Forbes - Why Successful Leaders Don't Have An Open Door Policy

Kevin Kruse recently shared an article related to Why Successful Leaders Don't Have An Open Door Policy. An interesting article, that goes into great depth, but does little to answer the over-arching problem. How do you keep your staff from abusing an "open door policy?"

If It's A Big Deal To Someone...

Going through my experiences and stories I realized I needed to add a new Morey's Law. As the title stated:

If It's a Big Deal to Someone... Then It's a BIG DEAL!

Thanks to Erin Morey

Once again, a lesson learned the hard way, so I'm hoping you will be able to avoid my pain. I was working with a project team on a project that was roughly $4 million and had a team of 8 people for the consultants and another 6-8 for the client. We worked with the client's team, and the client team had overall Project responsibility. 

Here's where the problem came in: For the last 8-10 years, my projects were typically at least $10 million and the project teams were located internationally; the smallest being 15 people. Also, I was the primary PM, rather than working within an organization as the secondary PM (more like team lead). Because of these things, I perceived the project I was responsible for as important, but no big deal. 

That was the mistake! 

Wacky Wednesday - If Google Was A Guy (College Humor)

As leaders we often find ourselves interacting with interesting people. Could you imagine if this was your day? This is the first in a series of 5. I would say each one is worth a couple of minutes break during your day (although there is some language and "adult" searches, consider yourself warned).

Enjoy!

Leadership Quote of the Week - William Arthur Ward

Special thanks to Erin Morey for the picture

This week's quote comes from William Arthur Ward, an American writer excelling in inspirational maxims, such as the one above. I love this one, because I am an early riser so I get to see sunrises. Of course, Houston could use a little more sun and less rain today, but that's another conversation. Now I need to make the same effort to take advantage of opportunities. Too often I want things to be perfect. Because of that, opportunities may pass me by, or I may take too long to enjoy the fruits of them.

For leaders and business owners, this is especially poignant, as it can make or break a business. Perfect is the enemy of done, as nothing will ever be perfect. Enjoy the sunrise, and don't be afraid to take advantage of the opportunities!

Join us today at 12CST on Periscope for our Leadership Lunch, where we discuss the quote of the day. If you missed one, previous Lunches can be found on our YouTube channel!

Online Role Playing Game - Which Character Class is a Project Manager?

Photo by Jeroen van Oostrom, freedigitalphotos.net

I am approached by Millennials a lot regarding the role of a Project Manager (PM) or sometimes Team Lead. They want to know what the job is like. Now I could talk about the endless meetings, grueling hours, or the amount of leadership / communication required, but I find that these terms are meaningless to most people fresh out of college.

Instead I rely on something that a lot of Millennials have experience with: Online Role Playing Games! Games like EverQuest, City of Heroes (CoH), or World of Warcraft (WWC) are direct examples of the games they (and some of us Gen Xers) can relate to. In fact, this has become the downfall of many people. I had 2 friends fail out of college because of EverCrack, the brothers of another friend enthralled by World of Warcraft (to the point of not being able to find work), and my own personal poison was City of Heroes (now gone); although it was not to the point of impacting my work life.

Wacky Wednesday - Houston Flooding

On a more somber note for this Wacky Wednesday, the city of Houston was largely underwater after severe storms on Sunday night / Monday evening. 

Quote of the Week - Eleanor Roosevelt

Special Thanks to my wife Erin and my son Maben for the picture!

Eleanor Roosevelt is a plethora of great quotes. Here is another one, but I think she would not believe what we are doing today. Science Fiction becomes Science Fact, and the dreams of yesterday become reality at a more rapid pace than even those of us who live in this time can believe. All the more reason for leadership! Without a plan and leadership then dreams remain ethereal. Believe in the beauty, but plan the actions necessary to make the beauty real!

Join me today at 12CST on Periscope (@C4Leader) for our Leadership Lunch, where we will discuss the quote of the day. See you then!

5 Signs You Are Not A Leader After All - Inc. Magazine

Image courtesy of debspoons at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Inc. Magazine recently posted an article regarding 5 Signs You Are Not A Leader After All. In it, the author (Nicolas Cole) discusses how Leadership isn't a title, although it certainly seems to be assumed a lot. Nicolas then goes on to identify 5 signs that you really aren't a leader. Now his list is a good one, but it is missing a couple of items. I won't rehash his list here, you can click the above link to read it.

Here's what's missing (at first glance):

Quote of the Week - Luck

How often do you see a PATCH of 4 leaf clovers? In line with Vince Lombardi's quote yesterday, this quote is about work. People make their own luck through making opportunities and working hard. Again, it isn't knowledge, or skill that creates success, but the work that get's it done! Please take the time to go out and try your luck, because you won't find your 4 leaf clover sitting around.

Quick change in subject. Do you like these picture quotes on Thursday, or is there another day you would prefer? I am starting to lean towards Monday, as a way to kick-off the week. What do you think?

Quote of the Week - Leave A Trail

Photo (from the deck of the USS Lexington) and meme by Erin Morey

For my first returning quote of the week, I'm picking Ralph Waldo Emerson. This particular quote is ringing true more and more as of late. I live in Houston, and with the oil prices dropping dramatically (and staying down), along with many contributing factors, a lot of people are out of work. Add to that the fact that work in general is moving more and more to a Business of One (check out www.careerealism.com), I've realized that not only shouldn't we blindly follow the path, but that the path may actually be a trap. You have to find your own way, because no one else will. If you can do that, then you leave a trail that others can chose to follow. 

In the coming weeks / months, I will work on cutting my own trail. Please let me know if this quote resonates with you, as I will continue to post a new one weekly. 

Wacky Wednesday - Just Getting Started

memegenerator.net

This is basically how I felt when that opportunity crossed my path, but had to step back from C4. 

Well, here we go again!

memegenerator.net

Here We Go Again!

Image Courtesy of Idea go at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We are going to try this one more time. I apologize again for the lack of activity. I was offered something that at the time I couldn't refuse, but in order to do that thing, I had to step back from my own writing / blogging / etc. Now that the opportunity is complete, I can return my focus to this, and hopefully keep it there. Today is a new day, and a new beginning. At this point, I fully intend to execute on the things mentioned in previous posts. So, in the future, be on the look out for:

1. A More Consistent Update Strategy
2. Quotes of the Week via the blog (and daily via Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn)
3. More YouTube Videos
1. I've even worked on some professionally with a friend!
4. A revamped website
5. More material for leadership and communication.
6. And much, much more!

I'm hoping that this will be an exciting period for my readers and myself. I look forward to working with you. If you have ideas or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Now, let's get started!