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!

Who are you now?

Some days are just ordinary.
Some days don’t happen the way you want them to happen.
Some days are plain old same.


I don’t have a blog post to post and I can’t think of any to write. Sometimes I will just read something and think about it. I’ll think how my life has been and what I have done and what I would love to do.


Some days are far away from project management.


I think loosing focus, letting your dreams go and just reading something for no reason whatsoever is pure joy. No certifications, no proposals, no more work.


Most of our actions are nothing but a way to cover up our insecurities, fear and disappointment. 
What would you do- if you had the money, the life you want and everything you need to keep on going? What will you change? What will happen to your job? 


Will you act differently? Who will you be? Who are you now?


(Pic Courtesy)

Who are you following?

Does it matter?

It does, most of the times. Last year while travelling from India to London for the first time, after landing in Heathrow I was trying to find my way to get my luggage.

The guy sitting next to me in the flight was zigzagging through the airport, so I assumed he was familiar with the airport, so I just followed him, knowing that he will have to pick up the luggage as well.

Turned out, I followed him to the men’s restroom. I stopped, turned around and laughed at myself. What was I thinking?

This is what happens when you follow someone without thinking. Make sure you know what you are doing and why?

(Pic courtesy)

Be informed

Todays post is a melting pot of some of the best articles:

• PMI Global Congress 2010 Summary
• Motivation over Talent
• Clients who ignore you: How to handle them 
• Preparing your exit strategy
• How to motivate your team during difficult times
• The Customer life cycle and the Project life cycle
• The Return of Listening
• Technically useful for the PMP exams
• Top 5 reasons why people fail the PMP exams
• Tackling the issues of cross broder projects
• Monitoring how to mentor and be mentored

If you are looking for mentors who can help you take the next step, try  SIPM, there are no charges for membership and you get to meet PM's from all over the world who will take the time to help you for your next move. 

Interview with Valerie Thorn

I have always believed that Project Managers given their interest in running a business can do it really well.


Today’s interview is with Valerie Thorn BSc, FRSA- CEO and founder of AND Technology Research Ltd (UK) who personally has a 30 year practical experience in software and embedded engineering runs a company successfully. 


That’s not all, she started her business when she was only 25! 


Keep reading for inspiration, lessons learnt and what you should know if you are planning your own business.

Hi Valerie, please tell us something about your organization and how you started it.
We are AND Technology Research Ltd, a small private company – currently 10 staff situated in a small village between London and Cambridge in the UK. I started the company in 1980 when I was 25. I saw great potential in the use of distributed computing power within businesses, for communications and control. I began with some funding of my own and practical support of my parents and sister.

Since you have been managing a company and also running projects, which do you think is more challenging and why?
Running the company is in some ways just the same as running a project so both are challenging; however there are some differences Projects have an intensity and significant time pressures. For instance if you don’t start a project on time, then you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t finish on time; running a company in which you have a long term interest does not normally suffer from this sort of intensity. However overall I would say that the number of variables and the effects that your decisions have on people’s lives makes running a company more challenging.

How important are mistakes in trying to run a company?
If you don’t make mistakes then you don’t learn, what’s most important is how you deal them. The main thing to remember is that mistakes have to be managed or corrected for the best interest of the company, not for the best interest of the manager/owner. Personal conflict can inevitably occur but handling the conflict should add to the learning. So mistakes are important, you have to learn to recognise when mistakes occur, accept them, deal with them and not get hung up on them.

Do you think a good project manager can also be successful business person?
Yes I do, in fact they can make excellent business people, but they have to be able to cope with uncertainty. Project managers have to engage with a variety of project stakeholders and manipulate resources and time to make to project work. A good business person needs to be able to do this; however business people also need generally to cope with uncertain situations where either the resources or the time are just not as they would like them to be. They have to be a little more creative and inventive and be prepared to take the responsibility for risk.

Three important qualities that both project managers and entrepreneurs should have?

• Vision and focus for what is to be achieved.
• Organisational skills which allow them to stay focused but include enough flexibility to accommodate change
• Ability to inspire others and to carry the message of the vision forward.

One thing you wish you knew when you started out.
The importance of the supply chain to a business. By this I mean, not just where your market is but how to navigate supply chains within the market in order to maximise business potential.

So, when organizations like you hire newbies- what are you looking for?
People who, given a necessary skill level, then demonstrate the potential to learn and to adapt to change, plus an ability to laugh.

Valerie is also an active participant in a number of creative and electronic industry organisations. Her career has involved creating digital and electronics based solutions for consumer, industrial and telecommunications products. AND has received numerous awards for innovation over its 30 year life-span and Valerie’s achievements in small business management have also been recognised. Valerie’s expertise lies in embedded software and the role played by software as Intellectual Property. She is engaged in research into technology management and innovation. 


To know more about AND visit their website here.


(Pic Courtesy: Valerie Thorn)