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A Koffee Koan?

To Be Heard Be Mute.

That is a Zen Koan. Consume it during morning coffee and let it roll around your thoughts throughout the day. Why?

Because koans move us from good to great. And I think we need "great."

So, each week I search for a zen koan that I can put out in time for coffee - a koffee koan. Something to sip. I take that koan, dug up from our history, and grow it into a story.

I write for project managers and their teams. They are the people I admire the most; the magicians that turn leaders into either Gandalfs or Golums.

This journey? To find every Gandalf.

From The Blog

stanford_university

Stanford University on Stakeholder Trust

Project management and business quality. They are linked like images and cameras. Fortunately, the best universities are starting to share their images. Today, I've pulled out a video from Stanford … [Read More...]

Excellent PMBOK Process Map from http://aryanapm.com.

PMBOK Process Map

The PMBOK is a challenging book to visualize. It has many variables in its matrix and they can interact with each other in a variety of ways. One of the biggest challenges is to understand how the … [Read More...]

Good for quick numbers

Telework Calculator: How Much Can You Save?

Yahoo Vs The US Government Perhaps they didn't use a telework calculator at all. It would explain Yahoo's recent decision to eliminate telework for remote workers from its business model. The … [Read More...]

To join you've got to suit up.

Telecommuting Team Trust

So you’ve been telecommuting for awhile and things shift; the department is reorganized, your manager moves on, you are moved to a new project, or one of several other things change your cozy … [Read More...]

Be the best - WARNING: It still takes work.

5 Road Signs Every Telecommuter Needs to Know

Be the best - WARNING: It still takes work. So you’ve joined the telecommuters world. Working remotely has great opportunities for you and the responsibilities are even greater. Don't be surprised … [Read More...]

Its ok to stand back from the stream

Not So Smart – That Can Be Very Wise

Sam was kinda silly; joining meetings late, offering ideas that had no relation to the discussion at the table and wearing an earbud for a call that was unlikely to come. For the most part, Sam was … [Read More...]

Better Communications – Better Projects

Let me show you how.

I will make your project communication better.
Let's Get in Touch

One Minute Stories

Four Communication Keys

Sonya shook her finger in the mirror. “Why are you such a dope girl?”  The day was a bust. Was the focus the same for tomorrow?  Sonya obsessed over the question as she stood in front of the … [Read More...]

Managers do not a Leader Make

Skills to Manage are Not Always Skills to Lead “ Nicki, I am not working this weekend and every weekend until this project is done just because Jessica can’t build a useful project plan.” The … [Read More...]

Stories and Planning – adversaries or allies?

Pursuing your dream can be someone else’s nightmare Lilly got the call at 3 pm Friday. Inside, she burst with excitement. The sales department agreed she would make a perfect channel sales … [Read More...]

Rumors, gossip and damages; a three legged stool

"Hey Samantha. How's it going?" Bryan asked, smiling as if he just ate the last donut." "Good Bryan! What are you smirking about?" "Well," Bryan said, pouring the sugar in his coffee and … [Read More...]

The Team Bully – When a Song Isn’t Enough

A Team bully is a fact of life Aaren was a successful data movement programmer with a good internship during his last year of university, about the time he became a team bully. He expected his … [Read More...]

Silence Speaks Loudly

Find your ally and learn to trust Jake felt he’d been played a fool and left the table abruptly. He had invited Samir, his friend, to help him intimidate his boss, Nika, into sharing what she … [Read More...]

Disneyland: A great place to get work done in India

Devika led a quality assurance group in Mumbai, India. When she was assigned to a project I was designing I was very impressed with how she incorporated her gentle approach with her sharp analytic … [Read More...]

Great approaches, Crash landings, Hard realities.

Sometimes the right answer is 'Select and Move Forward" Jake, John and Sal were team members on a new initiative to increase recycling rates in a local municipality with very different approaches to … [Read More...]

Be the best – Look out not up

Don't let intimidation change your path, rather let it run its own course. Fred was the go to guy who got caught up in being the go to guy. Jan was a go to gal who liked to help but kept her focus … [Read More...]