Category Archives: Leadership

Information, commentary and ideas related to the leadership behaviors and skills development.

Project Decision Making – Simpler Is Not Always Better

Posted on December 16, 2012 by donmcalister

Some years ago I bought my first scanner. In trying it out for the first time I used a document master that included text, a sketch and a signature. When I selected the “Scan” button, I was prompted to select … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Leave a comment

A Leadership Learning Moment

Posted on November 16, 2012 by donmcalister

          Learning to Be A Leader There is much to learn in the leadership arts But just one most important part. You can rent peoples muscles and minds But to be their true leader you will … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, poetry | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Managing Project Risk By Looking Inside Your Team

Posted on November 4, 2012 by donmcalister

In a September 2012 post I introduced the idea of “Implicit Metrics.” Implicit metrics are all about the nature and health of the project team operating environment and the ways in which it affects the interactions and knowledge transactions between … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Project Management Decisions – Logical or Emotional?

Posted on October 11, 2012 by donmcalister

For those of us who pride ourselves on making logical, data-driven decisions, recent neuroscience research says we’re kidding ourselves. A recent discussion posted by Paul McFadden in the LinkedIn Group, “NeuroLeadership in Project and Program Management Leadership” captured my attention. … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ideas for Better Project Metrics

Posted on September 16, 2012 by donmcalister

Project metrics are a suite of parameters that we choose during the planning phase and then monitor and analyze during execution to help us make course corrections. They inform us of our performance against the plan and trigger us to … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Project Management and the Risk and Learning Cycle

Posted on July 30, 2012 by donmcalister

During the life of a project there is a Risk and Learning Cycle that takes place that is critical to the success of the effort and an important foundation for projects that follow. This blog describes my thoughts on that cycle, … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Critical “Knowing Steps” for Successful Project Management

Posted on July 15, 2012 by donmcalister

The Critical “Knowing Steps “ for Successful Project Management Some years ago, a friend of mine, and former colleague at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Kiho Sohn, were discussing the linkage between successful knowledge management and successful project management. I told … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Learning to Be A Project Manager By Building on the Basics

Posted on July 2, 2012 by donmcalister

    Sometimes I think that as we work to develop new project managers, we make the subject matter seem more complicated than it needs to be. I’m not trying to say that all of the tools and processes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Science Behind Better Project Management Competencies

Posted on June 20, 2012 by donmcalister

There’s been a lot of discussion and a whole spectrum of opinions expressed about what constitutes the best combination of domain knowledge, relevant experience, and personal competencies to ensure project manager success. Domain knowledge and experience are generally considered “hard” … Continue reading →

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Project Management in the Matrix Crossfire

Posted on March 19, 2012 by donmcalister

Many businesses have adopted a Project/Functional matrix management organizational model as a way of ensuring enterprise focus on both the near-term execution and long-term process capability. Matrix organization theory says that Functional Managers are responsible for building, deploying and supporting … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Development, Program & Knowledge Management | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments