Difficult bosses are everywhere. At some point in your career, you’re likely to have a difficult boss. So, what do you do when you find yourself in this situation? Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels Bosses are people, situations are different, and each boss may have a different management style. You may assume that bosses get management training or they’re hired because of their excellent management skills. But not everyone has great leadership skills. If you’ve been in the workplace for several years, you’ve most likely encountered a bad boss. Some Difficult Boss Behavi ..read more

Many organizations don’t fully understand the benefits of project management. Here’s how your skills and expertise help organizations deliver greater value for their efforts. This article was originally published on September 30, 2016, and has been updated. Can you easily explain the value you provide to an organization as a project manager? You don’t make sales, write code, or provide customer service. Can you explain how you help your organization provide more value? Unexpectedly, I found myself in that very position. When I was a newer project manager working at a startup company, the pr ..read more

The STAR method is a simple framework for answering behavioral interview questions. It formats your interview answers in a way that shows interviewers how your experiences make you an outstanding candidate for the job you’re interviewing for. It’s a great formula for crafting a success story that highlights your skills and experience. What Is the STAR Interview Method? The STAR method is a formula for answering behavioral interview questions. It ..read more

With remote work here to stay, virtual leadership skills are critical for productive teams.  Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels The trend towards remote work is rising. This means a huge transformation to the way businesses work in distributed workplaces where every member works from a separate location. As per Gartner’s research, about 47% of the respondents intend to allow employees full-time remote working opportunities. Many top companies have already implemented this plan, and many more firms are getting added to this list.  &n ..read more

These common cognitive biases are rampant and can easily skew your thinking. We’re all vulnerable to being misled and not thinking as clearly as we could – even when we think we’re behaving in our best interest. These cognitive biases can negatively affect our decision-making, critical thinking, and behavior, getting us stuck in ways that work against us. It’s important to be aware of them so we can recognize when we fall into these mind traps. Cognitive biases are mind traps we easily fall into. If we’re not aware of them, we’ll get stuck without even knowing it. Leigh Espy, Project Bliss ..read more

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence outlines principles of speech you can use anytime you need to move an audience to act. This powerful communication formula is easy to understand and gives you a template for creating powerful messages. Alan Monroe was a psychology professor at Purdue University. He used the psychology of persuasion to develop an outline for speeches that deliver results. His book Monroe’s Principles of Speech describes this in detail. This time-tested method helps you craft messages for maximum impact. If ..read more

The Moscow Prioritization method can help you and your product team decide what you need to focus on for your project. If you’ve got multiple key stakeholders lobbying for various features, having a way to score them can help determine which product features to focus on first. What is the MoSCoW Prioritization Method? Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW prioritization method while working at Oracle to help his team prioritize project requirements. The idea is that the team must focus on high-priority requirements to ensure they’re planned into your product before moving on to other options.  Y ..read more

It can be tough to make your virtual meetings more engaging. But doing so can ensure you’re getting the most value from the session, and creating an experience your remote meeting participants will enjoy. Meeting participants are by now accustomed to meeting online. But meeting virtually isn’t the same as sitting across the table from your teammates. Participants can be disengaged, distracted, or simply intimidated to speak up.  As the facilitator, there are things you can do to ensure your remote meeting participants are fully engaged and bringing thier best to the virtual table. Vi ..read more

The Tuckman model of team development describes the stages that groups go through as they mature. By moving from forming, storming, norming, and performing, your team will perform well and produce great work. Learn how to identify and help your team move through these stages of development to get the best from your team and your projects. This guide works even if you’re working with a virtual team. What are the 4 stages of team development? The Tuckman model of team develo ..read more

As a project manager and team lead, creating psychological safety is an essential part of creating and maintaining high-performing teams. What is Psychological Safety? Psychological safety refers to feeling like we have permission to express our thoughts and feelings, even those that may seem unpopular or controversial. It also includes having access to information about others’ actions and decisions. Team members also have opportunities to learn from mistakes made by other employees. Amy Edmondson, author of The Fearless Organizat ..read more