Your team seems tired. Not burned out—just disengaged.You try praise, positivity, maybe a small celebration. Nothing changes. That’s where the frustration sets in. You’re expected to deliver top-quality work, but the levers that truly drive motivation aren’t in your hands. Before you give up, take a moment to revisit Herzberg’s ideas. You may not control […]
When Praise Falls Flat Read More »
It’s been a while since I last posted here — and that’s mostly because life and projects have been moving fast in the background. After publishing my memoir, Now What, I started FirstAidPM as a place to share lessons, thoughts, and tools from my years in project management. What began as a side blog slowly
What’s Been Happening Behind the Scenes Read More »
We have a tendency to gather. To call people in, form a group, and talk things through. It’s human, we huddle, we align, we conspire toward the next goal. But in a business setting, that instinct isn’t always the best use of time. Answer a few simple questions below to find out whether your meeting
Should it be a meeting Read More »
Too often I’ve heard a manager say they need something “ASAP.” While it might feel like a clear signal, it is one of the most counterproductive phrases you can use in any communication. It creates urgency without information, pressure without parameters. What does “as soon as possible” mean? To one person, it might mean “drop
Why ‘ASAP’ is a terrible deadline Read More »
Too often, a status meeting is something you inherit from your predecessor. A weekly one-hour session in which everyone gives an update on what they worked on, and all the successes they booked during the week. It sounds professional, but does it actually add value? If you need that meeting to really know what’s been
Why I hate status meetings Read More »
How Many of These Have You Survived This Week? Every project meeting has its language. Some of it helps, most of it just fills time. Next time you’re in a call, see how fast you can fill this grid. If you hear five in a row, you’ve earned yourself a coffee. If you hear ten,
ContextI was the fourth project manager on a long-running initiative.The project had already gone through three different contractual setups: fixed price, time and materials, and finally a feature-driven agreement. Despite the changing structures, all billing still ran through a single contract number. There was no formal handover or clear boundary between contracts. As a result,
ContextThe idea was solid.Project teams are often expected to function as if they are already aligned. But in reality, most start fragmented. They speak different work languages, have no shared history, no mutual expectations, and not enough trust to perform well under pressure. On the other side, teams that went through a hard project often
ContextI was assigned to run a project for the business side. The plan looked straightforward. Until you compared the numbers. I was given three extremely senior consultants. The budget had been written for juniors. The timeline required the seniors. I was warned by colleagues: “Don’t let them make this your problem.” The DragBut they did.
ContextIt started with a simple request. A small change was needed, but no one could say who owned the topic. Every name led to another. Every question led to a redirect. The DragWhen I tried to organize a kick-off, the calendar invite kept getting forwarded. Everyone added someone “just to be sure.” By the time
