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The Methodical Architect or The Intuitive Activator? The Methodical Architect (Invention & Tenacity Geniuses) The Methodical Architect is a creative individual who can envision both the beginning and the end of a project. They excel at developing solutions from a broad perspective while paying close attention to the finer of execution. This ability to create and execute makes them invaluable in helping teams develop solutions and ensure they come to fruition in line with the original intent. What to watch for: In their quest for precision, they may miss nuances in their environment or overlook the human needs of their colleagues. The Intuitive Activator (Discernment & Galvanizing Geniuses) The Intuitive Activator acts as the bridge between ideation and implementation. Their intuitive ability to assess and refine great ideas seamlessly transitions into their natural talent for rallying support and driving momentum toward execution. They bring such helpful clarity around decisions & generate a surge of enthusiasm to spark action. What to watch for: Due to their quick assessment skills, they might jump to rallying others too soon. It's important for them to consider the details of implementation before they fully engage their galvanizing gear. This can help mitigate their own expectations for an immediate response. Having great people on your team is important...the NEXT STEP is to figure out how to best work together! Questions about Working Genius? e: coaching@michaeldueck.com

Why problem solving thinking is so important? When working on various projects, I often encounter situations where the client presents requirements that are not fully thought out and consistent. This is a very big threat, especially at an early stage of the project, as it can cause delays and bad decisions that are very difficult and expensive to change. What to do in such a situation? The problem solving thinking approach comes to the rescue. It is based on several pillars. First, critical thinking. In this way, we try to look at the presented requirement and assess how much sense it makes. Does it really meet the end user's goal? Has it been formulated correctly? Knowing the answers to these questions, we use our creativity, knowledge and experience to reformulate the requirement, clarify it or reject it altogether. Then we talk about it with the client, explaining our way of thinking and showing alternatives that will help achieve the original business goal. This is probably the most important thing here. The point is not to leave the client with the information that what they came up with makes no sense and nothing can be done about it. It is necessary to show alternative solutions and other paths to reach the goal. By talking about them, we will build trust and avoid misunderstandings, which should guarantee smooth cooperation. To sum up, it is worth remembering the 4 C`s when working on project requirements: - critical thinking - creativity - communication - collaboration

ARE YOU WORKING IN A MATRIX ORGANIZATION? DON'T YOU HAVE AUTHORITY TO MANAGE A TEAM DIRECTLY? Then these techniques are for you... This is common in matrix organizations where team members report to several managers, and you don’t have definite power over them. Some techniques and skills to manage the team effectively in this situation: 1. Build Relationships: Trust and Respect: Earn the trust and respect of your team. This can be done by showing competence, being reliable, and demonstrating integrity. Personal Connections: Get to know your team members on a personal level. Understand their motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. 2. Communicate Clearly: Transparency: Keep communication open and transparent. Share the project goals, timelines, and individual roles clearly. Active Listening: Practice active listening to understand team concerns and feedback. 3. Influence and Encouragement: Influence Skills: Develop your influence skills. Use logical arguments, emotional appeals, and cooperative strategies to persuade team members. Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behaviors and work ethic you want to see in your team. 4. Leverage Expertise: Subject Matter Experts: Rely on subject matter experts within the team. Their expertise can often sway opinions and decisions. Empower Team Members: Give team members ownership of tasks and decisions. This can increase their commitment and motivation. 5. Conflict Resolution: Arbitrate Disputes: Act as an arbitrator in conflicts. Use your influence to find common ground and resolve issues. Negotiate: Be prepared to negotiate and compromise to keep the project on track. 6. Align Objectives: Shared Vision: Align the project goals with the personal and professional goals of your team members. Recognition and Rewards: Recognize and reward contributions and achievements to boost morale and motivation. 7. Stakeholder Management: Engage Stakeholders: Keep stakeholders informed and engaged. Their support can give you the leverage you need to influence your team. Manage Upwards: Ensure that higher management understands the challenges you're facing and supports your efforts. 8. Use Data: Evidence-Based Management: Use data and metrics to make your case and track progress. It’s harder to argue with facts and figures. 9. Adaptability: Be Flexible: Be prepared to adapt your management style to different team members and situations. 10. Professional Growth: Continuous Learning: Continue developing your leadership and management talents. Workshops, courses, and books on leadership can be very helpful. Being a project manager without direct power requires a blend of soft skills, diplomacy, and strategic thinking. It's all about leading through encouragement rather than command. I hope you will enjoy your job by implementing the above tools and will be a successful manager.

Let's talk about the magnifying glass of your project. Have you ever worked with a manager… - who pings you within 2 minutes of completing Task 1 to remind you to do Task 2. - who insists on reviewing and adjusting every work product, only to end up back where you started. - who lacks trust in you to make decisions that should be well within your scope. - who requires frequent status updates on project work. - who shows an obsession with metrics to the point of losing sight of the bigger picture. - who constantly follows up throughout the same day to see if the task is completed when the due date is 2 weeks away. - who agrees with your perspective in meetings but exhibit passive-aggressive behavior toward you outside the meeting. The list can go longer… These are a few common behaviors of micro managers. It comes from your own insecurities, fear of losing control, inability to delegate tasks, and seeking perfection in everything. They are toxic. Believe me they are everywhere. I was unintentionally one of them early in my career as a PM. I no longer operate on OCD anymore. But I still work with a lot of them, unfortunately. You might want to stay away from them. But, how about you handle them with a plan? This is my approach when I face with micromanagement. ✔ First, try to understand the triggers for their micromanagement. This will help you build your communication and engagement strategy.   ✔ Set clear expectations: Review your role and responsibilities together and clarify what is expected of you in the project. ✔ Establish boundaries: If you’re expected to share project updates, set the cadence and stick to it. ✔Work collaboratively: Involve them in the project planning session; this is particularly helpful when dealing with micromanagers who struggle to delegate tasks. ✔Seek feedback: This demonstrates your willingness to collaborate while also managing their expectations. ✔Build trust: This is the most powerful one. This demonstrate that you’re on top of everything, which creates credibility for your work. We've all experienced micromanagement at some point in our career. What has been your most effective strategy for managing it?

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞! The practice of creating clarity has two objectives. Sharing information with people so they can perform their jobs at a high level, and keeping everyone on the same page, pulling in the same direction. The job of creating clarity is never done. Because no organization creates clarity perfectly, the ones that do it well have a distinct advantage over those just winging it. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬. Project 1 - The first project has a clear purpose, a budget, a well-defined scope, and the right people on the team who are clear about the roles. The project has a clear set of deliverables and a time frame to deliver them. In this project, there are regular team meetings with candid conversations about what is going well, what is not, and how to course-correct. Any changes in scope are well communicated to everyone. As a result, team members leave each meeting with clarity about the path forward. Project 2 - The second project has the same good intentions as the first project, as well as good people. The objectives and scope of the project are a little fuzzy. Not everyone is clear about their role and how it intersects with other people’s roles on the project. This team also has meetings to discuss the project. Changes to the project may not be explained to everyone sufficiently. So, team members don’t always leave with what course corrections need to be made. This team keeps going down the original path, pushing them off-track. What happened with these two projects also happens with teams and organizations. The teams and organizations with ongoing clarity stand a strong chance of everyone pulling in the same direction towards the same goals, resulting in alignment and strong performance. The teams and organizations that lack ongoing clarity have people pulling in different directions towards different goals, resulting in wasted time and energy. Like the projects, teams, and organizations that have ongoing clarity have a distinct advantage over those who lack it. One of the techniques I teach is the 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐒𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 method. As you are planning a communication, consider these three questions. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭. What is the key takeaway you want people to be crystal clear about in your communication? 𝐒𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭. Why does this communication matter - to the receivers of the communication? 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭. Information by itself is rarely useful. When people are clear about why it matters - and what you are specifically asking them to do, meaningful actions start happening, impacting performance. 𝐃𝐫. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 works with clients to develop people strategies that align with their business strategy. His experience as a Senior Vice President for a billion-dollar global enterprise along with a PhD in Organization and Management are a unique fusion of real-world experience and academic credentials.

Are we ready for good times and what comes with it???? 🥉 💰 ➡ 💣 💨 〽 Project Management mostly of the time is characterized by been something out of the ordinary, even for those companies that develop projects, and I think everybody wants to professionally grow to a certain level, but what happens when all the company wishes come true and suddenly projects sales grow and more projects than expected are won, everybody is happy for all the good coming out of that. On a friend chat this matter came out and one of us pointed out that he thinks this isn’t always good news. -Your workload will increase for the project team, not everyone will be able to commit as required. -The team behavior will change, not everybody will stay and HR will face urgent recruitments. -The incoming training will be tested, how fast your team can teach and integrate new members will be a challenge. -At some point something can go wrong, in often cases instead of focus in the solution blames will be easier and motivation will drop. -Management will be challenge how to deal with this, and this is just the tip of the problem. -Results will be demanded but solutions will not be provided. We turn our looks to this friend and say that sounded too dramatic, but he explains with some examples, and in some cases were very unbelievable how this snow ball started, blaming the team members, the latest hired members, suppliers and eve customer for request to comply what was agreed for the project. At this point we agree that with all that explanation didn’t sound so dramatic and he was right about how when there is a challenge something so small can grow so fast and so big, and at this point must of us agreed that the key is something I been arguing when this kind of debates come out. COMUNICATION. Even with the AI we still require to take care of the human part, problems and solved by acknowledge them, and that comes from listen, pay attention, see your team performance, not just the numbers, listen to your customer, to your suppliers. Excusing behind circumstances or misunderstandings is just avoiding to face that the company is not ready or able to grow in that way and at that time. Communication isn’t just about giving orders, sending emails or reviewing reports. If you are dealing with not getting progress on your project or operations performance, let’s talk and work it out. Never get tired of asking for help, there is always a solution for everything, everything can be improved and in a lot of cases is a communication and planning matter.

1. Communication 1.1 Clarity Definition: Presenting ideas and information in a simple, precise, and concise manner to avoid misunderstandings. A manager clearly states in a team meeting that the project deadline is November 15, and each member must report progress weekly. 1.2 Active Listening Definition: Listening attentively, understanding the emotions behind the words, and providing an appropriate response. A colleague listens carefully to the team leader's concerns and asks follow-up questions to understand the issue better before suggesting a solution. 1.3 Non-Verbal Cues Communicating through body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.During a meeting, the boss notices a team member's frustration and invites them for a private conversation to address the issue. 2. Emotional Intelligence (EI) 2.1 Self-Awareness Recognizing and understanding one's emotions and reactions. A manager acknowledges that they tend to get angry under stress and takes a break to stay calm during high-pressure situations. 2.2 Empathy Understanding and being sensitive to others' emotions and perspectives. A team leader notices that a new employee is overwhelmed and provides them with a comfortable environment to ease the pressure. 2.3 Self-Regulation Controlling one's emotions and responding thoughtfully.A manager stays calm under pressure and motivates the team instead of spreading panic. 3. Adaptability 3.1 Flexibility Definition: The ability to embrace new ideas and changes. Example: A team member adjusts to changing client requirements mid-project and ensures smooth operations. 3.2 Problem-Solving Definition: Quickly finding solutions to challenges. Example: When a supply chain issue arises, the manager promptly arranges materials from an alternate supplier. 3.3 Open-Mindedness Definition: Being receptive to new ideas and perspectives. Example: A project leader seeks suggestions from the team and considers ideas different from their own. --- 4. Conflict Resolution 4.1 Mediation Definition: Facilitating discussions to resolve disputes. Example: A manager listens impartially to both parties during a disagreement between team members to find a solution. 4.2 Negotiation Definition: Finding mutually beneficial solutions by considering the interests of both parties. Example: A team leader negotiates with management and employees to introduce flexible work hours. 4.3 Patience Definition: Maintaining composure in stressful situations. Example: A project manager patiently handles constant changes from clients while providing effective solutions. 5. Teamwork 5.1 Collaboration Definition: Working together towards a common goal. Example: A team divides tasks and works collectively to meet the project deadline. 5.2 Delegation Definition: Assigning tasks based on members' strengths. Example: A manager assigns graphic design work to the team member who specializes in it.

A successful projecsuccesshould have the following characteristics: 1. Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Each team member should have a defined role, understanding their specific responsibilities within the project to avoid confusion and overlap. 2. Effective Leadership: A project manager or leader should guide the team, set priorities, make decisions, and keep the project on track. Good leaders motivate and support their team members. 3. Diverse Skills and Expertise: The team should have a mix of complementary skills to cover all areas of the project. This includes technical skills, problem-solving, communication, and decision-making abilities. 4. Strong Communication: Open and transparent communication is key. Team members should share updates, challenges, and feedback regularly to ensure everyone is aligned. 5. Collaboration and Teamwork: Team members should work collaboratively, leveraging each other’s strengths and supporting each other to achieve project goals. 6. Accountability and Ownership: Each member should take ownership of their tasks and be accountable for delivering quality work on time. 7. Adaptability and Problem-Solving: The team should be flexible and adaptable, ready to pivot if project requirements change. Strong problem-solving abilities help the team overcome challenges efficiently. 8. Focus on Goals and Deadlines: A good project team is goal-oriented, keeping the end objectives in sight and managing time efficiently to meet deadlines. 9. Trust and Respect: Mutual trust and respect among team members create a positive working environment, where people feel valued and motivated to contribute. 10. Risk Management: The team should proactively identify potential risks and have a strategy to mitigate them. A well-structured, collaborative, and goal-driven team increases the likelihood of a project's success.

DiSC® and Critical Thinking DiSC® and Critical Thinking are two distinct but complementary tools that can greatly enhance personal and professional development. Here's a brief overview of each and how they might intersect: The DiSC® behavioral assessment is a tool used to understand human behavior.  It categorizes behaviors into four primary types based on traits: - Dominance (D): Focuses on results, confidence, and boldness. - Influence (I): Emphasizes social interactions, enthusiasm, and persuasiveness. - Steadiness (S): Values cooperation, sincerity, and dependability. - Conscientiousness (C): Prioritizes accuracy, quality, and competency. Understanding these types helps individuals and teams improve communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution by recognizing and appreciating diverse perspectives. Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment. It involves: - Analysis: Breaking down complex information into understandable parts. - Evaluation: Assessing arguments and evidence logically. - Inference: Drawing conclusions based on sound reasoning. - Explanation: Clearly articulating reasoning and evidence. - Self-Regulation: Reflecting on one's own beliefs, values, and biases. Critical thinking enhances problem-solving and decision-making by encouraging thorough and reasoned approaches to various issues. Intersection of DiSC® and Critical Thinking Combining DiSC® with critical thinking can lead to more effective interpersonal interactions and problem-solving strategies. Here's how they intersect: 1. Self-awareness: DiSC® helps individuals understand their natural tendencies, which can inform their approach to critical thinking. For instance, someone high in Dominance (D) may need to consciously slow down and consider multiple perspectives before making a decision. 2. Understanding Others: Recognizing the DiSC® styles of others can aid in critical thinking by anticipating how they might approach problems and react to solutions. This understanding can lead to more empathetic and effective communication. 3. Collaboration: In a team setting, leveraging the strengths of various DiSC® styles can enhance collective critical thinking. For example, an Influencer (I) might generate creative ideas, while a Conscientious person (C) evaluates them for feasibility and accuracy. 4. Problem-Solving: Diverse perspectives from different DiSC® styles contribute to a more holistic approach to critical thinking, ensuring that solutions are well-rounded and considerate of various viewpoints. 5. Conflict Resolution: Critical thinking can help address conflicts by encouraging logical analysis and fair evaluation, while DiSC® provides insights into the behavioral tendencies that may be driving the conflict. By integrating the insights from DiSC® with the principles of critical thinking, individuals and teams can enhance their effectiveness in communication, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Incorporating emotional intelligence (EI) into decision-making for Information Systems (IS) projects is crucial for creating collaborative, efficient, and adaptable teams. Emotional intelligence can help leaders manage relationships, understand team dynamics, and navigate the complexities of technological challenges. Here’s how you can apply EI in IS project decision-making: 1. Self-awareness in Technical Decisions Understanding your emotions: When making decisions, such as adopting new technologies or resolving system issues, emotional self-awareness helps you manage biases, stress, and personal reactions. For example, in stressful situations like system failures, recognizing how stress affects your decisions can help you remain calm and objective. Bias management: Acknowledge any preferences for certain technologies or vendors. Self-awareness ensures decisions are based on facts and project needs rather than personal attachments. 2. Empathy in Stakeholder Engagement Understanding team and client needs: IS projects involve multiple stakeholders, including developers, end-users, and management. Empathy allows you to understand their perspectives and pain points, leading to better communication and decision-making that addresses real user needs. Client engagement: When gathering requirements or managing changes, empathy helps in recognizing the emotional concerns clients may have, such as fears about system downtimes or data loss, which can shape your approach to problem-solving. 3. Social Skills for Team Collaboration Fostering collaboration: Decisions involving system architecture or process optimization often require input from various departments. Emotional intelligence helps in navigating team dynamics and fostering open communication, ensuring that all voices are heard and that the team works harmoniously. Conflict resolution: Disagreements may arise during IS projects, such as over-feature priorities or tool selection. Strong social skills enable you to mediate conflicts, ensuring the team reaches consensus while maintaining positive working relationships. 4. Self-regulation in Managing Change Staying flexible: IS projects often involve rapid changes, such as new compliance requirements or emerging technologies. Self-regulation ensures you remain adaptable without reacting impulsively to changes. A composed approach allows for smoother transitions and helps the team navigate disruptions effectively. Stress management: When faced with tight deadlines or system challenges, self-regulation helps maintain focus and prevents reactive decisions that could harm the project’s long-term success. 5. Motivation to Drive Success Setting and pursuing goals: Emotionally intelligent leaders stay motivated and resilient even when projects face obstacles. This motivation drives continuous improvement, whether by learning new technologies or finding innovative solutions to complex IS problems.