Life Long Learning.............. I learn every day, it is a gift from the people, processes and technologies I interact with.

A Key thing I believe is the exciting world of business demands structured growth to survive.  To grow one must have a plan and then work towards that plan.  However, the level of uncertainty when trying to work towards a plan can be tremendous and is highly based on the level of work uniqueness and complexity.

Thus, one must also understand the importance of being flexible and adaptive in a rapid time-frame (identify, analyze, plan, respond). Look for helpful tools and techniques, find those simple yet effective things that can support and guide.

A foundation tool for almost all types of project or operational work follows the mantra, "P3 - T - V":
  1. Purpose
  2. Process
  3. Priorities
  4. Technology
  5. Value

I recommend to approach all business and projects by focusing on those high level concepts (in that sequential order) and then drilling down into each one of them until they become iterative with complex overlapping and multiple risk based scenario analysis.  Reminder, the key end-point is "value", which must be clearly defined and understood by all people involved.  Sometimes value can be defined as profit, other times is revenue, or quality, or reputation, or research, tangible/concrete or intangible/abstract.

Then as you drill down, group work into sub plans, such as:
  • Scope, Time, Cost, 
  • Quality, HR, Communications,
  • Risk, Integration, Procurement, Stakeholders,
  • Safety, Claims, Environment, Financials,
  • Records, Relationships.

A few things I also try to integrate into my life on a continuous basis include:
·         Collaborate and Communicate, then watch the value grow
·         “Take the high road - Good always comes back to you & things happen for reasons”
·         We all need to be confident and find “the right bus” (type of work culture/environment), “the right seat” (role and who you work with) and clear accountability
·         Embrace the word “disruptive” yet constantly focus on delivering “simple”
·         If you are determined to make something of yourself, you already are more than half done (bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing)
·         One of the qualities that separate successful people from extremely talented people, is the sheer force of their will, passion, and overwhelming desire (races are not won by the fastest; fights are not won by the strongest, they are won by those who want to win most of all)
·         Will power may not always override talent, but it is the single factor that causes people of ordinary ability to accomplish extraordinary things
·         Use the word `Fun`more often at work and at home
·         Set boundaries for your team, then unleash their talents 
·         Avoid ever using the term “too busy”, look at it as not having clarity on your priorities
·         Ensure your priorities are aligned with your management and business

·         Believe 

Also a new way of learning I must mention is to do it on-line (virtual).  So much is now available, at your own time, own location and low cost.  This changes how easy it is to access knowledge and turn it into experience (take a free degree if you like, you may not get the paper but you will get the learning).  NOTE:  see www.nexlevinc.com  for e.g. training & software solutions with unique social media PM approaches that I am very passionate about, and always let me know any feedback.