Top 10 advices to Project Managers

• You can't manage a Project on your own
• Never take anything for granted, never assume that something is happening, check
• Seek to understand before you seek to be understood
• Delegate and remember there is more than one way to complete the same task
• Allow the team to take responsibility for the tasks assigned to them
• Manage the sponsor and don't let them manage you, you own the project
• Be realistic with the expectations
• Everything is resolvable, it just may take time to find that solution. If something goes wrong, don't take it personally, it's not about life and death.
• Look at the whole picture and keep the end in mind
• Taking a decision and moving forward is always preferable to indecision and delays

Interoute Express

Interoute just launched Interoute Express, so everyone can now benefit from fast, friendly file delivery! Interoute Express is the great new way to send large files directly from your desktop, it's free to download (for PC only) and to use as an alternative to attaching large files to emails. Instead, it transfers files to a secure, managed delivery platform almost instantly, allowing you to send a unique automatically generated link in your email. It's easier than FTP and means no more issues with oversized email attachments or crashing inboxes. Simply select, upload, compose and hit send with Interoute Express.

8 random things about myself

Michael tagged me to reveal eight random things about myself, so here you go:

• I'm a workaholic. I love my job, no matter what my job is and who I do work for, I have to love my job, because I live everything I'm doing with passion. If I don't love my job, I better change job quickly. That said, I'm loyal to my boss, and all my former bosses would confirm I've been a good right-hand man (I hope so).
• I love to eat. Sharing good food and wine with good friends is probably what I do enjoy the most, and it has probably to do with the french culture. This is also one of the hardest things to live in Czech Republic as the difference is quite ... big.
• I love Project Management. Project Management, and to an extent, Program Management, are real and proper disciplines, and need to be recognized as such by the industries. I do consider myself as an evangelist, and do fight everywhere I can to demonstrate how useful it is.
• I love to read, especially epic fantasy books. My all time favorites are The Liveship Traders, The Farseer Trilogy, The Tawny Man by Robin Hobb (whom I met once); The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay; Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind.
• I love to travel. People who know me for a long time can be quite surprised of reading this, and it is true, until 2000, I did not want to move anywhere out of Alsace, or even the surroundings of Strasbourg. However, since then, I learned a lot, and working abroad is fantastic. Next jump to the USA?
• I love middle-age. I used to run a society for reenactment of medieval wars, and I still enjoy wearing chainmail and fencing, which seems to be quite a usual hobby here in Czech Republic.
• I love watching TV late. Often, I fall asleep on the sofa, and sometimes, I even don't wake up until the morning, after spending the whole night in the living room ... what a pity.
• I'm an addicted online gamer. Even though I don't have time anymore for persistant games, I'm still missing the "good old days" and I just reinstalled Half-Life to play some TFC/Counter-Strike with some friends (and I'm often fighting with my wife about buying a new computer for gaming).

I am now tagging Guy Kawasaki, Rodrigo Sepulveda Schulz, Mike Hellers, Scott Beale, Timothy L. Johnson, Vanina Delobelle, Loïc Le Meur and Joel Spolsky.

10 Rules for the Leaders

I have found this Follower's Creed on Michael's blog. It says: I will follow you, if you

• Treat me with respect
• Inspire me with your vision
• Teach me
• Are tolerant of my mistakes
• Are visible and available
• Talk with (and listen to) me
• Allow me to grow
• Don't give up, or change course arbitrarily
• Have the courage of your convictions
• Tell me the truth, and practice what you preach.

Towel Day

Towel Day is a celebration of the late Douglas Noel Adams, the author of a universal book, a wholly remarkable book, called The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you can count up to 42, simply bring a towel with you, wherever you go, throughout the day, to show your participation and mourning.

Project Managers Salary Survey

Serge came across this article on Baseline Mag, which triggered a very interresting discussion on SdB+PM. I was mainly pointing out that a US $165'000 median salary was quite high, especially compared to last Certmag salary survey, which gave an average of $95'000 to a PMP certified Project Manager, which is closer to the figures provided by the PMI Salary Survey.

Champaign

One less on my to-do list, I am a certified PMP since this morning :)

SdB+PM

After being a (not so active) member for quite a long time, I recently have been invited to join the admin team of SdB+PM, founded by Serge de Bock. This online Project Management community is aimed as Senior Project Managers who are also members of LinkedIn (for those who are not yet, remember it is free). In our understanding, a "Senior" Project Manager has managed projects across multiple functional areas and also across different cultures and countries.

If you find it hard to find other Project Managers to talk with, if it's such a relief to find someone else who even understands you're not talking about submarines when you say "scope", then join SdB+PM. We're an international group of Project Managers who love to talk about Project Management. We ask questions, pose theories, express opinions, share experience - and so much more on the SdB+PM Forum.

Top 10 things a Manager should know

Michael Wade published a list of what the manager with "street smarts" knows some times ago. Here is my Top 10 selection:

• Control your temper and your tongue.
• Know what will get you fired.
• Don't have hidden policies.
• Treat people at all levels with respect.
• Putting others at ease is an important skill.
• Learning to say "No" will save you from a lot of sleepless nights.
• You rarely risk overcommunicating.
• "Go see" is better than "hear about."
• Get rid of people who pull down your team.
• Genius comes from a devotion to the basics.

Networking

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.

Dale Carnegie

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