Career

March 16, 2017 By stefwhitlow

Listen While You Work…or Commute…or Exercise…Just Learn

I wanted to take a minute and update this podcast post!! I still really enjoy listening to these and I’ve learned so much about what’s new in the field of Project Management over the last few months. With that I wanted to update a few of the One to check out sections (see below). If you’ve taken my recommendations (and earned some PDUs besides!), then you may have heard these updated ones. If not, here’s your chance to get caught up and still learn a lot from the latest podcasts.

In finalizing goals for 2017, I wanted to learn more about the things that will allow me to create business relationships. Part of that is learning to speak the language of management, project management.

I wanted to share a list of informative podcasts that I have added to my weekly roster of listens…

Project Management

These podcasts certainly know their audiences since most provide episode lists in a spreadsheet format (We all love spreadsheets!) and offer PMI test prep, books, and allow you to earn PDU’s.

People and Projects Podcast – Managing projects and managing people takes a special kind of expertise, and this podcast shares how to resolve conflict, persuade a team, and engage stakeholders. Subscribe to get new episodes which are available every week or so. One to check out (January): The Most Important Lesson You Learned Last Year.

>>One to check out (March): But What If Their Bingeing on Netflix about managing remote teams. Emily Luijbregts is being interviewed and she sounds like a phenomenal leader. She explains how she tries to make everyone on her team feel included in the project by having them post family photos, doing video conferencing, and sharing cake recipes on Slack. Great take away: Trust is a 2-way street. PMs will back you up but you must be honest with them. (I always enjoy the energy of these podcasts, no matter who is being interviewed!)

Manage This – The Project Management Podcast – This podcast includes sessions with catchy titles like “Thor, the Norse God of Project Management” and “Papergate.” The information in each episode ranges from general project management to specific methodologies like Six Sigma and Agile in a discussion/interview format. Velociteach, the host’s company, offers online courses and other Project Management resources. The podcast is a little over a year old and is available the first and third Tuesday of the month. One to check out (January) : Alpha Project Managers

>>One to check out (March): Are You Too Soft? explores the concept that not enough project managers (or team members) take the initiative and own a project. A great quote, “You almost always have the authority. The problem is that you don’t take it.” Great take away: Exceed your authority and see what happens.

PMPodcast – The host has produced over 300 episodes and shares up-to-date information for beginners and experts alike. This podcast often combines PM and Agile. One to check out (January): Get Unstuck in Your Project (and join Projectmanagement.com to be part of a PMI community!)

>>One to check out (March): Guest hosts from Scope of Success podcast and they speak with the founder of PMI Long Island chapter and discuss interviewing. Great take away: Make sure your PMP is up-to-date before you interview, know the difference between a risk and an issue, and what are the top 3 things you do after you start in a new company as a PM. (Fun podcast!)

So that leads us into the episodes specific to Agile.

Agile

Agile is the latest project management trend and here are two podcasts to keep you better informed and more able to pivot gracefully.

The Agile Revolution –Agile practitioners host shows of just under an hour each with the most recent topics in this methodology. One to check out: Talking Testing

SPaM Cast – The Software Process and Measurement (SPaM) podcast explores process improvement in information technology for the last ten years. Hosts discuss the latest information on methodologies and business areas such as analysis, risk and usability. One to check out: Round Table, Quality, Agile and Security

Marketing Project Management

Marketing is a very important to companies – there are Chief Marketing Officers now! So here’s a good listen from Aptera Software.

Marketing Project Management vs. IT Project Management

>>Check out: Scrum Marketing where they discuss users stories from a PM perspective and talk about new PM software, Microsoft’s Team Foundation Server (TFS). Very interesting learning how traditional PM is working in a digital marketing arena.

Projects always need documentation – even in an Agile environment – so if you need help with your project, contact me! Check out my other blog posts and work.

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January 16, 2017 By stefwhitlow

No Longer Nursing the 2016 Hangover!

It is finally over – the crazy year that was 2016! What did we learn? And what key ideas and plans do we have going forward to make 2017 a success?

Wow! I’ve heard 2016 referred to most eloquently as “a dumpster fire” but I’m trying to be positive here. Like most everyone, I experienced a lot of the tumult both personally and professionally. And like everyone else, I have been reading blogs and listening to podcasts about what was achieved; all the hits and misses (yeah, you know what those were!) of that Year that Shall Not be Named.

So after I shook off the confetti and sat down to write about the future of my business, I started to think about what I had learned from such a dramatic year and what I wanted to accomplish going forward. In a show of transparency and accountability, I want to share these with you.

Three words for 2017

Progress

This specifically refers to learning. I was pondering the question, “What have you learned in the past year?” and my answers varied between ‘learning to research and write blog posts’ to ‘learning how to network’ to ‘understanding HTML and the latest content management systems.’ So mostly, I learned how to start working on a business and how to BE in business – Accounting, Billing, Taxes, Connections, Proposals, Apps, etc. – and with that I have fallen behind a bit in the updating skills department. I heard a quote recently, thought it was brilliant and felt that it defined where I wanted to go this year by choosing to progress in my career.

“In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” (Eric Hoffer)

I was a fearless learner when I started out as a technical writer, I’d go anywhere and do anything to study something new and absorb vast amounts of knowledge and I’m going to rekindle that fire. I think surviving 2016 and now moving forward in 2017, these are definitely times of change(!)and I want to be a learnER as opposed to the learnED!

Present

Everyone from the most famous CEO to the owner of the local burger joint seems to be meditating these days. I cannot seem to find the most comfortable position or the quietest spot – which according to meditation law, is supposed to be inside my own mind – to practice. The Fitbit I got for Christmas has a 2-minute breathing session programmed in but I usually tap out of it.

This year, however, I will strive to be present. I mean, not be thinking of the first 10 things I will do when I arrive at my destination when I haven’t even turned the key in the car to get there. I want to experience the moment I’m living in.

Being a solopreneur requires that you think of the past (finished project) and the future (new business) and rarely allows you the luxury of living in the present. Running crazy doesn’t count as living in the present moment (but I have been thinking of it as such). So this year will have a crossed-off-has-been-completed list of projects and a future to-list and the present will take care of itself. I might even mediate for 2 minutes at a time; the Fitbit may convince me yet.

Open

Another saying that caught my attention this past year was something to the effect of, “what are you saying no to so you can say yes to something else.” When I was setting goals for 2017, this put a lot of things in perspective. There are only so many hours in the day (even if you don’t sleep!) and in business you need to decide what is best for clients, prospective clients, and for you – the only company employee who keeps things running!

I know that last paragraph seemed counter-intuitive to my intention, but stay with me. If I am open to opportunities that make me better in my work, improve my health (stay out of this, Fitbit!) and recharge me spiritually so I can be the best I can be, then the goals of 2017 will be attainable. With that, my intention is to be open to volunteering more, taking on different types of projects, and forming lasting relationships.

Now that I’ve gotten over the 2016 hangover and swept out the confetti, I think it’s going to be a great year…and if these resolutions don’t keep me on the straight and narrow, I know the new Fitbit will. #hyperwriterbeinghyper

September 19, 2016 By stefwhitlow

Work, Jung and The Second Act

happy-midlife

“I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated.”

A few years ago, my job was going away and I wrote a series called “30 Days of Positivity” on a blog I was writing at the time. This post resonated with me as I was re-reading it and I thought I’d re-share it because I have a lot of friends over 40 looking for positions right now. I hope this helps them make changes in a positive way.

Being positive about the age you are, the situation you are in, or the state of your career can be a little difficult at times – especially if you are in the “Mid-Life” stage in the year 2016. The job market isn’t that friendly to, well, anyone but less so to those who are in the 40-65 age groups. However, at this stage, you are the more likely to find the career fulfillment you’ve been searching for since you left college. According to Carl Jung who created a model called Stages of Type Development in which there are four major stages – Childhood, Adolescence and Early Adulthood, Adulthood and Mid-Life, Maturity and Wisdom – this age group stands in a stage where they have assets, experience and confidence enough to make positive changes.

In short, the first half of life (Childhood through Early Adulthood) is when family and cultural influences are most import and we are seeking experiences from which to learn. The “Mid-Life” stage (Adulthood and midlife) is when a major transition in energy and interests occurs. Additionally, midlife is when people become aware of limitations both in time and possibilities and prepare to meet those challenges in life’s “Second Half” stage (Maturity and Wisdom).

Early adulthood is when most people pick a career; some are content with that choice and can excel in their chosen field until retirement or beyond. Others of us pick a career, love the career, but want something additional – not just to “be happy” as has become the joke, but to find some level of fulfillment and have some form of stability. Midlife has been defined as roughly between 40 and 60 years of age; however, Jung considered 56 as the beginning of the “Second Half” stage.

Those in midlife and beyond can be assured that they still carry the qualities for being positive, optimistic and determined because they have the assets and experience to meet career challenges. J.T. O’Donnell of Work it Daily.com wrote a great post on “3 Must-Dos in Your 40’s to Make Sure You’re Employed in Your 50’s” so give this a read and prepare to meet your second half with a smile.