How To Deal With Objections - 3F

Last week we discussed how to handle people who offer "suggestions" for improvement. This week we'll discuss how to handle objections to what you want to accomplish, which was also part of my Project + People = Problems workshop at PMI Houston's annual summer conference. This is a sales tactic, but as several sales books will tell you, everyone sells. In a leadership case, most people will find themselves trying to sell the end goal / vision to teams members, outside influencers, or even stakeholders. When a leader does this, people will play the "what-if" game and you will find yourself dealing with objections that range from the well-thought out to the most left field thoughts a person can put in front of you to try and trip you up. When these objections appear, let me share with you the 3F formula that could help resolve some of the issues:

Leadership Quote of the Week - John Quincy Adams

A special thanks to my wife and son for this picture. What are your actions doing to inspire others? Steve Jobs, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi each inspired millions in their actions. As a leader, you don’t need to inspire millions, but are you inspiring the people you interact with? Your team? If you can inspire people to action, then believe it or not, you’re a leader! 

How To Deal With "Suggestions" - Power Phrase

Last night I had a conversation with a kindred spirit. He's a fellow Project Manager, who often finds himself running difficult projects, and is President of a professional organization. As we talked, the conversation moved to people who constantly "provide suggestions" and how to handle them and their suggestions.

At this point, he provided his method and I found myself laughing because because two weeks earlier I presented a new program: Projects + People = Problems, in which I provided (among other things) a power phrase I use to manage expectations and deal with people who are constantly "providing suggestions." Are you ready for it? Here it is:

Wacky Wednesday - Testing Football Helmets

Apparently this is how they tested football helmets in the past (1912)?

The really funny / sad thing is that I know someone who did this to the side of a car, and if I remember correctly he wasn't even wearing a helmet... so I guess you can find volunteers to do anything.

Leadership Quote of the Week - Victor Manuel Rivera

This picture was taken the day my son's training wheels were taken off his bike. He fell a few times but his mother and I wouldn't let that be the reason for him to stop riding the bike. The real lesson was to learn to get up! Are you staying on the ground? Or are you too afraid to even try? It's time to make the effort and avoid the greatest mistake. Get up and move forward!

The 3D Factor of Leadership

A couple of weeks ago I was presenting Morey's Laws to a PMI chapter, and during the explanation of the first law, You Are Not Superman (or Wonder Woman, for the ladies) a lesson learned from the most common mistake a leader makes, I brought up something that I thought was fairly standard, but had a huge response. I picked an audience member near the front to display delegation, and said to him:

"John, how are you?"

"Fine."

"John, I need a favor, I have this assignment, and the project really needs this done by Friday, can you do that for me?"

"I'll try"

"Thank you John. Since this is critical, can you get back with me Thursday before lunch and confirm that we can make the Friday deadline?"

"Sure."

Now, I didn't think anything more of the interaction than it was a way to show delegation, however when I had the audience identify something they could use immediately from my presentation, a lady stood up and said:

"Your Double Deadline Delegation! I never knew you could do that!"

Wacky Wednesday - Acrobats

Somehow, I don't think anyone would be allowed to do this today. Can you believe this is real?! I may share more of these unbelievable photos as the weeks go on for Wacky Wednesday. What do you think?

Leadership Quote of the Week - Chinese Proverb

What is it that will make your team (or yourself) take action? Is it your words or your own action? Words are too simple and too easily uttered, only to be lost in the air, carried away by the wind. Action has a result, an impact, and consequences (sometimes lasting). If you want to be a leader, you cannot simply talk like one. You must act like one. When you do, others will take notice and follow. 

Morey's Law #8 - Stated vs Implied Tasks

Morey's Laws is about leadership lessons and experiences that aren't typically covered in a case study or process. I previously shared an example of Stated vs. Implied Tasks back in 2011. Now, in case there is confusion, we have a more recent example thanks to the recent flooding in Texas this spring.

Check out these videos:

Quote of the Week - Martin Luther King Jr.

For some reason this didn't post on Monday. I apologize for the confusion, I've been traveling a lot and working on these during the down times. Here is this week's quote (although it hit my social media Monday):

Too often we know the end goal, but we don’t see the full way to get there. This causes us to stop doing anything. Instead, we should make the first step, and then another. This applies to individuals and teams. As we progress the next step is often apparent. Don’t get stuck because you can’t see the whole staircase. Keep moving so long as you can see the next step. Just remember to look around to make sure you are climbing the right stairs!

Wish me luck this week a the PMI Houston Summer Conference. Today I present on Parachute Project Management: Jumping Into Fire and Controlling Chaos!

The Quandary of Leadership - Optimist and Realist

One month ago today I shared a quote from Aristotle Onassis, a Greek Shipping Mogul who married Jacqueline Kennedy. In case you missed it, here is the quote:

Also this month, I shared a quote via my social media feeds from Edith Wharton:

There Are Two Ways of Spreading Light: To Be The Candle Or The Mirror That Reflects It. 

Within these two quotes is the true quandary of leadership. Your job as a leader is often to define the objectives and the path forward, then make sure that the team continues to move toward those objectives. That means through the good and the bad.

Unfortunately, that means a leader has to be an Optimist and a Realist, but never a Pessimist: 

Wacky Wednesday - Adam Ruins Everything

There is a show on Tru TV called Adam Ruins Everything. I've found it to be educational and entertaining (at least it's made me stop and think). For those of you who traveled during this extended weekend, here's why the TSA may not be as helpful as we thought: