Your Personal Life Is a Project. Learn to Manage It like a PM Superstar!

Your Personal Life Is a Project. Learn to Manage It like a PM SuperstarYour Personal Life Is a Project. Learn to Manage It like a PM SuperstarYou need to get something done. You set a date. At some point you actually start working on it.The deadline flies by. Youre still at it.Why did I ever think that deadline was reasonable?And how the hell did this get so expensiveEver heard of the planning fallacy?Its basically a catch-all term for every mistake possible underestimated costs and complexity, notlage accounting for unknowns, and being overly optimistic about external circumstances.Were all guilty.Get this in an experiment, Americans were asked to evaluate the expected cost of remodeling their kitchens.The average estimate? $18,500.The actual mean cost? Almost $39,000.Try explaining that to your bankAgain, were all guilty, but therbeie are people who seem to always be on top of things. Theyre actually paid for doing just that.Project managers.Do they have superpowers? Are they lucky ? No, not at all. They just happen to know some things you dont.And theyre about to teach you those skills. (And, as a bonus, recommend some of the coolest, easy-to-use productivity apps to help you manage your personal life like a pro.)1Understand why we all suck at planningStep one realize whats been stopping you so far.In a word overconfidence.Its best explained by a concept of WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is) coined by one of the most exceptional psychologists of all time, Nobel Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman (Every project manager I spoke with mentioned this theory).You see, when we make plans, we tend to focus only on the known knownsphenomena weve already seen and can anticipate.What we forget about, though, areKnown unknownsthings we know might happen, but we ignore them because we hope they wont happen (or well fix them later.).Unknown unknownsevents that we dont know about and cannot predict.If what you see is all there is, you better see it all.So2See the BoardEach t hing you do actually requires you to do a lot of smaller things. We dont think this way about walking the dog, making tea, or sending an email to accounting.But we dont think this way about more complex projects either.In the search of a solution to that problem, I reached out to Shai Shandil, an Agile/Scrum management coach, and a founder of softsolutions.His answer? See the mainboard.No, this isnt a zen koan He means literally.The easiest way to combat a mounting pile of tasks is to have a physical board that holds all these tasks.Its called a kanban board and was first used by Taiichi Ohno at Toyota.Shai let us see his board he used for moving home(Hestotally un-high-tech about it)Notice two thingsFirst of all, the tasks on Shais list are very specific.For instance, its not clean the house. Instead, its divided into smaller, controllable tasksVacuum house, Clean between oven glass, Wipe down kitchen, (already done).Clean shower, Clean drains, Bleach kitchen blinds, Mop house, (to do.)Secondly, all stakeholders (be that your spouse, children, or flatmates) can immediately learn what the status is.Its a BRILLIANT way of stopping nagging because the answers to all How are you going with X? types of questions are so readily available, Shai says.I know what you might be wondering3How much should I break down my tasks?Thats a question many kanban users ask and, ironically, most kanban tutorials rarely answer.For good reason. Theres no one-size-fits-all answer. You need to be agile and learn what works for you.But there are two general guidelinesDependencyOne of the main reasons work gets delayed is the dependency on other people. When breaking up your work, make sure that its clear which item requires someone else to take action.At a given point, the number of external stakeholders your task is waiting for should not exceed two.What if it does?Thats a signal you should break down the task further, into lower-level items that dont rely on that many dependencies.Ti meThis factor is much more speculative, but if you need a basic rule of thumb, here it isThe extremum task size is 30 minutes.Aim for a maximum of one workdayfor sanitys sake, you dont want work to spill over to the following day.It will take time and practice to determine what goes on the board. The good thing is, after a few iterations, youll notice things flow smoothly from left to right.Youll see what needs to get done first, do it, and move on to the next task.Plus, once you see movement on the board, youll learn to manage your time to keep things moving. Got a time slot for X? Do X. Not enough time before your date? Do Y.Shai gave another personal example to brilliantly illustrate thatI never iron more than three items at a time. Its less about how much it takes me to get it done. Its more about how much time it takes my wife to get date-ready. All of a sudden, I no longer have to set up an ironing task every week, a saving of an hour for my free time.4A continuous flow of tas ksNotice that, in Shais kanban board, theres no backlog column.Thats because kanban management doesnt concern itself with time boxes work comes in, gets worked on, and gets finished. Thats it.This approach seemed surprising coming from Shai who specializes in Scruma methodology focused on timeboxed iterations called sprints. But Shai suggested that the simplicity of kanban is usually way more fitting for personal or family needs.Another PM, Leigh Espy, Project Manager at FedEx and owner of ProjectBliss.net shares Shais approach.Three years ago, she encouraged her then 10-year old daughter to start using a simple kanban boardmade from just a whiteboard and Post-It-Notes, with three columns Not Started, Doing, and Done.The simplicity lets my daughter focus on getting the work done and moving the task through the stages of execution very quickly. Having a list of chores to pick from gives her a sense of control, Leigh says.She still has to do the work, but she can determine in what ord er. And shes formally taken ownership and committed to the task. Once shes finished the work, she moves the task to the Done column and picks the next item. This is also helpful for meit lets me know what shes actively working on, she explains.A child-friendly, glorified to-do list? No, its more than that.First of all, we rarely know when well have a bit of free time. The kanban board lets you queue tasks, prioritize them, and get them done when you have an opening.Secondly, committing to using a board will let you see patterns. Youll notice repetitive tasks, identify which ones take longer than expected, and soon youll streamline everyday processes (remember Shais ironing example?).But proper project management is not only about getting things done more efficiently. Its also about working towards an important objective5Whatever you plan, think about the big goalIn the end, we all do things for some grander reason.For someone, as someone.Every Sunday, Scott Perry (a PMP-certified Pr oject Manager by day, and a baseball blogger at CatchersHome.com by night), together with his wife, holds the weekly marriage meeting.They open up their very analog Moleskine schedulers and go through their plans for the upcoming week.But thats not all.Another thing I do in my personal weekly planning is to integrate a Role Map into my plans. Its a structured blueprint of every role you have in your life (think Employee, Son, Husband, Father, Little League Coach, etc.) that connects you with your weekly plan so that your actions are intentional, not reactive, supporting further development of each role. This way, I can spend time on things that count and not on busy work that doesnt really matter.Ever found yourself elbows deep in something, only to realize youre not getting closer to what you actually want to achieve?Exactly.Busy is a drug. Makes you feel good. But being busy doesnt imply being productive.Always ask yourself whats the actual outcome of what Im doing? Is there any v alue in it? Are the steps Im taking bringing me closer to the end goal?Make reality checks a habit. Kanban or no kanban.At the end of the day, good project management is about making the right choices. You know, the ones that actually pull you closer to the desired outcome.And for the final word... Heres how to boost your efficiency with apps65 top apps recommended by PMs for increasing your productivity1. OmnifocusAn indispensable daily tool for organizing your home and professional tasks.It allows you to easily group your tasks by priority, complexity, and dependenciesthe time of day, your location, other people, etc.Available for iOS and MacOS users only.2. todoistA super easy way to seat daily and weekly goals and analyze your productivity. Beautiful visualizations will help you notice trends in your productivity. Not to mention Todoist karma points, streaks, and levels which will gamify your life and make you want to chase numbers(Its also very easy to integrate todoist with yo ur Gmail and Google Calendar.)3. PocketThe easiest way to save cool reads and other stuff you find online. Store them in your Pocket and revisit when you have some free timeon your computer or mobile.4. TrelloLove the idea of a kanban board but cant be bothered to set up a physical one?Enter Trello. A straightforward, easily accessible online kanban board you can use on your own or with your family.5. AudibleLast but not least.Reading is a joy, but sometimes you cant really sit down and stare at text. Get your daily dose of literature as you walk your dog or clean the tub.So, what do you think?

Finding a Job After Leaving a Career

Finding a Job After Leaving a CareerFinding a Job After Leaving a CareerThe Donald calls it our depression. Hes talking about the economy, not our mood but I think he intends the double entendre. Technically, it is a deep recession, but one with soaring unemployment and plunging retirement account values. That combination is forcing thousands of American managers and executives in their 30s and 40s to rethink their career path and many mora in their 50s and 60s to revamp retirement plans. Those changes coupled with new legislation out of Washington could spark a commitment to public service not seen since the 1960s. Volunteering is not new for out-of-work execs or senior corporate folk who have recently retired. Historically, those ex-executives have the means to retire comfortably or hang out for a while until the next senior position presents itself. But this unprecedented economic climate is turning some of those stereotypes on their ear. Two quick examples and then a probabl e solution. I spoke to a friend this weekend who had been an executive at one of the headline-grabbing banks now parteially owned by Uncle Sam. He had been quite successful there for the past 15 years but got his walking papers late in 08 as part of sweeping downsizing. Given the supply of top jobs (shrinking) and the toxic (forgive the adjective choice) working environment at most major banks these days, he really doesnt want to continue with what had been his career. While he is considering a redirected career path in some other part of the private sector, he told me he has been strongly considering the path of public service government, teaching or non-profit organizational leadership. And Im hearing this kind of thing a lot these days.Second example a 60-something acquaintance of mine who retired early about five years ago after a solidly successful career as an executive. His health is superb better than when he was working but his 401k is not so superb. In fact, he has lost mora than the average Joe about 45% of the value back in 2007. So, as he sits here today, he is facing a longer-than-expected life span and a shorter runway of funds to support his desired and accustomed lifestyle. Given his age and the contractions in the private sector, he too is looking at the public sector.One external initiative could accelerate opportunities for the people like them. President Obama is expected to sign the Edward M. Kennedy National Service Act soon. The bill is designed to encourage more Americans to commit to national service and expand opportunities for them to do so. AmeriCorps, which links volunteers nationwide with local needs in education, health care and infrastructure will be tripled to 250,000 slots. For older Americans, in particular, and also for mid-lifers looking for a second career act, the legislation will create a series of programs that will help direct retirees into new roles in nonprofit and public service, on the front lines and in mana gement. (As an example, check out a pilot program in California called Encore Fellows.) The federal government is also working hard to improve its recruiting and talent management approach. The Partnership for Public Service has been encouraging the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to do more in the areas of employer branding, recruiting process improvement, applicant tracking, and talent development and retention. There should be obvious opportunities for people with deep knowledge of how the private sector works and for those with skills in technology, health care, infrastructure and energy.Regardless ones view of a pending recovery, its clear to most people that we are now living in different times. The public sector is already different and there are many changes in store in the next decade that may make it a far more attractive place to launch that second or third career or for former execs to parachute back onto the battlefield for another round of challenges and opport unities.

How to Conduct a Behavioral Interview for a Job

How to Conduct a Behavioral Interview for a JobHow to Conduct a Behavioral Interview for a JobWant to know the best way to identify whether a candidates characteristics and motivations match the behaviors needed for your job? A behavioral bewerbungsinterview is the best tool you have to identify candidates who have the behavioral traits and characteristics you believe are essential for success in your open job. Additionally, in a behavioral interview, you ask the candidate to pinpoint specific instances in which a particular behavior welches exhibited in the past. In the best interviews, the candidate is unaware of the behavior the interviewer is verifying. The actual interview is preceded by behavior trait identification and a job description. The upfront work makes the interview effective and successful. Heres what you need to know about how to prepare for and conduct a behavioral interview. How to Conduct an Effective Behavioral Interview Start your preparation for a behaviora l interview by identifying what you want the employee to be able to do in the open job. Use a job specification and write a job description to describe the requirements of the lage.Determine the required outputs and performance success factors for the job.Determine the characteristics and traits of the individual whom you believe will succeed in that job. If you have employees successfully performing the job currently, list the traits, characteristics, and skills that they bring to the job. Narrow the list to the key behavioral traits you believe that a candidate needs to be able to perform the job.Write a job posting that describes the behavioral characteristics in the text. Make sure the characteristics or requirements section of your job description lists the same behavioral characteristics.Make a list of questions, both behavioral and traditional, to ask each candidate during the behavioral interview. A structured list of behavioral interview questions makes candidate selection more defensible and allows you to make comparisons between the various answers and approaches of your interviewees. Review the resumes, cover letters, and other job application materials you receive, with the behavioral traits and characteristics in mind.Phone screen the candidates who have caught your attention with their qualifications, if necessary, to further narrow the candidate pool. You want to schedule the most qualified candidates for a behavioral interview.Schedule interviews with the candidates who most appear to have the behavioral characteristics, along with the skills, experience, education, and the other factors you would normally screen for in your application review. Ask your list of behavioral and traditional questions of each candidate during the behavioral interview.Narrow your candidate choices based on their responses to the behavioral and traditional interview questions.Select your candidate with the right mix of knowledge, experience, and behavioral character istics that match the needs of the job guiding your decision. Characteristics Identified for the Behavioral Interview In preparation for a behavioral interview in one company, a list of behavioral characteristics was prepared for the position of sales representative. Behavioral characteristics identified by the interview kollektiv included AdaptableArticulateAccountablePerseveranceListenerHigh energyConfidentHigh integritySelf-directedFocusedEffective networkerMoney hungryEnthusiastic The company prepared a job description that reflected these behavioral characteristics. Then, the company posted the job in a variety of online and offline locations. Behavioral Job Posting for Sales Representative Part of the job posting stated Successful track record in selling and customer account management for small, medium and large customer accounts high, demonstrated energy levels extremely motivated to succeed accountable for results computer skills in Microsoft Windows products includ ing MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint excellent written and verbal communication skills interacts with and works well with others in various fast-changing environments/situations including strong networking and listening skills effective problem-solving skills able to motivate others through persuasion and leadership able to prioritize, manage time and orchestrate multiple tasks simultaneously able to maintain self-confidence and high self esteem in tasks such as cold calling and prospecting able to effectively work independently or in a team environment able to maintain company and customer confidentiality practices corporate and personal integrity on the highest level. Salary and commissions commensurate with contribution. Resumes and cover letters were screened for the stated behavioral and traditional characteristics and traits listed. Interviews were set up with the most likely candidates. Behavioral Interview Questions These are examples of behavioral interview questions that were asked of the candidates. Keep in mind that the employer is seeking evidence of the behavioral traits established at the beginning of the hiring process. The applicant may or may not have figured out the behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking. If the candidate read the job posting carefully and prepared for the behavioral interview, a savvy candidate will have a good idea of what behavioral traits the employer is seeking. Tell me about a time when you obtained a new customer through networking activities.Give me an example of a time when you obtained a customer through cold calling and prospecting. How did you approach the customer?What are your three most important work-related values? Then, please provide an example of a situation in which you demonstrated each value at work.Think of a customer relationship you have maintained for multiple years. Please tell me how you have approached maintaining that relationship. Your manufacturing facility shipped the wrong ord er to one of your important customers. Describe how you would solve this problem both internally and externally.The quantity of parts and the part numbers of items available for sale change daily. Talk to me about how you have handled similar situations in the past.If you are hired as our sales representative, you may see the need to change the organization of the department. How have you approached such situations in the past?Give me an example of a time when your integrity was tested and yet prevailed in a selling situation. Following the Behavioral Interview With answers to behavioral questions such as these, you have comparisons you can make between your candidates and you can assess their approaches to selling. You have a good idea about how the candidate has approached selling situations similar to yours in the past. The values and behavioral characteristics and traits you have identified and sought out give you a much better idea of whether the selected candidate is a go od fit for your position. Use a behavioral interview to select the sales representative most likely to succeed.