimize Practitioner ImpactWhat Makes a Practitioner the Best at What They Do? A Leader’s Lessons Learned, a Researcher’s Findings, and a Hiring Manager’s PerspectiveThe first presentation was in collaboration with William Greenwald, Founder of the Windsor Leadership Group. We took attendees on a journey that explored the art behind the science of Practitioner excellence by immersing them in several evidenced-based, foundational competencies and behaviors. We explored these ‘must-have’ competencies and ‘must-do’ behaviors through the lens of brain science.The second presentation addressed the potential conflict in goals and measurement of success from three different perspectives: outcomes, methodology, and the practitioner’s influence. Each of these perspectives of success shifts the emphasis on different skills and knowledge. This new tri-focal lens offers practitioners and managers a new way to focus allocation of their professional development budgets and lends insights to leadership, communications, strategic management, and managing stakeholder expectations.If you are interested in discussing any of the specific topics and/or speakers in more detail, please feel free to contact me.My standard disclaimer: While I believe all of the content of the attached summary is extremely valuable, I do not fully accept each premise or believe that all of the concepts fully apply in every organizational environment. However, these basic principles of effective leadership, business analysis and project management are definitely worthwhile contributions to our professional development.Speaker: William Greenwald, Founder & Chief NeuroleaderologistTopic:Story to State: The Art Behind the Science of Presentation ExcellenceWilliam J. Greenwald is founder and Chief Neuroleaderologist at the Windsor Leadership Group. He is also the founder and Chair of Raising Hearts Foundation, a non-profit organization he started with his wife and children to provide grant money to the parents of children being treated at St. Jude Children’s Hospital.Over the past two decades, William has held several key leadership and executive coaching positions within industry leading firms such as Vanguard Financial Group, JP Morgan Private Bank, and Humana. He holds two graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and leverages his post-graduate training at Harvard University (in the field of clinical psychology and neuroscience) to help executives optimize their talents and accelerate their strategy and change leadership efforts (source: ). The workshop started with startling statistics based on a Wall Street Journal survey focusing on challenges related to professional presentations. A motivational systems survey of 200 large companies resulted in the following findings:You’re boring me to death! In other words, 44% of attendees identified most closely with being bored during presentations. There simply was not a connection with the presenter regardless of the value of the information being presented. Notice the focus on a connection with the presenter vs the presentation content.Goodnight sweetheart, goodnight. Probably not too surprising, but 40% of attendees identified most closely with being sleepy during presentations. Great! Now you’ve pushed them past bored into a state of slumber.Huh? Where am I, and why am I here? Strangely enough, 13% of attendees selected “other”, which implied they were not necessarily bored or sleeping, but simply disinterested in either the presentation or the speaker.You knocked it out of the park! You were firing on all 8 cylinders! Ready for this? If you haven’t already done the math, only 3% (that’s three percent) of the audience identified strongly with being stimulated by the presentation. They connected with the speaker, found value in the information, and took away something of value.Of course, this begs the question, “Why!?” As so William’s presentation begins. The following statements are excerpts based on research and experience related specifically to how the brain receives and responds to stimuli…You have 10 minutes to make a connection with your audience…and that’s an audience that wants to be stimulated. If you have not made a connection within the first 10 minutes, you tend to lose attention and folks will direct their attention elsewhere. Instead of you, they’re focusing attention on checking emails, what else they need to be doing, etc.Here’s the scary part…once you have their attention, you have to regain that attention every 10 minutes. I’m having a flashback to Janet Jackson’s What Have You Done for Me Lately video. I know…I’m dating myself with this song released in1986! In short, even if you make a connection, you have to ensure you keep that connection. William used an analogy with movies. There’s always some “wow” scene upfront to grab your attention and make you want to know what happens next, what caused something, etc. Then, once they have your attention, the scenes change every few minutes so you do not lose focus on any one story, scene, or situation.I know…I know…you’re thinking that all eyes are on you when you start and they’re fully engaged. That’s actually true. The first three minutes are so are yours. They’re a gift served because of the “podium”. After that, you have to earn it.One proven approach to keeping attention is through telling a story. This is a great way to get the audience’s attention, connect them to the “data”, and perhaps even create anxiousness for the “rest of the story”. Paul Harvey made a career off of his story telling capabilities and his knack for holding peoples’ attention until that final tagline, “…and now, for the rest of the story”.How can you use a story that your audience will connect with, and understand, to capture and keep their attention?Here’s a bit of good news…the bar is low! If 3% of the presentations are stimulating, it doesn’t take a professional speaker to beat the 97% of boring, sleep inducing, and confusion creating presenters out there. So, in addition to stories, how can we improve our approach?You’re anxious, right? You are welcome to replace the term “anxiety” with fear, apprehensive, nervous, or any other word that accurately describes the butterflies in your stomach. That’s a GOOD sign! If you weren’t a little nervous about how people will perceive you and your content, it is a strong sign that you do not care. Leverage that desire to perform, convince others, inspire others, etc. to your advantage.Let’s start by killing the podium. You’re nervous, so let that adrenalin serve a purpose. Walk around a bit, mingle with your audience, and use your arms and hands to emphasize your message. Podiums can become a way hide from the audience, almost automatically prevents animation, and hinders your ability to engage with the audience.Afraid you’ll forget the “script”? Start with a story you know. How can you possibly forget your own story? You’re connecting your main points with a real-world experience. The bonus is that you do not need to memorize it. All you need is a queue, or prompt, to start your story. Any representative word or picture can remind you where to start (if you even need that reminder), and beginning with a familiar story starts you off with a confidence about your content.So, what is your story about? William shared a phrase that stuck with me throughout the conference; “Common sense is not always common practice”. Wow! How frequently do we know how things should be done; however, we allow something to prevent us from leveraging that knowledge. Call it discipline, call it relying on old processes, call it adhering to the way things have always been done, call it any trap that fits. What a great story! Start with a failure that you could have predicted. Own the prediction and hesitation to act, describe the consequences of not acting, and then paint a picture of an alternative future in which you did act.Advice: What is the best speaking advice you’ve ever been given? Who do you take advice from? Are they master presenters? Or are they someone simply interested in your development sharing something they’ve heard or something worked for them? Remember, a tennis player doesn’t always give the best advice for improving your golf game. Could some of the tennis pro’s tips be helpful or pertinent? Of course; however, if you want to transform our golf game, you seek a golf coach. Who is your presentation coach? Here are a few recommendations from William, whom…by the way…is a top-notch speaker.Accept compliments: One of the most common mistakes a presenter makes, no matter how experienced, is to blow off compliments or respond with self-deprecation. For crying out loud, respond with a simple “thank you” and express your appreciation for their comments. If you’re really seeking more substantial feedback, you can always ask if there’s anything they think you could improve to enhance your delivery or the content.Be yourself: Really…no kidding. If you talk fast, use that as part of your presentation. Do not try to change how you speak. You’ll come across as “fake”.Don’t use words that are not part of your vocabulary. Best case they ignore it. Worse case, they ask questions or challenge your comments, and you’re left with little content for a defense.Breathe: Common sense, right? Remember the previous phrase that William introduced? “Common sense vs common practice”. How frequently have you seen a nervous speaker take a deep breath, pause, and reflect to help reduce their uneasiness? Not too frequently, right? Common sense does not equal common practice.Pick what works for you: There are likely a lot of things you have heard that should be taken with a grain of salt. A best practice does not mean a mandatory practice. Does it make sense for you, your audience, and your organization?Humility & vulnerability Humility: Keeping a modest view of one's own importance; be humble.Vulnerability: Not the security or information technology version of vulnerability, but the state of being open to criticism.Humility, by nature “humanizes” a speaker. If you want to make a connection with other humans, do you not what to be human yourself? Consider how frequently you’re turned-off, or feel disconnected, with a speaker that presents themselves as the master of all things, unapproachable, and with expertise that cannot be challenged. How engaged where you during that presentation?Personal stories matter. Remember, starting with a lesson that you learned the hard way makes you both human and vulnerable. Haven’t we all made mistakes? Aren’t the best lessons learned through application?We’re all a bucket full of stories, and folks generally like to hear your “story”.Be relevant. Brilliance or personality may gain attention; however, remember that you have to retain their attention throughout the presentation. It is not about you, your appearance, your voice, your word choices, your “performance”…it is about how your information is relevant and connects to the audience. How are you helping others make decisions, apply your lessons learned, etc.?William presented what he coined as the “SHIFT” model for presentation excellenceStoryStories engage the brain. Get the audience to the right side (creative) vs the left side (analytical). Why? Here’s the science…the left side is more skeptical and requires linear evidence and data. The right side is collaborative, emotionally connects, relates through laughter, etc. Audiences that engage the right side of their brain tend to “connect” to the story and have more trust in the message.HumorWhat makes a presentation funny? Remember, laughter engages the right side of the brain!Admitting failures, mistakes, etc. can be a humorous way to demonstrate humility when delivered appropriately.Visuals: Use presentation-appropriate cartoons. For example, if you’re discussing an issue that everyone knows about; however, no one wants to openly discuss, how about a picture of an “elephant in the room”? Discuss the situation, flip to a photo of an elephant, and pause…What a cool, engaging, and humorous what to make that point that everyone knows about the topic no one wants to begin edy is a great way to tell the truth and helps us live with who we are.Getting an audience involved during a presentation, through laughter and the related responses to a humorous situation, is a great way to build a connection.ImprovThe word here is not just about being funny; it is about how you think on your feet, respond to your audience, and put your story together.“Improv” your slides. How can you do something different to stimulate discussion other than the typical bulletized list?How can you “show” your data? Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.What is your “show”? How do you use improv, or maybe even something unexpected or out of the ordinary, to make a point? For example, can you use role play during discussion or simulate a phone conversation with different voices? Something to consider…FearWhy is fear a part of the presentation excellence presentation? Well, the reality is that a vast majority of professionals have some level of fear about presenting in front of an audience. Depending on your profession, this can be a significant barrier to success. Here are a few options for addressing your fear…Test drive your presentation materials with a friend or family member. Do yourself a favor by selecting a person that is comfortable with giving you honest feedback. Someone trying to protect your feelings is not helping you.Remember, technology is not always your friend. Visit the conference room well in advance of the presentation. Make sure your technology works, that your presentation displays correctly, that your audio (if applicable) is audible, that your position is optimum for the audience, etc. Even the best content can be derailed by ineffective technology.Take advantage of uncomfortable spots, unplanned pauses, etc. created by losing your focus, forgetting content, interruptions, etc. This may be a great opportunity to connect through improv and humor.Be conversational. Have a story ready that is not part of your baseline presentation to keep you moving if you happen to freeze. Of course, this requires you to plan in advance; what’s your “pocket” story?What’s your go-to strategy if things do not go like you planned? Stuff happens. If “it” happens, what is your risk mitigation strategy? Do you have printouts in case technology fails? What if your video doesn’t play? Do you have related content to fill-in?OMG…what if you freeze and forget your script? That’s a killer, right? Not always. Address this common fear, and often experienced situation, head-on! How about (if you’re comfortable) with saying something like, “I have no clue what I was gonna say, but here’s a story to illustrate my point…”TalentVery few, approaching zero, people are born with natural public speaking talent. Experience and deliberate practice develops talent. You will never…that’s an absolute; NEVER…develop presentation skills if you avoid practice and practical experience.Speaker: Joy Toney, Senior Analyst, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalTopic: Leverage the Power of Appreciation to Increase Stakeholder EngagementHow does your organization define stakeholders? Is there a structured way to identify and addresses stakeholder needs, current levels of engagement, the desired levels of engagement, and the effort necessary to get key stakeholders to the level (and type) of engagement you need?Joy uses a familiar approach (not unlike those defined in the PMBOK) to identify and group stakeholders. The terms are slightly different; however, the principles are similar. Her focus is to pay special attention to groups that are likely overlooked or neglected. At St. Jude, they begin their stakeholder analysis (other than the project team of course), by categorizing the groups as follows:Solution delivery: Those impacted by delivery of the product or service. In addition to the team contributing to the development and implementation (i.e. project team), this group includes support. In other words, who “owns” the care and feeding of the users and/or product or service after the project closes?Affected organizational unit(s): Consider this analogous to the user group or customer. For example, if the project produces a new hospital administration system, this is the group that admits patients, enters data, and consumes the anization or enterprise: This perspective is designed to address a more global change management and impact analysis. What are the upstream and downstream impacts? What are the unintended consequences to image, brand, customers, user groups, etc.?Affected external stakeholders: This group includes not only customers, but also vendors, partners, local communities, etc. Who, other than the performing organization (St. Jude in this application), is affected by the project outcome(s)?Once Joy provided a background on how they identify and classify stakeholders, she focused the remainder of the presentation on the tactics St. Jude applies to increase stakeholder engagement. This content is based on the book, Five Appreciation Languages in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White. I have not read the book, so the following synopsis is not presented as a representation of Chapman and White’s content, but a summary of how Joy applies the learning from this read in her environment.The need to show appreciation for a specific act, accomplishment, skill, character, personality trait, etc. was emphasized throughout the presentation. The following includes a list of appreciation-showing methods based on the text.Words matter: We all too often underestimate the value associated with words of appreciation. A heart-felt “thank you” is not only sincere, but also free! When considering how to express appreciation through words, here are a few approaches to take into consideration:Personal verbal: Remember, not everyone likes to be in the limelight. As a leader, you should seek to understand your team enough to know how they prefer to receive recognition. Someone that is anxious about public recognition might associate a public display with more of a punishment than a reward. Why would you want to reward someone by making them uncomfortable?Personal written: Taking the time to handwrite and thank you with specific references to the action, trait, etc. you appreciate can be a great touch. This could even be a cherished memento for the right person. Your job is to understand their preference.Public verbal: On the contrary, you probably know the team members that prefer public recognition. Drawing attention to their contribution in front of a group increases the value of your recognition.Public written: Want to ramp it up even more for the person that likes public recognition? How about an intranet posting? A group email serves the purpose too.Quality time: How many of you completely overlooked this alternative for showing your appreciation for a job well done? Think for a moment…would you like dedicated, non-interrupted time with your leader to simply discuss whatever is on your mind, share a meal, or enjoy a group activity? This might not be for everyone; however, a great idea for teams that enjoy spending quality time together. Here are a few ideas…Quality conversation: E.g. a one-on-one lunch.Shared experience (activity): This could be either one-on-one or as a small group. Remember, the goal is to have quality time, so the larger the group, the less time you have to share with each team member.Small group dialogue: E.g. group lunch, dedicated time away from work to build team relationships.Working in close proximity: Believe it or not, not everyone enjoys out-of-sight; out-of-mind arrangements.Acts of service: This requires you to dedicate time to helping others in a way that they would find rewarding. Start by asking, “What can I do for you, how can I help?” How cool would it be if they knew you wanted to do anything possible to help free their time because their contribution to a project or task is too valuable to interrupt? Wow! Remember these tips…Ask before you help. Not everyone wants help, and some can even consider help as a sign of mistrust or plete what you start. In other words, be helpful! Who wants to go behind someone and finish a task only partially completed?Serve voluntarily, and serve with a positive attitude. You want them to see that you’re doing this out of a sincere appreciation and you see the opportunity to help them as way to reward their effort.If you’re going to help, do it their way. This could very likely be the hardest part of helping someone; however, don’t you want it to really be help? If they feel compelled to go behind you and redo something, you’re not really helping.Tangible gifts: The idea here is not a financial reward. Instead, this is about taking the time to find a gift that the recipient will value.Keep in mind that useless trinkets that adorn a cubical or desk, while appreciated by some, are not always perceived to have value. Instead, a gift card to a favorite restaurant, book store, or spa could be a valued reward that shows you took the time to provide recognition that has meaning for that individual.Also, remember that perceived value can change over time. What is first received with excitement can lose luster if over-used.Appropriate physical touch: Ok…I have to admit this one caught me a little off-guard, and even drew a bit of initial skepticism, as Joy started the discussion. After a bit of discussion through examples and explanation, Joy won me over. Granted, there are different levels of socially accepted norms in various organizations and cultures, so physical touch is not something that I would recommend as “go-to” without a little critical thinking. Of course, our minds tend to go to what we would consider inappropriate because of the phrase “physical touch.” The authors address this immediately in the text by explaining situations in which some folks feel a sense of importance and appreciation when someone gives them a firm handshake, high-five, or pat on the back.If unsure if physical touch is acceptable, simply ask.Speaker: Litzy Garcia, Project Manager Officer, Daimler Trucks North AmericaTopic: Portfolio Management in PracticeLitzy discussed the “journey to directive project management” at Daimler Trucks. As you may have discerned from my previous snippets and articles, my philosophy is that there is not a one-size-fits-all “optimum” PMO (Project Management Office) structure. Everything from the organization’s size and composition to the industry and culture can influence the PMO’s structure. The objective should always be to ensure, however structured, that the PMO is adding the intended value and contributing to the association’s strategic goals. As she described the PMO journey within Daimler Trucks North America, Litzy confirmed that not all Daimler business unit PMOs were either at the same level of maturity or even similarly structured.Daimler Trucks’ PMO evolved through purposeful stages from their initial staffing to their current level of contribution. Here’s a snapshot of that progression…Supporting: Their PMO started with what is commonly referred to as a “supporting” structure. They hired experienced project managers; however, their services were “on-demand”, they leveraged a loosely controlled set of standards, and their project managers would be used by department leaders running projects as a “second set of eyes” to ensure they were leveraging best practices and applying enough rigor to receive the benefits of a structured approach to managing the project.Controlling: The next step in their PMO evolution was to make it a requirement for the PMO to provide oversight for all strategic projects. In short, they moved from an on-demand model to mandatory use of project management office oversight. By this time, their loosely controlled set of standards had evolved to a structured set of processes (Litzy called them “rules”), and all departments were required to follow the project management methodology for their strategic projects with process coaching provided by PMO resources.Directive: The final step in Daimler Truck North America’s PMO journey, and the structure they currently enjoy, includes PMO assigned leadership for any project that cuts across departmental lines. The assigned project manager reports directly to the PMO and is selected based on the experience and skill match necessary to be successful given the project size and complexity.The organization also restructured to align with then necessary level of influenced needed by project managers operating in this structure. The PMO now reports directly to the CEO’s office.The PMO, specifically Litzy’s responsibility, is directly involved in strategic project evaluation and develops a three-year project roadmap that demonstrates how current projects align with, and contribute to, the organization’s strategic priorities. After describing the PMO structure and journey to a Directive PMO, Litzy shared additional processes and best practices her organization leverages to add value.Their project managers facilitate a daily huddle (standup meeting) with Kanban boards that provide visual indicators of work in progress, bottlenecks, and progress for specific tasks. This process has increased both visibility and awareness within the project teams and provided an incentive to have crucial conversations about risks, roadblocks, etc. in a more proactive manner.All strategic projects have a financial impact target. The PMO is responsible for identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and tracking those KPIs through implementation and post-implementation analysis to report on actual benefit realization. Project managers are also responsible for putting processes in place to ensure benefit sustainability after the project transitions into operations.The PMO is the only department that is truly cross-functional by design, so they own communication and coordination for strategy execution.Speaker: Jay Pankhania, Project Manager, MUFG AmericasTopic: Managing Change for Enterprise ProjectsJay presented a change management case study from MUFG Americas, a financial institution with over 1,100 offices in 40 countries. During his recent large scale, enterprise-wide Windows 10 deployment project, Jay leveraged the Kotter (see references below) change management model to identify opportunities to proactively manage expectations, resistance, and associated risks.Kotter’s 8 step process for change management:SourcesKotter, P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press.Kotter, P. & Cohen D.S. (2002). The Heart of Change. Harvard Business School Press.Increase urgency: This step requires the project manager to develop a communication plan that emphasizes the need for change, the consequences of not changing, and a business case for change. Regardless of how well the argument is formed, remember that it is still human nature to resist change. The stronger the motivation for change, the easier it is to move quickly through the change response curve (i.e. shock and denial, anger and fear, acceptance, and commitment).Build the guiding team: This includes engaging influential leaders (remember…focus on folks that are considered leaders, not necessarily folks with the right titles) to be active participants in change leadership. I like to reference Bohlen & Beal’s (1957) The Diffusion Process when attempting to identify stakeholders to assist with change management (i.e. Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards). Chances are you have innovators and early adopters on the project team. Finding an influential leader that can help you engage the early majority can create the momentum you need to move quickly through adoption lifecycle.Get the right vision: Do folks understand the “why” behind the change, the business objectives you’re satisfying through the project, and how this change contributes to the organization’s strategic imperatives? This information sets the foundation for the next municate for buy-in: Communications planning 101, right? Remember, different stakeholder groups need different information delivered through different mediums. A one-size-fits-all approach to communicating will typically not produce the type of buy-in needed to speed adoption and move stakeholders to a commitment to the new product, service, process, etc.Empower action: How can various stakeholder groups contribute to, and participate in, the change management processes? Seems simple; however, including key stakeholders (including resistors) will help identify approaches to managing expectations.Create short-term wins: Find opportunities to demonstrate, and promote, the benefits related to the change. The more evidence the team can provide that the “change” is satisfying the intended objectives, the easier it is for stakeholders to accept the benefit and move through to the committed stage.Don’t let up: You will encounter resistance. Everything will not always go as planned. In other words, prepare for set-backs. Quickly acknowledge lessons learned and include the issue and solution as part of your communications plan.Make it stick: Even after you’ve convinced stakeholders that the change is necessary, for the greater good, etc., there will be natural tendencies to want to migrate back to the “way things were”. It is strange how we would rather be comfortable with our current inefficiencies that we know and understand than to risk changing for the better. Alas, we’re human. Think through how you will govern the change behavior, identify variances, take corrective action, and promote adherence.Define and connect new behaviors, highlight successes, create “stories” about success with specific, relevant references.Jay emphasized that, even though every project by definition introduces change into an environment, the body of knowledge (specifically The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK?, in this context) does little to address change management in practice. Practitioners are left to their own devices to identify and apply change management best practices within their organization, and this case study was presented to offer a model that has proven successful within MUFG Americas.When…not if…you are responsible for managing change, pick a process! What process or model you select is much less important than the fact you are proactively managing change. In other words, Jay does not propose a strict change management methodology. Instead, he recommends focusing on a sound set of change management principles that a project manager should consider within every phase of their project based on a thorough understanding of their stakeholder groups. ................
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