Being a CEO- Indra Nooyi

We all have been trying to dream big and think of achieving them, this year should be the year where we take hard core actions in getting them done.

The interview below hopefully will allow you take concrete actions and plan out what it takes to be a true leader. Listen to the 5C's almost towards the end of the interview!




The #PMOT author series will continue, I just had to share this video with you!

Gift Yourself

This holiday season, gift yourself first.

Here are some good stuff that will help you see yourself:

•Imposter Syndrome - Its worth every single minute of your time and it’s such an important factor to understand that this e-book is a must read. While you relate to the real life stories and see yourself in them, you know how to encounter it next time.
•Go through the book reviews and pick your favorite, even if you don’t want to buy the book, borrow it from the library.  This holiday season, I have ordered books and 2 out of the 3 are after reading reviews and their effects on someone else.
•Make Sh*t Happen – Is by Jenny and doors open January 10 it will be $297 and open to 36 people who are ready to find their courage and change their lives.
•Gift yourself by building your own brand this holiday season- stand apart from the rest of the crowd, work on your credibility and see yourself grow.
•Find a mentor, there’s no replacement for a mentor.

Videos that teach, not preach.

This video speaks for itself.

Steve Job’s biographer’s interview in 60 minutes.

Part 1 and Part 2.  

Lots more happening in the PM world these days, to watch Elizabeth’s diary click here and here . 

Linchpin- the book

It’s a book you will read at one go and you should- an eye opener in every sense of the word.

How does it help new Project Managers?

It tells you how to avoid the “lizard brain” (your inner resistance) that takes over when in doubt, anxiety and stress. It’s the negative emotions that stops you from being the “Linchpin”.

Linchpin’s have 7 abilities:

·Delivering unique creativity

·Inspiring staff

·Possessing a unique talent

·Managing  situation of great complexity

·Providing an interface among members of the organization

·Leading customers

·Providing deep domain knowledge.

Linchpin’s lead without being told or even holding a fancy title. Sound’s familiar? A quality must for aspiring PM’s.

He gives plenty of examples- like that of Richard Branson who encountered a situation where his flight was cancelled. So instead of waiting forever he went to the airports charter desk and chartered a flight. He then borrowed a blackboard and wrote $39 for seats. He went back to the gate, sold enough tickets to cover the price and reached his destination.

He gives example of the “lizard brain” and how a simple eye contact can get someone attacked. He talks about the Rotterdam zoo where Gorilla visitors have to wear glasses like those in 3D movies.  And what the Gorilla sees painted on the outside the glasses- eyes looking sidewise. This has saved many attacks by the gorilla. Avoiding direct eye contacts doesn’t trigger the “lizard brain”.

A great book- informative and inspiring and a complete  guide to understand why we choose the easy route of being a worker and not an “artist”.

(Pic courtesy: Google images)

Wait- are you done?

And giving up?

Stop, get out of the room you are in and get some fresh air.

Behind every successful person are some bigger failures and your life is no exception. So don’t think you aren’t made for the job, or you can’t make it.

It happened to me and perhaps it has happened to so many.

If you are feeling really low, talk to your mentor or your friend and let the feeling out. 

Once done, walk back to your board/diary and write down objectively why things are happening they way they are and if you can change.  Work on yourself and at least for a few days try taking yourself not too seriously.

Let time take its course and then see what changes.

Bottomline- stop freaking out and don’t give up impulsively. 

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

What's in a winner?

What makes someone a winner?


You can say being at the right place at the right time, having a great networking,  and all sort of things we all say…but to top it all here is the story you can relate to. 


The drive, that’s the topper. 


So, do you have the drive in you to become a PM? What have you done? Whom have you talked to? What risks have you taken?


Write down your goals and out it somewhere you can see- on the mirror, your car dashboard, your purse. Work towards it and don’t be shy to ask for help- everyone does. Go for it even if it ends up being a mistake- you will learn on what not to do.


By the way the SIPM site has lots of Experts from all over the globe available for mentoring, even some whom you can follow for a day so you end up seeing the real life of a project manager. How cool is that!


Be you, find yourself, work on your expertise and don’t be scared to do what you are not comfortable with.


For more inspiration, read here

(Pic courtesy: google images)


Be the winner!

Happy V-Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!


If today’s all about heart, the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation couldn't be left far behind. 


CCF is a national, non-profit organization focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart muscle. CCF is dedicated to accelerating the search for cures while improving diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for children affected by cardiomyopathy.


What they do is amazing- they have successfully created a platform where parents, medical practitioners and friends and relatives can all come together and share and learn from each others experience. 


I have seen the emails- the pain, the troubles, the sleepless nights that the parents share and find strength in each other- its touching and sad to see the children go through so much when we adults take our lives and our “hearts” for granted. 


CCF was founded by Eddie Yu & Lisa Yue, parents who lost two young children to cardiomyopathy, CCF has grown over the years and is managed by a small staff and guided by a medical advisory board.  Today, CCF reaches out to more than 2,000 physicians and 1,500 families worldwide. 


Lisa Yue whom I have known for couple of years now and met in New York City is true to the cause as is her staff. 


The site is a center of knowledge about the disease from the medical glossary  to dealing with a losing child. 


So, to honor the cause- Ill be putting up the CCF logo on the side bar and if you wish, you can visit and support their cause: 
•Making  a donation
•Shopping   
•Volunteering your time and skills  


(Disclosure: SIPM receives no monetary gain by putting up this post, this is not an affiliate link)


As a special giveaway this V-Day, @Samadaidane is giving away 1 ticket to the PM Telesummit- all you have to do is tweet about the event and include my twitter id @Soma_b, so I can track it down. One lucky winner will be chosen and announced on Feb 28.

Technology- awe, wonder and my plan for next year

This last week I was caught up in cold, flu and some major decisions that I am taking to make sure my  list of 5 things to do before I am 35 actually happens.

So, while I a running around the city and getting things done, I thought you might enjoy this enchanting video that I have seen more than 10 for sure.



The original link is here. Enjoy the wonders of technology, while I jump back in the car and drive around to get more errands done.

It's also time of the year to consider what questions to put up for my new year special- if you have suggestions I would love to hear.

Lighting up your ideas

This week I committed myself to know new ideas, to learn more about how others are doing things and be happy.

This week I decided to slow down and see where I am going, to try minimalism and be more aware of myself.  To  gather my thoughts and plan my action on what makes me composed and happy and less stressed out. To share, read and smile more often.

This is what I read in NY Times which lead to finding out more about Asana- a  project management software in making.

This weekend is Diwali which means I am all about lights, happiness and  yummy food!

Wishing all of you the brightness, sparkles and happiness every single day. Happy Diwali!

PM PDU's Giveaway

This weekend was special, while I roamed the downtown in Chicago looking at museums (Chicago Art Museum and Science and Industry Museum), I figured that sometimes it’s important to take the initiative to do something that you have wanted to do forever. 


So, I ate some ice cream and read up some pending print outs stacked on my coffee table finally.
Here are something’s you can do:


•If you have been planning to buy a project management book, keep your eyes open and follow some blogs. Most blogs have giveaways these days and you have the chance to get the book at no expense of yours. Try this one here.
•Want to upgrade yourself, participate in free seminars that happen all year and get some much required information. Some are even mailed to you later, so you can watch is at your pace. Sign up and get upgraded. Try this for more information
•Don’t have the time to upgrade or network, too busy with family and friends- get a phone that allows you to download these applications like linkedin, twitter etc. You can stay in touch while in the move and chances of getting your ROI are very likely.
•Sick of hearing everyone telling you to get a mentor, it really helps. I have one, so get yours as well. Try SIPM  and get your mentor in your domain. 
•Need PDU’s and looking for more options; here’s one.  PM- Podcast is giving away 20.5 PDU’s by simply listening to it. More information available here . Email me (steppingintopm at gmail.com) with subject saying- I want the podcast. I will announce the winner on the 10 of next month.


Have a great Monday!

What makes you happy PM's?

This post is not about project management.

This is about happiness, so this Monday you are ready for the week and smiling!

So, I asked you What makes you happy PM's? Other than meeting deadlines...a good book n coffee/movie/ close grp brunch/sunday newspaper makes me smile.

Yes, it does.

The job, blogging, keeping up with my reading list, SIPM all keeps me busy and to the point that sometimes I don’t feel very inspired in my everyday life. When things just become items in my schedule and happiness seems far away, I try something new to bring it back.

Talking to the people I respect and being sincere about the problems I am facing I think automatically brings in a new perspective for me, calling up my friends and talking silly and nothing about project management is relaxing, going out for a walk and enjoying it, listening to good music, having a chocolate or a cup of tea and a good book that inspires is nice. I also like visiting grocery stores for inspiration to whip up a new dish or go completely crazy and color my hair a brownish red.

I always don’t plan out everything when I take a break; I think randomness brings out a different side to everyone.

Enough of what I do, what makes you happy? Here is what does for Elizabeth Harrin.

To read more about happiness, try this and this.

(Pic Courtesy)

The 10,000 Hour Rule

There will always be moments when you need the extra push in your life to get to your next milestone. Everytime I have pushed myself I end up surprising me. It's true for most people I know.

This long weekend, I ended up watching the triathlon in television and heard the narrators talk about the winner and how she has been out of the sports for a year and came back better than ever- and won!

It made me think, how I get too comfortable or even complacent sometimes and don't do what I can do or should do. There are times, when you just know it is the right time for you to take action or make he next move. If you have always wanted to become a project manager, may be this is the time to look for a new opportunity or simply learn a new skill.

So, July is my month to do everything I'm not comfortable doing and trust me it's a long list.

So, I took a break. I thought about it while I roamed the isles of the Japanese grocery and filled in my cart with steamed buns, dumplings, sea weed, bean sprouts and a beautiful tea set.

By the time I came back home after an entire day spent outside- shopping and watching people in the mall; I read this piece (see below). It struck me as just the perfect thing I should have read. So - why not share?

Given below are some paragraphs that really touched me, however you can read the entire article here.

The author Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers described the 10,000 Hour Rule as a reason why some people become successful. This rule is based on a study that was conducted by Anders Ericsson.

In this study, it was discovered that those who became successful in their given field had practiced it for a total of 10,000 hours prior to being discovered. InGladwell’s book, he uses the example of the Beatles and how they practiced for 10,000 hours prior to becoming famous.

Every spare moment I had, I was reading or talking to someone who was doing what I wanted to do. I also began to apply the theories to my life and started living what I studied.

When Charlie Rose asked Steve Martin about what advice would he give to others starting out in the acting business, Martin said the following: “Be so good at what you do that they cannot ignore you.

A guy dressed in sweat pants may seem like a no body to you but for all you know, he may be the person that has the ability to help you achieve a certain goal.

Years ago, I read a biography on the life of the singer Madonna. Many people recounted how when Madonna was just a club act, she handled every show as if it were a concert in a huge arena. The general conclusion was that she was acting like a superstar even before she became one.

Visualization is a tool that I use frequently because I have seen it work. Many times in my life, I visualized achieving certain goals or having certain funds. And every single time without fail, each item that I visualized became a reality. Sometimes it took hours and other times it took years.

(Pic Courtesy)

Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out http://beta.steppingintopm.com/

Does rigid timelines help creativity?

Timeline rules us.

Deadlines, projects schedules, invoices and regular business days all revolve around timeline. We remind ourselves through calendar, blackberry applications, and sticky notes.

But does chasing time help us? Help our work, help creativity? Let’s walk through some scenarios:

Regular Office- The pressure of timeline doesn't enhance creativity in most cases and leads us to “The Intrinsic Motivation Principle of Creativity. People will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself, and not by external pressures or inducements.” So, for those who like creativity and challenge in their work should sought out similar assignments. Look for more encouragement from your boss and find a mentor who knows how to match creativity with the end of the month salary scenario.

Bloggers/Entrepreneurs – It is said that time management skills contribute to creativity . It seems very true since most of the successful bloggers are multi tasking all the time. Look carefully at the project management bloggers- they know thing or two about maintaining schedules and some of them use it to their best. They blog, they run their own thing, work 9-5 job, write books, papers, participate in numerous profession related websites, network, are active participants of their community and perhaps even doting parents. They run their lives as they run their project. They plan, they schedule, they prioritize and get the work done. And to top it all they are creative – it takes some to manage time so effectively if nothing else.

Also, the most frequently mentioned contextual factor characterizing high-creativity events was freedom. Think about entrepreneurs, individuals who are self employed, people whose writings you bookmark and read everyday- think Seth Godin, think Chris Brogan, think Pamela Slim, think Tim Ferris, think Scott Berkun…..when the pressures off performance and delivery; people might come up with real creativity.

But can everyone be creative? Do you want to be creative? Anyone with the inclination to be one perhaps can find a way to be creative to an certain extent and how life changing it is

But then, there are people like J K Rowling who were creative under tremendous pressure initially and some more here.

Here’s an interesting aspect of creativity- giving time to think might just be the answer you are looking for.

Edison spent a good deal of time just thinking. He fished off the end of his dock for an hour almost everyday of his life. He always fished by himself but he never caught any fish. Observers always thought it was strange that Edison would spend so much time fishing when he really wasn't that good at it.

Late in life, he was asked about his obsession with fishing even though he was probably the worst angler anyone had ever seen. His answer was, “I really never caught any fish because I have never used any bait.” Most people were shocked and thought he was crazy so they asked, “Why in the world would you fish without bait?”

His answer? “Because when you fish without bait, people don’t bother you and neither do the fish. It provides me my best time to think.” (Source)

Science of Creativity- Tim Ferris has written about his own creativity and I find it quite interesting.

I think creativity is as complicated as it seems. Here’s another of my favorites from Elizabeth Gilbert who practices creativity.

I like being creative and for most part want to be considered as one, so if wrote poetry when I was 21; now I try to bring creativity in my work I do- in my blog, my website, food or simply my everyday life.

(Pic Courtesy)

Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out http://beta.steppingintopm.com/

Negative influence- get rid of it

if you like who you are and want to get more from life, your job, tip a little more and get the moon- what is one thing you should completely discard from your life?

Simple- negative influence!

Even if you cant be super-positive about anything, try getting rid of the negativity and you are already feeling better.

Here's what to get rid of to feel better:

• all the people who pretend to be your friends and question you every move- you are worth more than this.
• your peers who will ell you to drop the certifications plans, because how much it is worth it- really?
• relatives who tell you to that you can relax now because what will working so hard get you- you never know, till you try!
• your boss when downplays your ability- don't let it get to you, he just doesn't want to qualify you by another raise.
• when you think its time to give up- call your mentor, your best friend, your mom or anyone who believes you more than you believe yourself.

What are you so scared off? Walk past those that don't believe in you and show them what you are made off.

To read more on how to get rid of negative influence:

Link 1

Link2

The 4 Hours Work Week by Tim Ferris- why you should read it?

Ever thought you need that push to get over the conflicting emotions? The strength even when you sleep, the dream to free up some of your time to go travelling or sit in your backyard and sip bubbly, create something of your own that is bigger than yourself- this is the read for you.

The book is focused and will not waste your time- will get your attention to the point where you cannot put it down unless you have read the whole thing. As much as the title suggests like its some magic scam like pill where you delegate all your work, not work and have long vacations- not true.

The 396 page book, talks about a concept, tells you how to implement it, gives you links to resources like websites, companies etc and then quotes people who have used the concept. Overall- I think it will make you think like never before.

The books is for everyone, if you are busy professional, starting your own business , stay at home mom- everyone will find something special here.

And if you are project manager- you will wow’d by all the statistics and charts, the logic behind his thinking; if you are not- don’t be mortified – this book is all text and has sparse use of flow charts. I think after you finish reading you will take in what you have read and create something of your own out of the whole experience of simply reading the book.

A must read and I have to say- I’m using some of the ideas from the book and it works! Adding this book to my library and among my favorite reads.

So, happy reading!

Hows your team doing today?

As someone who leads the team, we somewhere forget that teams are made up of individuals who have their down times as well. They cannot perform to their best always.

When your teams down what can you really do? Pushing harder might end up creating more mess, instead why not help them go through this.

I work with a small team of 3-4 people and an extended team of some more and like all of you I always know when they are down. You can feel it- in their work, the way they respond, how easily they loose their cool…..

You cannot sort out their problem, however you can help them to overcome it in your own way- is that not what leaders do? You inspire to bring out the best in others.

I simply start with the basics and work upwards-

• Is everything alright? Most people don’t want to come up with their problems at work and will rarely confide when asked first.
• Help them with more breaks, a partner to work with or some time to cool off. If is still persists, dig deeper.
• Ask them if they like what they do. Do they want to try out something else? Have they been doing the same thing over a long period of time that work doesn’t interest them anymore- no thrills, no challenges, same drab work. No one likes that.
• Thankfully I work in an environment which is flexible and we try to be happy with our work, create challenges and keep up to them. I encourage learning something new, delegating a new work to break the monotony and give a chance to think about something new. This helps them love their job not because of the paycheck but something more.
• They don’t suddenly become experts in their chosen new trial field, however they have the chance to do what they do and try out something new. If they want to change departments after a while, we encourage that as long as you can prove you are good at it and have learned the skills
• If there’s one thing I ask- it is to come to work every day the way you came in your first day. It not always very realistic, but closer we are to our first day emotions, better we will be.

Now we have the thrill of a newbie and the experience of the oldie- try beating that!

(Pic Courtesy)

Improvement- checklist

If you have been working towards your goal for quite sometime now, have you sat back on a weekend and assessed how you have been doing? It is as important to know if you are in the right track as it is to work smart.

•Review your diary/blog and see where you were one year ago goal wise

•How fruitful has the journey been? Have you accomplished your benchmarks?

•Has the projects been in tune to what you want to work in and as?

•Have you taken a PM certification or are you working towards it?

•How many project managers have you spoken to?

•Has your networking grown?

•Do you have the same routine in work that you had a year back?

•Have you been recognized for team work, or leadership or initiative?

•List three things you have done in the last 1 year that has helped you grow and share it with friends.

•List 3 things you have to work on seriously this year.

•Mark your defining moment.

•What keeps your dreams fired up? Write them down and pin it to the wall.

•Where should you be in a year and in what role?

•Keep up the good work and as they say- you will be rewarded!

(Pic Courtesy)

The Red Diary

While I have been running around for the last few days for some work (one of the reasons I haven’t been able to blog much), there’s something new I recently started.

It’s the Red Diary.

It’s really red and in China considered an auspicious color. A gift that was completely sidelined for long. It was stacked away with my folders and bunch of papers; waiting to be used for something special.

Then it just happened.

This weekend I bought a couple of good reads- Cold Steel by Tim Bouquet and Byron Ousey- the book about steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittals battle with Arcellor and The Making of Barrack Obama by Richard Wolffe.

Cold Steel is a gripping read, the hugeness of which can lead to sleepless nights thinking about the force behind it, the power of the strategies and most importantly the urge to do something on such a huge scale can blow your sleep to a thousand glittering stars.

That’s what happened.

Sometimes a powerful thought will come to you that you want to hold on to. That’s what you do with your Red Diary.

It’s the diary of your dream that you will need to reach your goals. It’s the awestruck moment captured in words, mesmerized by innovation and ideas. This is your true raw essence of thoughts, uncensored and the pure you in the most inspirational of moments captured.

(Pic Courtesy)

Are You New to Project Management?

Ladies and Gentlemen- I'm honored to present before you the first guest blogger of steppingintopm- Josh Nankivel from pmstudent

I received an email from someone the other day who is very interested in becoming a project manager. She doesn’t have any experience in the field yet, and wanted some advice on how to proceed. She assumed that the PMP exam is what she should be looking into getting.

She mentioned that she is saving up for a training camp that claims they can train her to pass the PMP exam without project experience. I want to thank her for writing to me and taking action towards her career goals!

Unfortunately, that training camp is engaging in unethical practices. If they are condoning that people take the PMP exam without any work experience as a project manager, that really burns me!

Becoming a Project Manager

For those who would like to get started in project management the RIGHT way, here are a few suggestions:

I’ve said this before, but when it comes to project management, general management, and many other careers you just need to go get some experience. Get on a project team somehow and find someone who is doing what you want to get into. Ask them to mentor you. Do odd jobs for them, things they find tedious but that you will learn from. Go above and beyond and tap into the veterans. You will be surprised how quickly a great attitude and passion can open doors for progressively greater levels of responsibility.

If you have no experience yet, the PMP certification is NOT for you. Neither are the IPMA certifications. The lowest-level IMPA certification requires “2 FTE years working on projects or 6 months and BA/BS” experience. The PMP requires 3 of experience with a BA/BS, or 5 without. I interpret “leads and directs project teams” as experience as an actual project manager.

A great way to get some formal education and an introductory certification is to go for the CAPM exam. The minimum requirements for this exam are 23 contact hours of project management education OR 1,500 hours where you “contribute to a project team”.

If you do seek education in project management, I would like to add that it’s value is greatly diminished unless you are actively working in a project environment where you can implement the concepts you are learning, or at least use a real project environment as a means for comparing “book learning” to real life.

Get more advice for new project managers.

I hope that helps if you are wanting to break into project management. Any more advice from veterans out there who are reading this? (Besides “run away! What are you thinking?!? It’s hell in here!!!!)

Photo by squant via Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons for commercial work

Josh Nankivel, PMP

is the founder of pmStudent.com, a site dedicated to helping new and aspiring project managers succeed. He is a project manager for the ground system of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, a joint project between the USGS and NASA. Josh's academic background includes a BS in Project Management and he is PMP certified.

What mentor-ing can teach you?

When I started mentoring a few newly joined individuals in my office, I always remembered and thought about my mentors and what they have taught me. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have some amazing mentors who have helped me groom as a professional and an individual.

Mentoring is hard. You are trying to impart lessons of a lifetime to them. I make sure they have good work ethics with a good heart; that helping each other is important. More I work with them, more I figure out about myself.

What you learn from your mentees:

•Your ability to bring out the best in them- By helping them do so, you work on your patience, your teaching skills and analyzing your own mistakes that you should work on to become a better mentor.

•Teaching skills- As they say, if you can’t help a 10 year old understand a concept you don’t know it yourself. True to the core! Now you know how much you know.

•The basics of being a professional- If you tell someone to be honest and be true to your work and be inquisitive; you will have to show them yourselves in your job. Or what you teach is just for the sake of teaching; they won’t follow it because they see you not doing it.

•They will observe what you don’t teach- I always did and I know they do too. The best teachings are those which are not taught and the mentees simply pick them up by being in your proximity. Your bad habits too. So beware.

We all want one of those perfectly curious and patient mentees who are easier to teach, who pick up skills easily, are smart and witty and want to learn. When you don’t have a perfect one, remember how perfect a mentor you can be is what will determine their learning curve.

So what if they are not perfect, you can be.

(Picture: Google images)