20 Random Facts About Me

Just wanted to have some fun today and Thought about letting you know some facts about me.

• My first name- isn’t Soma, its Somashree
• My first childhood ambition- was to be a teacher
• I have never been drunk in my life
• I have double Masters’ degree- in English Literature and Mass Communication
• My one wish I always come back to but never happens- Write a novel
• I crave French fries when I am sad or happy
• I’m a self converted “almost” vegetarian for the last few months (I still eat fish and once in a while meat quite a turn around from the carnivore that I was!)
• When I was in college, I tried almost every single hair cut from a catalogue at the local hair salon till they told me I had to grow my hair to an extent to try another!
• I love action movies, my favorite- Die Hard
• If I had all the money in the world, I would only travel.
• Surprises- Good ones of course I adore
• My wallet is a storehouse of my favorite quotations handwritten and printed and a Sears Tower imprint on a dime.
• I always pack lunch for work
• I love fresh flowers, specially white- it’s my pick me up
• I usually research the restaurant that I want to eat at- I look for reviews, recommendations from friends, pictures, menu, specialty etc.
• I used to collect pens in all colors and styles. I gave that up because I don’t write as much now (with pen and paper that is).
• I had my turning points in life when I read English August by Upmanyu Chatterjee at 19 and Sylvia Plath’s Bell Jar at 22 (both are novels).
• My best friend is far from the corporate life I live everyday, has an adorable kid and outwits me every time.
• Last book I read was “First Things First” by Stephen Covey and “Meditation” by …cant remember the name, check back if you want the details.
• My office purse is a black colored slightly oversized bag with must haves- pen, white notepad, 2 lipsticks (from Maybelline and Revlon), lip gloss from Body Shop, brown leather wallet, cell phone, a book, keys, a hair clip, comb, pen drive, chap stick.

Completely out of the loop, thought it was really cool Maven Training telling me that the blog post was inspired by me. Thank you very much and am honored.

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What should a wanna-be PM do all day?

• Enter office- always on time. You want be noticed for your punctuality. Caught in traffic- call office and inform you will be 4 minutes late and is caught in traffic amidst say Michigan Avenue and State St.

Your boss or HR knows that you are specific, so chances are you are not faking it.

• Check email and plan your day- almost before anyone starts working, now you always have a head start. If you can utilize this everyday, you don’t have to stress out at 5pm

Time management is your asset, very important if you want to prove/display your skills at it and not be the one who gets spotted at the water cooler everyday.

• Get your to-do list according to the priority of delivery- you will never miss a deadline. Follow up with your team, co-workers if your delivery is dependant on someone else just to make sure they are aware of the deadline too.

On time delivery is taking the lift for the PM's office instead of the staircase. Everyone wants it on time.

• Work efficiently and learn something new as often as possible- everyone likes a perfectionist, closer the better. New skills gives you the edge and the fact that want to grow and spend your personal time and energy to acquire skills that you can use in your job environment.

Sure shot way to be noticed, can’t be missed.

• Keep your desk organized- its helps you unclutter yourself psychologically and keep the pressure off since you are not fumbling for that piece of paper you left at your desk three weeks ago.

Organized behavior is necessary for being a project manager.

• Protect your team- no questions about it. Trust can’t breed if allow them (team) to take the hit every time. However, keep the rotten apple close to you. If you can’t discard it make sure it doesn’t spread to others.

Team handling needed to get up on the charts. Responsibility is required, blaming others for work not done when you haven’t followed up or bothered reviewing is not the solution.

• Encourage others to grow- If they grow, you grow automatically. Train them to handle more responsibility, be in control, acquire better work habits and discourage slackers from taking everything for granted.

Thinking about the interest for your company and the money of your stakeholders bring in good reviews and is ethical.

• Never leave while your team is working- Don’t leave early if your teams on the deadline and working late hours. Being with your team is important, if you can’t buy them a pack of chips or burger at least being there is showing support and being together no matter what.

Your team will thank you for it and appreciate it. Next time you ask a favor, guess who’ll be there?

• Homework- Being in the comforts of your home doesn’t mean your jobs done. Work on how you can solve the pending problem or think about creative ways to allow someone else to get a second chance.

You will be more prepared for tomorrow and your planning and implementing new ideas will be recognized. Your team and management will know you appreciate your job and is looking at it as a long term stint.

Interview with Joelle Godfrey

I met Joelle A. Godfrey through Twitter, she tweets about Project Management and following her is enough to learn about the basics of project management and then dive deeper into the intricacies.

She is a Project Management Professional specializing in Risk Management and helps companies reach their market delivery dates on time and minimize operation costs by focusing on risk management and continuous improvement.

She graduated from Princeton University where she earned her Bachelors degree in English, later earning a Masters in Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management. A member of the Project Management Institute from which she received her Project Management Professional Certification in 2002. She was certified a Motorola Six Sigma Green Belt in 2006.You can see her website here and follow her in Twitter as well.

Joelle thank you very much for taking the time out for the interview.

How did you decide to become a project manager? Is it something you always wanted to be?

I started my career as a technical writer and transitioned into web development. At the time, I was fortunate to work with someone who recommended that I look into Project Management and gave me the opportunity to work on a Y2K project for the department. Later he recommended me for a role at Motorola.

What has been the most fulfilling experience you have had as a project manager?

I enjoy putting together a plan, working with people from each cross-functional team to ensure that we have covered critical areas of risk and identified risks we need to track. I also enjoy executing on the plan and passing milestones.

I read a lot about Japan in your twitter account, it seems you have stayed there for some time.

Actually, I’ve never been to Japan. I started studying Japanese a year ago and I’ve wanted to go there ever since. My goal is to travel there as soon as I find another job and get back into the flow of working full-time.

Do you still remember your first day as a PM, were you nervous....how was it?

I have a horrible memory. I don’t recall what my first day was like, but if I could look back, I would tell myself to ask more questions.

In todays market, what would be the best strategy to become a project manager


I don’t know. It depends on where you’re starting from. I recommend building up your skillset by getting a project management certificate and asking your manager for an opportunity to support a PM on another project. 


Any recommendation on books you should read or tweets you should follow?

If I run into someone who tweets on Project Management I follow them. Search twitter for the #pmot hashtag and start there.
Right now I’d recommend: Right Brain Project Management by B. Michael Aucoin, Radical Project Management by Robb Thomsett and Re-inventing Project Management by Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir. All excellent books that I recommend you keep in your library for future reference.

Coming from a background in English Literature, was it hard transitioning into a technical field? What would you suggest to those coming from non technical background who want to work as project managers?

I don't think having a liberal arts background is a disadvantage - I think it helped me be flexible and continue to change to meet the demands of my career. That's what I would recommend to others who don't have a technical degree: continue to grow. If you need to pick up more traditional technical certifications to be more marketable - do so.

Thank you.

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