Doug provided a very entertaining evening with his insights to surviving in our project environments.  He provided three (3) secrets and ten (10) laws as a template for success with sidebars which some will never forget.

Following are some of the key thoughts from his presentation:

The project unfriendly organization =

• Roles: sponsors, functional and senior managers micro manage
• Rewards: you get to keep your job
• Project Management: no consistent, common methodology in place
• Communication: One way, incomplete, and hidden agendas
• Priorities: Priority of the day

Circle of influence vs circle of concern • Know the difference between what can and can't be changed

• Influence - health, family relationships, financial well being
• Concern - economy, company, weather
• You should be proactive to expand your circle of influence

First Secret - Your Goal is to Flourish (Not just get rid of pain)

• First Law - Discover Your Purpose
• Always striving, never arriving
• The reason I am alive is _____
• If money were not an object, what would I be doing?
• Create a two (2) sentence mission statement:
• 1- who are we, what is the end result and who is the customer
• 2- why are we doing this
• Second Law - Have an Inspiring Vision
• Collection of thoughts and visions of success
• Third Law - Embrace Your Worst Fears
• What we don't embrace is our fear
• Fear controls us
• Brainstorming fear is risk analysis
• Fourth Law - Choose Your Attitude
• Are you half empty or half full
• Keep your friends close
• Keep your enemies closer
• Fifth Law - Assert Yourself
• Have the ability to say NO
• Don't fire yourself
• Establish:
• Sponsor norms
• Functional manager norms

• Sixth Law - Resolve Conflict
• Split between what I want versus what they are
• DENT model:
• D - Define conflict
• E - Explore cause
• N - Negotiate
• T - Take action
• See yourself in their position
• Seek to understand before being understood (walk a mile ...)
• Team meeting norms
• Operating norms
• Seventh Law - Empower Yourself
• How can this help achieve your goals
• Eighth Law - Reflect
• Thoughts are the same for everyone:
• Food
• Sex
• Work
• Stop thoughts for awhile
• Become the sky, not the clouds
• Use your no-brain
• Post mortem
• Ninth Law - Act
• The menu is not the restaurant
• Do it scared
• The Gantt chart is not the project
• Can't just plan
• Tenth Law - Accept Yourself Even If ...
• Never enter adversarial relationships with yourself
• Accept failure
• Nothing succeeds like failure and nothing fails like success
• Boil a frog by starting at 70 degrees and increase the temperature 1 degree a day.  The frog will enjoy the warmth of the water until he realizes that he is doomed, but will not have the strength to save himself.
• If it ain't broke - break it.

Second Secret - The Outside = The Inside

•  We say things that we are

Third Secret - You Don't Need Permission

• Empower yourself

It's not the Jungle we conquer, It's ourselves