Personal Notes

Project Management and Other Things

These are personal notes. You are welcome to read them.

Contents

• Build a Performing Team
• Personal Notes
• Effective Speaking, effective listening, and effective emails
• Meetings
• Client Intervention
• Change
• Culture
• DISC Types
• Cohesion
• Time Management
• Misc

Note: see page without "_"

Build a Performing Team

Conflicts

• Withdrawal
• Emphasize where agreements are possible --> temporary soothing, but this does not address the underlying problem
• Compromise, "give-and-take", "win-win", assumes that people are calm
• Confrontation: get people to directly discuss conflict
• Brute force by the boss: last resort

Building a Team

• What skills do I need?
• What type of supervision does each person need? Some people need more supervision than others, therefore more of my time.
• (In situations of projects for a good cause, outside volunteer help is available...)
• Team members change as the project advances.

Personal Notes

PACA - PACA

    P   plan
      A   act
        C   control
          A   act

Time management

• Work better, not harder
• Don't worry, make a problem and solve it
• Get only the important things perfect
• Put a plan on paper NOW and act.

Decisions

Good first impressions

• Good posture
• Neat appearance
• Positive non-verbal communication
• Eye contact
• Confident handshake

Dale Carnegie's Principles

These are personal notes from the Dale Carnegie course[5], probably the best course for building friendships and improving professional relationships.

Win people to your way of thinking

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

Leaders are expected to have more confidence.

• Build a supportive environment surrounding you
• Be resolved to succeed
• Be receptive to constructive criticism
• Set attainable goals

Stress Management

Most of these are from the Dale Carnegie course[5]

Main principles in overcoming worry:

• Live in "day-tight compartments," meaning live each day until bedtime and handle each day's tasks.
• Ask "What is the worst that can possibly happen?"
• Prepare mentally to accept the worst and calmly try to improve upon the worst.
• Some things we worry about are less important than the negative impact of worry on health.

Analyze worry

• Get the facts. If you do not have enough information, you cannot make a decision.
• Weigh all the facts, and take a decision.
• Act on the decision and dismiss anxiety about the outcome. Set milestones to allow for a change of decision if appropriate.
• Further analysis:
  • What is the problem?
  • What is the cause of the problem?
  • What are all possible solutions?
  • What is the best solution?

Some additional tips on breaking the worry habit before it breaks you

• Keep busy.
• Do not let little things ruin your happines.
• Use the law of averages put worries into perspective: "What are the odds against this thing's happening at all?"
• Co-operate with the inevitable.
• Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth--and refuse to give it anymore.
• The past is the past; it can't be changed.

Good habits

• Rest before you get tired.
• Learn to relax at your work.
• Learn to relax at home.
• Apply these four good workings habits:
• Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand.
• Do things in the order of their importance.
• When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts to make a decision.
• Learn to organize, deputize, and supervise.
• To prevent worry and fatigue, put enthusiasm into your work.

Maintain enthusiasm:

• Act enthusiastic and you will feel enthusiastic
• Call a satisfied client when you feel you need a lift
• Spend more time with enthusiastic people, and less time with complainers
• Set achievable short range goals, and celebrate after you've reached them

Some other thoughts:

• New experiences are opportunities to learn, rather than occasions to win or lose. They can also be challenges to test my limits.

Improve Sales Effort

Here are some tips for a successful sale [5]:

• Connect with those who make the decisions
• Build credibility for myself and the project
• (Organize contact data)
• Turn the discussion to show the mutual benefits
• Follow up as much as possible after a discussion

Prioritize

Give value to tasks

--> get rid of unimportant activities (value 1)

• Do --> then do the full cycle
• Dump
• Delegate (but delegate objectives and not procedures)

General techinques for work method

• Standardize: do similar tasks in the same way
• Regroup tasks, expecially those that need going somewhere
• Anticipate in announced events: ask, what if...

Classify papers: max of 8 categories

Write Report

• Determine outline or get a template/model
• Collect information
  • Analyze
  • Ask questions and follow-up
  • Write notes
• Write report

Budget

• Needs assessment
• Préprojet (délimiter le terrain)
• Project proposal
• On paper

Get the Project Moving

Get moving, ask questions, but not too many

Work at three levels:

• Lowest level: explore and analyze as much as possible, into all the detail available
  Experience tells where to concentrate efforts.
• Middle level:
• Put ideas into a draft design but do not publicize
• Fill in known design artifacts, without spending too much time, because this is a draft
• This gives me the quesions I need to ask
• Ask questions when things are not clear
• Wait for confirmations, don't ask people to confirm things at this level
• When you don't know what to do, research, brainstorm, and then decide
• High level: communicate high-level design
  Expect confirmations of choices made earlier

Agenda

Every night:

• Fill journal of meetings
• Take important info and put it somewhere
• Write daily report
• See next day and fill agenda
  • Meetings, times
  • To do in town, in office
  • Put priorities
  • Keep things that are urgent

Types of power

• Legitimate power (authority)
• Power to reward
• Power to punish / coerce
• Expertise
• Power of reference (~popularity)
• Power of association (member of ...)
• Power of information

Develop the skills of a leader

• Be assertive when speaking with others, not aggressive
• Ask questions instead of giving direct orders
• Control the situations in your life instead of letting them control you
• Speak up on behalf of your ideas before someone else willingly does so for you
• Surround yourself with a supportive environment
• Be resolved to succeed
• Be receptive to constructive criticism
• Set attainable goals

Triangle of Success Skills and attitude determine 85% of success, whereas knowledge only determines 15%. Therefore, use skills and attitude (enthusiasm) to work with other people and draw out their knowledge so as to be successful.

Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions

Notes taken from reading the Harvard Business Review article [6].

Decisions are based on pattern recognition and emotional tagging of past experiences. Though this generally serves us well, it can lead to biases because of the influence of inappropriate self-interest, misleading memories, and distorting attachments. To protect against these effects, involve other people:

• Analyze more, or consider input from someone else's experience
• Debate more, or challenge the logic
• Require higher-level approvals

Effective Speaking

This section starts with a few tips on effective listening
Notes from Dale Carnegie course. [5]
See the bottom of this section for "Effective Emails."

Effective Listening

Tips for better listening: LADDER

• Look at the person I am talking to
• Ask questions
• Do not interrupt the speaker
• Do not change the subject; listen to the flow of the meeting
• Express emotion, but with control
• Respond appropriately. When in doubt ask my question later

Conversation

• Pacing. (Pacing is a form of active listening where short questions are asked and acknowledgements are given).
• Ask open questions
• Ask "W" questions (When? Where? Who? What? Why? How? en-er-o at-y how)
• Check the facts (with the person)
• Leave options open.

Fundamentals of Effective Speaking

1. Acquiring the Basic Skills

• Take heart from the experience of others
• Keep your goal before you
• Predetermine your mind to success
• Seize every opportunity to practice

2. Developing Confidence

• Get the facts about fear of speaking in public
• Prepare in the proper way
• Predetermine your mind to success
• Act confident

3. Speaking Effectively the Quick and Easy Way

• Speaking about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study
• Be sure you are excited about your subject
• Be eager to share your talk with your listeners

Speech, Speaker, and Audience

4. Earning the Right to Talk

• Limit your subject
• Develop reserve power
• Fill your talk with illustrations and examples
• Use concrete, familiar words that create pictures

5. Vitalizing the Talk

• Choose subjects you are earnest about
• Relive the Feelings you have about your topic
• Act in earnest

6. Sharing the Talk with the Audience

• Talk in terms of your listeners' interests
• Give honest, sincere appreciation
• Identify yourself with the audience
• Make your audience a partner in your talk
• Play yourself down

The Purpose of Prepared and Impromptu Talks

A talk can have one of four purposes:

• persuade the audience to take action
• inform the audience
• impress or convince the audience
• entertain the audience

7. Making the Short Talk to Get Action

• Give your example, an incident from your life. Use single personal experience. Start the talk by plunging directly into a detail. Give only relevant details. Relive the experience as you talk about it.
• State your point, what you want the audience to do. It must be brief and specific. It should be easy to do. 10 seconds.
• Give the reason or benefit the audience may expect. Give only one benefit. It must be relevant to the talk. 10 seconds.

8. Making the Talk to Inform

Prepare for a Presentation: LIONS

• Language easily understood: avoid technical terms that might be unfamiliar to non-IT people
  Compare the strange with the familiar
• Illustrations: use visual aids
• Organize thoughts: lay out steps and point them out with "Step 1 is ... Step 2 is ... Step 3 is ..." Try not to backtrack.
  Arrange your ideas in sequence and enumerate your points as you make them
• Narrow subject to key points. Don't try to cover too much. Allow time for enough detail to be understood.
  Restrict your subject to fit the time at your disposal
• Summarize the important points at the end

9. Making the Talk to Convince

• Win confidence by deserving it
• Get a Yes-response
• Speakin with contagious enthusiasm
• Show respect and affection for your audience
• Begin in a friendly way

10. Making Impromptu Talks

• Practice impromptu speaking
• Be mentally ready to speak impromptu
• Get into an example immediately
• Speak with animation and force
• Use the principle of the Here and the Now
• Don't talk impromptu--Give an impromptu talk

The Art of Communicating

11. Delivering the Talk

• Crash through your shell of self-consciousness
• Don't try to imitate others--Be yourself
• Converse with your audience
• Put your heart into your speaking
• Practice making your voice strong and flexible

The Challenge of Effective Speaking

12. Introducing Speakers, Presenting and Accepting Awards

• Thoroughly prepare what you are going to say
• Follow the T-I-S Formula
• Be enthusiastic
• Thoroughly prepare the talk of presentation
• Express your sincere feelings in the talk of acceptance

13. Organizing the Longer Talk

• Get attention immediately
• Avoid getting unfavorable attention
• Support your main ideas
• Appeal for action

14. Applying What You Have Learned

• Use specific detail in everyday conversation
• Use effective speaking techniques in your job
• Seek Opportunities to speak in public
• You must persist
• Keep the certainty of reward before you

Effective Emails

Goal: better inform, better sollicit action, or both.

Subject lines:

• For information: identify the subject in such as way as to help for filing the e-mail for future reference.
• For action: give concrete details, put a verb that suggests need for action, and a deadline.
• Place important words near the beginning of the line; eventually use a colon, remove
• Do not use words such as "FYI," "important," or "urgent" without additional concrete details
• Be specific for multiple topics, or split e-mails
• Capitalize the important words
• Add a subject line when replying to a message without one
• Write a new subject line when the topic of the thread changes, or to emphasize a point

Content

• Action-oriented subject line
• Informational context at the beginning of the email if needed
• Specific details on action requested, including what is requested and by when
• Provide the main point
• Provide relevant details to understand the main point and the reason for the action requested. Add benefits from the action.
• Add a summary at the end of a long email to paraphrase the request
• Aerate the text, put in paragraphs. Each paragraph should relate to the subject line, and explain the subject, the action, or the main point. Eventually put small titles on the chunks.
• Because of the loss of formatting in emails, capitalize titles and use asterisks for bullets.
• For attachements, give the format, the file size, and the number of pages.

Some tips for style

• Address the reader directly instead of impersonal/passive sentences
• Re-use the sender's words to show that you have read the original message
• Use complete sentences.
• No slang
• Use positive sentences: describe what is possible, give the positive goal, don't criticize but describe what is desired, give helpful pointers
• Formal, but not stuffy: busines casual style, as used with a boss for example.
• Be careful of what would happen if the email was forwarded
• Greeting: Dear Ms/Mr x; Hi first_name; Dear title_with_plural.
• If this is a first contact, remind the recipient where we might have met previously. Use a sentence like: "I am CT, manager of ..."
• Sign with name, job title, and contact information when the recipient may not know me well
• When responding to a long email, quote the parts I am responding to or summarize the points.
• When forwarding, clean up the clutter. Give a brief reason for forwarding.
• When forwarding a message with sensitive information, ask permission first.
• CC to people who need to know but will not take action. Too much CC makes it look like I want to play it safe.
• Do not send by email inappropriate content, points of a complex negotiation, time-sensitive information, confidential information, negative feedback, bad news, apologies, anger.

Gender-neutral language:

• Replace "his"+noun with a verb
• Replace "he" with "who", "what", "that"
• Change singular to plural
• Replace "his" with "a" or "the"
• Remove "himself"

When first reading an email, look at the following:

• Who is sending it?
• Who is it addressed to?
• What is the subject?
• Is it just information, or is action required on my part?

Meetings

notes from chapters 12, 3, 2, 4 (briefly), 5 (briefly),

Preparation

• Ask "W" questions (When? Where? Who? What? Why? How? en-er-o at-y how)
• Set agenda, mark contributions
• Few people
• My views on topics.
• Talk to the sponsor of the meeting and get her/his ideas on the purpose, outcome, potential issues, and attendees.
• Keep tricky problems at end
• List the people who are expected to attend, and tick off the names. Refer to the list in the convesation so as to have the correct names. This is especially important for telephone meetings.
• Prepare an introduction whenever I meet people for the first time. Start high, and go down.

The five P's for Preparation

• Define a clear Purpose or a clear set of objectives
• Define the Product or deliverables. Eventually, bring a sample delivable to the meeting.
  The three H's: Hands, Heads, and Hearts.
• Find out about the Participants and their perspectives. Note that the type of meeting determines ideal number of participants.
• Think over the Probable issues, likely concerns and eventual obstacles.
• List the Process or steps to attain goals of the first P. To develop an agenda, first define the critical question (first P) then lay out the questions that led up to the critical question. Then put them into a logical order.

For each agenda item create a facilitation guide for personal use in leading the discussions.

• The five P's
• P: Process technique
  • Gathering the facts
  • Categorizing
  • Inquiring
  • Generating ideas
  • Prioritizing
  • Reporting
  • Getting feedback
• Q: type B starting question (see below in "Techniques for Facilitating")
• R: how the responses will be recorded (notes, template, flip-chart)
• S: Supplies and materials
• T: Timing

Distribute the objectives and the agenda.
Prepare starting questions and opening words. Who will speak first?

In the Meeting

Getting started

• Start on time (give a two minute warning before the start)
• Welcome the participants
• If the sponsor speaks first, listen carefully so as to make references back to the sponsor's comments.
• Explain the process and inform with a review of the objectives and deliverables
• Explain the benefits to enthuse the participants
• Empower by explaining the role that the participants have in the decision
• Explain the agenda.
  To get participant by-in, ask for what they would like to see discussed (round-robin), such as their key issues or personal objectives. Review the agenda, modify according to previous respnses, but then get agreement on the modification
• Determine who will take notes
• Propose some ground rules, ask for additional rules and then obtain acceptance

During the meeting

• Follow agenda; deal with one item at a time
• In case of long discussions, make an "issue" and deal with at the end or at another meeting:
  "That is a good point. Can I note it in the issues list?"
• Also keep a list of decisions and a list of actions
• Encourage participation and open communication
• Take notes: record all answers first, then discuss each answer to complete it, improve on it, correct it, ... Use the speaker's words so as not to re-interpret. Write enough words to be clear. If it is long, ask for a headline.
• Give sufficient information early in the process
• In the discussions, start with a wide array of options, then narrow to one agreed path.
• Try to get easy successes and agreements first, leaving the difficult issues for later.
• To help decision making, agree on criteria or values before discussing the decision.

Checkpoints between "chapters"

• Review what was done
• Preview next step
• Fit the next step in the overall agenda and explain how it fulfills the objectives

Dysfunctional behavior

• Three possible sources of displeasure:
  • session content
  • meeting process
  • or outside factors
• Handle it:
  • Approach the person, either privately in a break or generally in the group
  • Emphasize with the symptom
  • But address the root cause
  • Discuss and agree on a solution
• Some specific cases:
  • If someone leaves, do a round-robin to let people talk about it
  • Ask a nay-sayer how to make it better
  • Remind the whisperers about ground rules

Review and Close

• Define time and place for next meeting
• Review what was done: review decisions, tasks and follow-up items; assign people to tasks
• Determine if objectives were met
• Agree on next steps
• Set time for next meeting
• Express thanks
• End on time

After meeting

• Distribute meeting minutes within two days
• Include decisions taken
• Action required and by whom; responsibilities; deadlines

see page 264 for standard agendas

Techniques for Facilitating

The type B Question

• Present an image: "Imagine...," "Think about...,"
• Further extend the image, describe a scenario
• then ask the type A question
• "Could", "should", "must", or "will" in the question will lead to a different types of answers in a range from a large number of options with no commitment to fewer but committed answers

Reacting Questions

• Direct probe, to challenge what the facilitator may not agree with: "Why is that important?"
• Indirect probe, to allow the participant to clarify what the facilitator is not sure to have understood: "Is that important because....?"
• Playback question, to clarify what the facilitor understood but maybe the participants did not: "It sounds what you are saying is... Is that correct?"
• Leading question, to seek other possible solutions that might have been overlooked: "Are there other solutions in the area of...?"
• Redirection question, to get the conversation back on track: "That's a good point. Can we put it on the issues list and get back to it later?"
• Prompt question, to help keep the conversation moving: "We have covered a, b, and c. What else might we do to ....?"
• Floating an idea (use sparingly): "what if ..." then ask what the benefits would be

Page 39&ff of [4] describe these reacting questions.

In case of disagreements (page 42)

• First playback to remove simple misunderstandings
• Agree with one of the points
• Then challenge with a question that will either address the objection or lead the person to agree

Sources of disagreement:

• Participants have not clearly heard and understood each other: direct specific questions, enabling each side to clarify
• Participants come with a background of different values or experiences: identify the strengths and weaknesses of each argument and merge the best
• Participants have a history of confrontation or a personality conflict: take it to a higher source or authority

Process techniques

• See chapter seven

Much of the material above comes from:
[4] Wilkinson, Michael: The Secrets of Facilitation, the S.M.A.R.T. Guide to Getting Results With Groups, Jossey-Bass, 2004
See Leadership Strategies.

The Kick-off Meeting

• Goals of the project
• Phase and deadlines of the project
• Responsibilities of each person involved
• Review schedule and work plan
• Define communication:
  • required reports
  • meetings to be held
  • other types of communications
• Get commitment and communicate enthusiasm
• Establish leadership style
• Build a team spirit
• Give explicit green light for the first tasks to the people in charge of them.

In the first meeting:

• Introduce team members
• Review objectives and schedule briefly
• Discuss methods of project management
• Review and discuss changes to project plan

One-on-one meetings with each team member:

• Why he/she was selected
• Performance expectations
• See delegation

Intervention at Client

Follow-up

• Call and explain what is coming. If no answer, a voice mail is fine. The person will know to look for the e-mail.
• Copy to appropriate bosses and colleagues
• Set a follow-up flag on the e-mail
• Offer to set up a meeting for walking through the issue

Before

• Say how long it will take
• Explain the major steps, from the clients point of view: logoff, affected work, ...
• Arrange a time best for client by phone or in person
• Check the location of the client, in person at the same time as arranging a time

After

• Explain what should be done to use the installed product
• Say "don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions."

Responding to perceived defect

• Get details. Analyze based on facts and specific examples. the issue if necessary (in application development).
• How should it be? Not every perceived defect is a defect. People may misunderstand how the application should run.
• How critical is the issue? Get business owners to define the urgency. Not every bug needs correction straight away. It can be documented and handled later.
• With this information, propose permanant options that respond to the issue
• If the timeline for the permanent solution is not acceptable, help identify ways to help for a workaround

Change

Obstacles to change:

• Opinions - what people will say
• fear of loss of power
• fear of effort
• over-protection
• security and certitudes of current situation
• current routine

Allies of change:

• enthusiasm and passion
• curiosity
• insecurity of current situation
• unknowns of current situation

Allies and Opponents to Change

Note that a same person may hesitate between stability and change.

Two axis:

• Synergie (cooperation for change) - there is something to gain
• Antagonism (resistance to change) - there is something to lose

Some examples of changes[2]

• The company's priorities change --> the project's priorities have to be justified
• An overall staff re-organization removes project members --> negotiate a way to keep key members (or find replacements)
• Cuts in budgets everywhere, including the project's budget
• The competition has announced something similar --> get more resources (or forget it)
• the mission is impossible --> renegotiate the goals

Handle change[2]:

• Make the expectations clear
• See impact on project's (time / budget & resources / functionality)
• Any alternatives?
• Make a new project plan document and get it approved as if it were a new plan
• Inform everybody about the changes

Culture

A cultural system is difficult to change. Try to understand it.

Elements of cultural differences

Direct vs indirect communication

• Japan indirect
• US very direct
• Latin Am: indirect; ask open-ended questions instead of stating a comment, out of respect. Act humble.

Differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority

• In F, meet the bosses and their bosses.

Conflicting norms for decision making

• US take decisions fast, without all the facts
• UK think it over more
• CH use consensus with all actors

And more elements:

• Distance between speakers: in US don't stand close, Latinos get close
• Punctuality, importance of deadlines
• Conversation in the form of repartee involves speakers taking turns. It is the preferred form in US. Don't talk too long so as to let the other person have a chance to say something.
• Ritual interaction is composed of standard questions and answers, for example in greetings.
• Arguments are no problem in France. In US, people avoid them. Avoidance involves changing the subject or pretexting something to leave the situation. If the argument cannot be avoided, they speak calmly and use few gestures.
• Verbal dueling is a friendly debate. In the US, they are in a light tone and not supposed to be taken seriously. They are about sports or other less serious subjects such as politics. Verbal dueling in FR, DE, or UK in politics is acceptable.
• Interrupting is very rude in US.

Subjects of small talk:

• In US: Name, "where are you from?", house, work, sports, hobbies, travel
• In US: The day's news, the surroundings, recent movies, ravorite restaurants, cars, sports, home, children. Tabous are religion and politics, income.
• In Latin America: sports, arts local sights, travels, food. Tabou: religion and politics, income
• In FR: art, music, politics!, sports. Tabous are personal questions, jobs!,
• In IT: travel, food, art, wine, beauty of scenery and cities
• In DE: more substantive topics: sports, travel experiences, world politics

Some Tips

• When arguing/discussing, it is important to distinguish between the value of the ideas and the value of the people
• Trouble with accents and fluency: participants could say: "when you do not understand, please feel free to stop me and ask questions"

U.S. Culture

P.14 invitations to h?
P.15 Subtle signs of status

Main characteristics of people in U.S.

• They are self reliant and independant
• Assertive, meaning that they express feelings and requests directly and plainly. But there are taboos p.28-29.
• Americans offer only once.
• They openly express preferences
• They are punctual within 5 minute margin
• Written agreements are important.
• Americans are generally honest, except in politics and in advertising

Politics and religion are controversial because they can lead to arguments and arguments could end a relationship

Financial questions are too personal (in Germany discussing politics is OK. In Latin America health of the family)

The most common mode of discussion is repartee in which each person speaks in turn. Some liken it to a tennis match. Don't talk for more than a few sentences.

Eye contact. When starting to talk and when finishing. In between the eyes wander. Keep eye contact when listening though looking away from time to time.

Americans use words to express messages. Non-verbal cues can be overlooked when in doubt because they are generally not intentional.

In an emotional exchange look for facts

It is OK to discuss what behaviors are appropriate in given circumstances

Context in unimportant. Focus on the main point. Get to the point. Do not digress and go off on tangents

Stick to the facts.(in Latin America and Europe people also discuss theories behind the facts). There is no magic. There is a cause or reason for each incident.
Statistics make facts more credible
Personal experience is also credible

According to the 2003 Census bureau:
20% of households earn less than $18,000 / year
20% of households earn more than $83,000 / year
5% of households earn more than $150,000 / year

Movement from one class to another through merits or misfortunes.
There is respect for "the self-made individual", with energy, determination, and ability to be successful at something

"Racial and ethnic discrimintation should be seen against the background of a much broader (less discussed) tendency of many Americans to exclude one another - of any etnic group - through fear of losing their own place. Prejudice is more economic thant racial, though racial prejudce is a constant source of conflict that that rhoughtful people continually try to eliminate from society."
P. 41, Alison R. Lanier, Living in the USA, Intercultual Press, Boston

DISC Types

Generally:

• Describe problem
• Describe solution
• Describe benefits
• Reach agreement on next steps

Adapt the process above to each DISC type below.
The asterisk indicates what is specific to each DISC type.

D - Driver

• Explain solution (high-level) * This is first step!
• Explain problem (high-level)
• Explain benefits
• Reach agreement on next steps

Remain brief, direct and to the point.
Ask "what" not "how"
Stay away from making generalizations and statements without support.

I - Influencer

• Introduction: pleasantries *
• Explain problem (high-level)
• Ask how to solve the problem *
• Explain solution (high-level)
• Ask for benefits *
• Reach agreement on next steps

Allow for pleasantries.
Focus on the big picture, with details in writing
Minimize negativity

S - Steady / Amiable

• Introduction: pleasantries *
• Explain problem (high-level)
• Explain solution (high-level)
• Explain benefits
• Reach agreement on next steps

Ask for ideas and try to get responses... after listening carefully
Provide personal assurances and guarantees
Can be hard on themselves to head off criticism
Can give laborious tasks as they have more patience

C - Compliant / analytical

• Explain problem (high-level)
• Then give detailed explanation of problem *
• Explain solution (high-level)
• Then describe alternate solutions *
• Explain benefits
• Reach agreement on next steps

Visual, Auditory, Kinestetic

Accessing visual memory: look at upper left; creating image: upper right
Accessing auditory memory: look at left or lower left; imagining sound: right
For feeling: look down at hands

Talk to people according to their preferred base of language

Cohesion

Hierarchy of needs

Factors of Motivation

Motivation / Satisfaction:

• Accomplishment (doing something worthwhile)
• Outside appreciation
• Interesting work
• Responsibility
• Possibility for advancement

Factors of non-satisfaction:

• Policies of the company and the administration
• Supervision
• Salary
• Personal relations
• Conditions of work

The team members must be better motivated for the project than for their normal work otherwise they will not give time to the project.

Differentiation

MBTI

• Location of a person's energy
• How information is perceived
• How information is processed
• How decisions are taken

Interpersonal Relations

• Give responsibilities to dominants
• Manage those of type "submission"
• Give ambitious goals to competitors
• Give collective goals to those of type "solidarity"
• Assign technical tasks to cerebrals
• Assign "change management" tasks to those of type "affection"
• Give jobs without interactions to those who work alone
• Assign training/communication tasks to those who like contacts

Time Management

Miscellaneous tips:

• Time is needed to "enter" into an activity. After an interruption, the mind has to reconcentrate on the activity. Therefore, minimize the risk of interruptions.
• The best length for breaks is 10 minutes per hour. Change activity during the break. Or do several different things (one after another).
• The brain works in cycles. An un-accomplished cycle lingers in the brain. The unconscious brain can handle up to eight different items, meaning that up to eight un-accomplished cycles can linger in the brain. Break cycles into smaller cycles so that they can be finished sooner.
• In the same way as a gas takes up all available volume (Parkinson's law), a task will tend to take up all available time. Therefore, fix limits in time (deadlines).
• Pareto's law: 20% / 80%

Miscellaneous

The amateur knows what to do;
the professional knows what not to do.

Stress
     --> fight (action)
     --> inaction (the rurbo-reactor of stress goes in circles --> not good)
     --> flight (action)

Significance given to a situation
--> physical reaction
--> action
An action impeded by excuses leads to passivity. To conteract the passivity, and to go down a path of action, consider:

• Instead of doing nothing, ask "What can I do to make it work?"
• Instead of agitation (a lot of wind for nothing), stop and plan.
• Instead of over-adapting (trying to please the boss, even if it is in an inefficient way, "what would they like me to do?"), ask "what should I do to reach the objectives?"
• Beware of imposion, incapacitation, or explosion.

Confidence = 1 - (sum(problems identified))²

Some tidbits

• Negotiate with only those who will negotiate. Do not grant concessions to those who will not reciprocate. Instead, sideline and marginalize the latter.
• Humanize opponents: they have a human agenda. Name anonymous opponents to neutralize them.

Career anchors (first coined by Edgar Schein in 1968) are motivations or self-perceived elements of importance for an individual in the choices made about his or her career. Anchors of a career:

• Technical and functional competence: enjoying learning and using technical and people-related skills.
• Management competence.
• Economic (and organizational) security: need for a stable and secure environement and employer. Because of the changing workplace athmosphere, people are asked to be increasingly self-reliant and self-managed and see job security in gaining experience and competence so as to be employable.
• Entrepreneurial creativity: finding new types of business
• Autonomy: need to have independence in the job and not depend on other peoples' decisions, as consultants, people who open there own business.
• Service or dedication to a cause: motivated by the goal of the work rather than the work itself.
• Pure challenge: desire to overcome challenges
• Lifestyle: work is only one of the elements of enjoyong life
• Geographoical stability, entrepreneurial creativity, sense of service, lifestyle

Sources:

• [1] Henri-Pierre MADERS, Manager une équipe projet, Leadership-grilles de lecture, cas concrets, Edition d'organisation, 2003
• [2] Sunny and Kim Baker: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management, Alpha Books, 1998
• [3] Free Software Selection Course (looks like a personal web site, but good reading. It inspired me for many of the comments above.)
• [4] Wilkinson, Michael: The Secrets of Facilitation, the S.M.A.R.T. Guide to Getting Results With Groups, Jossey-Bass, 2004
• [5] Dale Carnegie Course, and emailed tips. I strongly recommend this course for building professional relationships and building work contacts.
• [6] Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions, Andrew Campbell, Jo Whitehead, and Sydney Finkelstein in the Harvard Business Review, February 2009.