Russell Martin and
Associates Learning Flash January 2007
It’s
the time of year where we psychologically get to
‘reboot’ and try again. I am excited about the
possibilities for 2007. At the end of last year,
momentum seemed to be growing to return to helping the
people in organizations, which we here at RMA love to
do. My personal goal is to improve my leadership. To
begin, here’s a quote a friend shared with me which is
my frame for RMA this year and my resolution:
“Go
to the people, Live among them. Learn from them. Love
them.
Start with what they know, Build on what they have.
But
of the best leaders, When their task is accomplished,
Their work is done, The people will remark,
We
have done it ourselves.”
-
Ancient Chinese Poem
In
this issue:
RMA News:
·
A
Special Request from Lou
·
Reorganization at RMA
·
2007 Resolutions Lou Made for Corporate America
Teams:
·
Need a 2007 Vision and Strategy?
·
In-Service: Growing Faculty to Grow Learners
·
Writing Tip of the Month
Character — Does Your Staff Have It?
·
Constantly Being Accessible Makes You Inaccessible
·
Learning and the Web
Project Management
·
PM
for 4th Graders: Extreme Makeover, Doghouse Edition
·
The Unexpected Project Managers
·
Book Review: Project Requirements: A Guide to Best
Practices
Leadership:
·
Retention and Motivation for Technical People
·
IT
Leadership Alchemy
·
How to Get Employees to Behave Like a Bunch of 6th
Graders
·
US
Office of Personnel Management: Leadership for
Government Staff
Fun:
·
Contest
·
Fun Links
·
You Know You Are Living In 2006 When...
·
Meet Lou on the Road
A
Special Request from Lou
As
we move into 2007, I continue to talk with you to define
what RMA can do to help its many loyal customers even
more, including you! Through our work with leadership,
project management and teams, we have wonderful success
stories, as you know.
I
would appreciate it if you would share your trust in us
with one other person. Please send an email to someone
in your network who could use our kind of services.
Take a minute to share three bullet points on the value
we delivered for you. CC: Margie at
mbrown@russellmartin.com so that we can begin a
conversation. If the conversation happens, you will
each get a $ 15 gift certificate to Starbucks!
Reorganization at RMA
We
are excited to announce some new responsibilities at
RMA. As always, you can call anyone you’d like to get
your questions answered at (317) 475-9311 but our roles
will be:
Lou Russell (ext 4)
Queen, Chief Learning Facilitator
Vija Dixon (ext 3)
Business Developer: Higher Education
Margie Brown (ext 1)
Business Developer: Corporate America
Tina Osborn (ext 5)
Project Management Office
Carol Mason (ext 2) Event
Manager
2007
Resolutions Lou Made for Corporate America
My
wishes for 2007 for happier employees and financial
success:
·
Use technology to improve rather than confuse
communication
·
More face-to-face time (stop emailing people in the
next cube)
·
Write more clearly
·
Understand what business you are in and how the
business makes money
·
Make Project Management a core competency of all staff
·
People are different – leverage that
·
Get your vision back
·
Reflect and learn
·
Go
(and stay) home more
·
Count our blessings
For the entire article chick here.
Need a 2007 Vision and Strategy
Did you know RMA offers a 1 day
team planning session that can be done to think
about what your strategy is for this year before it’s
next year? Ask Margie about it
mbrown@russellmartin.com .
In-service: Growing Faculty to Grow Learners
Whether you are a trainer in a corporate environment, or
a faculty member in higher education, you know how
important it is to keep your skills and knowledge up to
date. There is nothing more energizing than learning
something new, and bringing it back to your classroom.
Consider bringing in one of the following in-service
topics (either as a webinar or Instructor Led) in 2007
by contacting Vija at
vdixon@russellmartin.com :
·
Accelerating Learning: Teach Less for More Learning
·
The 10 Steps of Project Management
·
Writing to Be Understood
·
Communications Unplugged
FREE
COPY
of Lou’s Book
The Accelerated Learning Fieldbook: Making the
Instructional Process FAST, FLEXIBLE and FUN (a
$42 value with a learning music CD included). Be one of
the first twenty people who follow these steps:
·
Using the website
www.lplusearn.com , which of these is NOT an area
RMA can help with in higher education: Recruitment,
Retention, Faculty Development, Placement Services,
Leadership
·
Email your answer to Vija
vdixon@russellmartin.com and schedule a 30 minute
call on your in-service needs.
Writing
Tip of the Month
While both disperse and disburse refer to
distributing something, they have different specific
meanings. Disperse means “scatter or break up
something.” The police had to disperse the
angry crowd after the disappointing concert.
Disburse
means “to pay out money. “We must disburse the
funds by December 31 to qualify for a tax credit.
Character — Does Your Staff Have It?
Check out this great team discussion activity from
http://www.trainingsys.com/rir/rir0107.htm#IDEAS_TO_INSPIRE
Henry Cloud, author of Integrity, says there are 6
Essential Areas of Character:
·
Creates and maintains trust
·
Is
able to see and face reality
·
Works in a way that brings results
·
Embraces negative realities and solves them
·
Causes growth and increase
·
Achieves transcendence and meaning in life
Share a newspaper or magazine article about one of your
favorite people and see if everyone can pick out these
qualities, or rate yourselves and share, or check out
the newsletter for a story about Itzhak Perlman,
violinist you can use to debrief – here’s a quote: “You
know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how
much music you can still make with what you have left."
Constantly Being Accessible Makes You Inaccessible.
In
Newsweek, 3/27/06, Linda Stone, Microsoft shares her
thoughts about all our technology. She asks us to
consider an epidemic she identified as continuous
partial attention (CPA). Brought on by PDA, cell phones,
IM, yada yada, your world turns into a never-ending
cocktail party where you're always looking over your
virtual shoulder for a better conversation partner.
Need some face to face time? Let us work with your team
for a day to establish better communication ground
rules. Contact Margie at
mbrown@russellmartin.com .
Learning and the Web
In a
2001 study done by the Pew Internet & American Life
Project, adults and teens were asked how they use the
Internet. Do they use it to teach themselves new things
or to answer a specific question? The study found that
80% of all Internet users use the Internet to answer a
specific question. More surprising, the study found that
during a typical day, 16% of adult Internet users go
online to answer a question. How does that impact the
attention span of users during online or face-to-face
training? Have we become conditioned to learning as
instant, but narrow, gratification? Share your thoughts
at
http://itsthepeople.blogspot.com .
From
Sarah Weber, IBM, who have been using the PM for 4th
Graders module: “I took that material and added and
tweaked and used my modified material with students here
for National Engineer's week activities and other school
outreach opportunities.” She has created a fun module
called Extreme Makeover – Doghouse Edition. If you are
interested in getting a copy, please email us at
info@russellmartin.com. If you would like a copy of
the FREE PM for 4th Graders module, or have made
modifications of your own, please email us as well!
The
Unexpected Project Manager
Join
us for a couple of opportunities to learn some project
management basics:
-
Online Program:
A
free Elluminate webinar “The
Unexpected Project Manager,” takes place on
Monday, January 22 from 2-3 PM Eastern and discusses
how to create a flexible project charter, manage the
expectations of key stakeholders, identify and manage
project risks, and much more. You will receive a
certificate of completion after attending this online
session.
-
A
public 1 day “The
Unexpected Project Manager” will be held in
Indianapolis, back by popular demand on March 6, 2007,
for more info
visit the RMA website.
Book Review: Project Requirements: A Guide to Best
Practices
Ralph Young gives project managers tools they can
assimilate and apply easily to improve project success
rates, reduce development costs, reduce rework, and
accelerate time to market. Can’t beat that! Based on
experience and best practices, this valuable reference
will help you: Clarify real requirements before you
initiate project work; Improve management of project
requirements; Save time and effort; Manage to your
schedule; Improve the quality of deliverables; and
Increase customer satisfaction and drive repeat
business.
Retention and Motivation for Technical People
Here’s another article from
http://www.trainingsys.com/rir/rir0107.htm#IDEAS_TO_INSPIRE
which describes perfectly our IT Leadership Alchemy
programs: Paul Glen, author of Leading Geeks: How to
Lead and Manage People Who Deliver Technology, says,
"Tech staff are inspired mostly by intrinsic motivators,
which come from loving the work itself and wanting to do
it well, much like painters and composers, not extrinsic
motivators like bonuses & bigger offices." The goal for
managers, then, is not to motivate tech staff but
instead to create an environment in which they motivate
themselves:
·
Tech staff need to be included in decisions that
affect their jobs
·
Tech staff need consistency; let them finish a couple
of projects
·
Tech staff need autonomy rather than micromanagement
·
Tech staff need to be better business people (finance,
product knowledge)
·
Business executives need to gain an understanding of,
and interest in, technology, not just see it as a
glorified office product
·
Tech staff need to know the greater meaning of their
work – who does it help?
Adapted from Profit, November 2006. Do you agree? What
do you need? Let us know at
http://itleadershipalchemy.blogspot.com
IT Leadership Alchemy
What
would you like to improve with your technical staff in
2007? Consider these options based on Lou and Jeff’s
book IT Leadership Alchemy:
-
A
3 day Leadership Academy retreat, customized to your
organization
-
A
3 day public IT Leadership Academy in Indianapolis
3/5-7/07
-
Personal
leadership coaching
-
A
1 day Leadership Team communications session
Contact Margie at
mbrown@russellmartin.com or check out the
RMA website.
Very Effective workshop! The exercises were effective
and not too painful. I learned a lot about myself and
how I work and have tangible behaviors to focus on to
improve/adapt.
Medco Leadership Student, November 2006.
How
to Get Employees to Behave Like a Bunch of 6th Graders
Thanks, Cathy, for sharing this. Vija and I saw Kenny
speak a few years ago – very insightful.
It
seems that kids don’t yet know they can’t do a lot of
things – so they just move forward and improvise. 6
shining lessons about running a business and living a
life:
-
If
people say you’re not qualified, pay them no mind.
Don’t be constrained by the judgment of others. We’ve
all been put on this earth for a purpose, which is
known only to the Divine. Talents are awarded
copiously for reasons that are not always clear. Our
responsibility is to go public and use the gifts we’ve
been given.
-
When things don’t go as planned, giggle … and keep
moving. There are forces afoot that are beyond our
control and we’re well served by greeting the hand of
Fate with a welcoming smile. Much of what takes place
in business doesn’t lend itself to quantifiable
measurements. A profitable bottom-line is often more
aligned with passion than being able to calculate
discounted cash flow.
-
Others may recognize your talents before you do. We
are often blind to our own gifts. When we’re naturally
good at something, we tend to discount its value.
Occasionally, our talents remain hidden until life
confronts us with a demonstrated need. The ancient
Greeks used to say that adversity reveals greatness;
prosperity masks it.
-
Mistakes make for new and entertaining opportunities.
Life would be boring if everything went according to
plan. General Omar Bradley said: “Good judgment comes
from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.”
-
Performing with others is better than stealing the
spotlight. Basking in the glow of the limelight can
make us blind to the rest of the action taking place
on stage. We run the risk of believing that the
audience is there in service of us, instead of the
other way around. Business leaders couldn’t accomplish
anything without the cooperation of the minions
working behind them.
-
Be
positive rather than punitive. Innovation seldom
happens if there’s no room for collegiality. People
want to do a good job and are longing to use their
skills to have a positive impact on the business.
Leadership’s role is far more daunting: building
solidarity and creating an environment where passion
and differences can flourish. As the immortal Bard so
aptly put it: “Cowards die many times before their
deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.”
So act courageously and be fearless.
P.S.
If you’re thinking about writing me, give in to the
temptation. I love getting mail ... and being influenced
by what you have to say. Please e-mail me at
kennythemonk@yahoo.com. Kenny Moore is co-author of
The CEO and the Monk: One Company’s Journey to
Profit and Purpose (John Wiley and Sons, 2004).
U.S.
Office of Personnel Management: Leadership for
Government Staff
I am
proud to have been invited to do a one day leadership
session as part of a five day program described in the
link below. This course is available to anyone at any
level of government: city, state and local. http://www.leadership.opm.gov/Programs/Specialized-Skills/LIT/Index.aspx
First Contest of the Year
Cryptic Message – as you are sitting at your desk, you
know that there is something that you were going to do,
but you can’t remember what it was. You find a note
that you wrote to yourself but you are having trouble
deciphering it. What does it say?
Send
us your answer to
info@russellmartin.com and win FABULOUS merchandise!
Fun Links
Global Volunteers (http://www.globalvolunteers.org)
You can select by type of work, country, date,
conditions, cost
Comic Creators
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.html
You Know You Are Living In 2006 When...
1.
You
accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2.
You
haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3.
You
have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of
3.
4.
You
e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5.
Your
reason for not staying in touch with friends and family
is that
they don't have e-mail addresses.
6.
You
pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to
see if
anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7.
Every commercial on television has a web site on the
screen.
8.
Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you
didn't have the
first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a
cause for panic and you
turn around to go and get it.
10.
You
get up in the morning and go on line before your coffee.
11.
You
start tilting your head sideways to smile.
12.
You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13.
You
know exactly to whom you are going to forward this
message.
14.
You
are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15.
You
actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a
#9.
Meet Lou on the Road
Again this year Lou will be speaking all around the
country. Below are the dates and locations for the next
few months. If she’s going to be in a neighborhood near
you drop her a note – she’d love to see you.
February 26-27, 2007 Training 2007 Orlando, FL
January 25, 2007 Office of Personnel Management,
Denver, CO
April 21, 2007 Mid Atlantic AAA Newark, DE
May 8, 2007 Dayton Chapter of PMI Dayton, OH
May 10, 207 Mid-Nebraska PMI Lincoln, NE
Lou Russell
President/CEO
www.russellmartin.com
|
