Disobedient Talk

When most senior business analysts or project managers think of a sponsor, they immediately think of “the person who funds the project”. Funding is a vital function provided by the sponsor; however the most important resource that a sponsor needs if they are to be…

Recently, we have heard leadership “experts” present two completely opposite pieces of advice relative to managing senior stakeholders. Says one expert – the person who is bringing a problem to a senior leader should present the issue, then stop and listen for any feedback, questions…

One of the primary concepts of engaging in Intelligent Disobedience is to be true to one’s self. Intelligent Disobedience is acting in a way that often counters what is expected, but is in the best interest of the business at large. Equally important, however, is…

I recently re-read a book entitled Employees First, Customers Second by Vineet Nayar.. In the book Nayar mentions that new knowledge or a shift in perception only comes about through ‘memorable, extreme or experimental’ communications. At an Intelligent Disobedience keynote presentation in the United States, one…

The concept of a change manager is growing in popularity, with the role becoming a standard part of many organisations, the Change Management Institute is gaining membership and Communities of Practice for Change Management are dotting the specialist landscape. Providing focus to this area is…

The process is regularly repeated in large as well as small businesses – an idea is generated from a middle or senior manager, a project proposal, project charter or other initiation document is created; it is evaluated, approved and a project is started. Although this…

Whether you call them key stakeholders, primary stakeholders or some other term, it is likely that every leader labels at least one person as ‘the person to please’ when delivering an initiative. By default, we call him the sponsor. As the sponsor is footing the…

Contingency elements – typically in the form of extra dollars or time – are a fundamental part of the way leaders manage risk.. Reasonable approach, right? Unexpected things happen and items that were considered in risk management plans sometimes do come to fruition and must…

Initiatives benefit from a sound and comprehensive governance structure consisting of an engaged sponsor and a steering committee of stakeholders that have a vested interest and influence over the results. Assembling this body of stakeholders is not particularly complex, especially when an engaged leader partners…

Many organisations struggle with the concept of portfolio management and its core process, an initiative prioritisation scheme. Why prioritisation schemes become such a major production, requiring every senior manager, administrative assistant, two security guards and four programmers to make happen is astounding. The process should…

Leaders around the world sing the praises of appropriate risk planning. Many even attempt to do risk management, beyond the typical document that is created at the beginning of an initiative but is destined to become lonely sitting in the bottom drawer of one’s desk….

Many lessons will undoubtedly be learned from Australia’s recent natural disasters. Incredible flooding, followed by one of the largest cyclones in recent memory have caused havoc across Australia, particularly in Queensland. The chaos of natural disasters places a premium on good communication. In this situation,…