MindTools has a great article to help project managers (or any manager) build high performing teams  and increase productivity through better relationships. Coaching for Team Performance outlines the benefits of team coaching and explains the importance of team dynamics. It's written to help you develop an established team with a solid foundation to build upon and shows how team members can gain useful insight by trying to understand each others perspectives and see each other differently... Read Full Story

ComputerWorld has two articles discussing ten do's and don'ts when working with your CIO. There is a common theme in each piece with a focus on transparency, honesty, solid information and the "real" picture, and both articles offer advice on managing up and working more effectively with your CIO or other IT manager. I found the tips to be realistic and not rooted in some pie-in-the-sky fantasy world. If you look below there some solid steps you can take now to begin working better with most... Read Full Story

allPM has an article by Dhanu Kothari discussing "the human side of project management" and detailing Ten Golden Rules Of Project Management Maturity & Team Effectiveness. Some interesting thoughts  are outlined and there is a questionnaire at the end to help you assess your own team's effectiveness. You'll want to read the complete post for proper context, and to get all the great insights, for now here are the "10 golden rules" (truncated): Golden Rule # 1: Develop a Project Organization... Read Full Story

The Project Management Link-fest - a list of links focused on project management and related business topics, hand picked by yours truly! The last time I posted a link-fest was the end of March, and I hope to post them more regularly going forward. Wondering how posts get added to my Project Management Link-fest? Like Bas at Project Shrink, I follow a TON of project management blogs, not to mention the numerous management, personal/professional development and leadership blogs I subscribe... Read Full Story

The Harvard Business School Publishing site has a 9 minute video with Marshall Goldsmith, author of the must-read book What Got You Here Won't Get You There. I found the discussion interesting but  had trouble viewing the entire embedded video over at 800-CEO-READ Blog. You might try the HBSP site directly if you have trouble with buffering: How to Influence Up and Become a Future Leader http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com/2008/06/how_to_influence_up_and_become.html  As I said, interesting... Read Full Story

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have a forthcoming book review on the e-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t new management and leadership book Managing the Gray Areas, from author Jerry Manas. It's not your typical leadership book, it's written by a noted PM and leadership guru and is quite interesting. I'm expecting some great insights from guest voice Lisa Forsyth's pending review and am sure many will want to read Gray Areas - it's certainly on my list of must-read leadership books for this year. If... Read Full Story

David Daly runs a project managment blog called Outside of the Triangle. He recently interviewed  me as part of his PM Interview series: PM Interviews: Raven Young. It was fun to talk a bit about  myself and discuss my thoughts on various project management topics. You can read the full interview here: http://outofthetriangle.wordpress.com/2008/06/09/pm-interviews-raven-young/   Other PM Interviews in the series include: Pawel Brodzinski Bruce P. Henry Alex S. Brown Johanna Rothman Post... Read Full Story

My new project management cartoon series called "Project: Humor" is still getting a great response. It seems a lot of PMs are looking for some levity because the number of queries for PM cartoons and/or humor are growing each day.  The next cartoon in the series is below:  Project: Humor - Credit   Click for larger image You may use this image on your site as long as you give proper credit and link back to this post. Well, one flicker on the bright side, at least the manager is being... Read Full Story

I was browsing through old bookmarks and came across one from AMA titled 25 Project Management Tips. The tips were extremely basic, though I suppose they could be useful to folks new to project management or serve as a basic checklist for part-time PMs. I did find something more useful and interesting for PMs though - a free 157 page e-book titled Fundamentals of Project Management (links to free PDF download, quick registration required). There was also a link to The Rookie Manager, a free... Read Full Story

I came across a post I couldn't pass up because of the title - Shirts or Skirts. I had to read it, even  though I haven't worn a skirt since graduating from high school almost two decades ago. I enjoyed the discussion on the differences between men and women management styles, and how author Jay Forte tried to answer the question he posed at the beginning of the post - "Who Can Best Manage in Today’s Economy?".   This is one of several pieces I've read recently that examines the "hunter... Read Full Story