Monday, January 26, 2009

Frank Saladis Speaks at PMI Northeast FL Chapter

Frank Saladis, current Chairman of EdSig for the PMI gave a rousing after dinner talk this evening to the Northeast Florida Chapter of the PMI. His topic was "Team Building and Influencing Skills for Project Leaders". I came away from the meeting a little smarter I think and will relay a sketchy list of points I remember that may be worthy of further thought and discussion:

  • Influencing is about improving communication skills. All project should be WOW projects, get excited about the project and so will your team. Ask good questions. Deal with problems, get a hold of the problem. Ineffective project managers don't ask and don't listen.
  • Acknowledge people. The world is full of people who deserve to be acknowledged. Acknowledge someone near you. Acknowledge someone you are jealous of.
  • A leader in motion stays in motion, like Newton's first law says. Influence is all around us.
  • Forcing someone does not work. First understand, then strive to be understood. Bullying does not work. Communication is two way.
  • Listening is important, active listening is even more important.
  • Communication is %80 non-verbal.
  • Technical skills are not as important as leadership, organizing and planning, interpersonal, negotiation, team building, and being technically credible.
  • Characteristics of influential people include vision and humility.
  • In a high performance team the team selects the MVP.
  • Teamwork includes seizing setbacks, keeping one set of books, and a winning attitude which excites others to get on board.
  • Participative leadership shares responsibility, aligns on purpose, gets others to support the same vision, and understands what teams want.
  • First impressions are very important.
  • You don't have to like everyone. Get past dislikes, focus on what needs to be done.
  • Show sincere interest in people.



If you are not a Professional Project Manager (PMP) already, consider becoming certified. One way to an exam pass on the first try is to practice all the questions you can in a test center setting. My PMP Exam Simulator may help you do just that.

No comments: