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In the last article, entitled: "The paradigm of people as a whole", was suggested a simple way of thinking about life, addressing the 4 dimensions of the person as a whole, his needs, intelligences and attributes and how to ignite the inner fire and we find our voice.

Today we are going to reflect on what people expect from their work, the main chronic and acute problems and the response of companies and organizations of the industrial era to solve these problems

People and work

People make choices. Consciously or unconsciously, people decide how much of themselves they will dedicate to work, according to the way they are treated and the opportunities to use the 4 parts of their nature.

Only someone who is respected as a total person in a full-time job - who receives a fair wage, is neither treated, is used creatively and has opportunities to satisfy human needs with principles makes choices for lively cooperation, deep dedication or creative enthusiasm.

Chronic and acute problems

There are, in our body and in organizations, two types of chronic and acute problems.

Chronic means underlying, causal, continued.

Acute means painful, symptomatic, debilitating.

Organizations like people have chronic problems that are not yet acute.

Treating acute problems can mask the underlying chronic disease

Not all chronic diseases have acute symptoms.

Before these appear there are diseases (like cancer) that spread until it’s too late.

Just because we don't see the superficial symptoms does not mean that the underlying problems are not present.

The same applies to organizations.

There can be serious chronic problems in an organization that does not show acute signs, because some organizations do not compete in tough, global markets: they compete in local or protected markets.

If body, mind, heart or spirit are neglected, we will have four chronic problems in an organization - lack of confidence, lack of vision and shared values, misalignment and weakness - and all the acute symptoms that accompany them.

The joint results of these chronic problems and their symptoms are acute suffering from failure in the market, negative cash flow, low quality, inflated costs, inflexibility, slowness and many mutual accusations: a culture of blame, rather than a culture of responsibility.

Industrial-era response

What would be the reaction in the industrial age to these four chronic problems?

If there is little trust and no moral authority, the boss is at the center - the leader knows what is best and makes all the decisions. “Do it MY way or get out.

The rules will take the place of vision and mission.

Misalignment? Make things more efficient: the machines, the standards, the people, everything. Efficiency matters.

Weakening? You need to maintain control. We cannot trust people. The only way to get people to surrender is to use the carrot and the whip - show them the carrot (the rewards) to motivate performance and maintain a healthy level of fear with the whip (punishment or job loss) if the performance leave something to be desired.

Questions for reflection

Are there any of these problems in your company and / or organization? In your opinion are they acute or chronic?

What was the answer found in your organization to solve these problems?

Are there other answers, different from those of the industrial age, that can be considered?

                                                                          Fonte: O 8º Hábito - Da Eficácia à Grandeza 

                                                                                                                     Stephen R. Covey

The paradigm of people as a whole

If we study philosophies and religions (Western or Eastern), from the earliest historical records we find the four dimensions of human beings: physical / economic, mental, socio / emotional and spiritual.

The fundamental reality is that human beings are not things that need to be motivated and controlled. They are beings with four dimensions: Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit.

They also represent the 4 basic needs and motivations of all people: Live (survival), Love (Relationships), Learn (Growth and Development), Leave a Legacy (Meaning and Contribution).

The intelligences of human nature

The 4 magnificent parts of our nature are body, mind, heart and spirit.

Each of these parts corresponds to a capacity, or intelligence that we all have.

Our physical or bodily intelligence (FQ), our mental intelligence (IQ), our emotional intelligence (EQ) and our spiritual intelligence (SQ).

Physical Intelligence (FQ)

Physical Intelligence (FQ) is another type of intelligence.

Just think about what our body does without any conscious effort

It directs our respiratory, circulatory, nervous and other vitally important systems.

It is constantly analyzing the environment, destroying diseased cells and fighting for survival.

Mental Intelligence (IQ)

When we talk about intelligence, we usually think in terms of Mental Intelligence (IQ), that is, our ability to analyze, reason, think in an abstract way, use language, visualize and understand.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is self-knowledge, self-awareness, social sensitivity, empathy and the ability to communicate satisfactorily with other people.

It is a sense of opportunity for social adequacy and courage to recognize weaknesses and express and respect differences.

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ)

Spiritual Intelligence is the central and most fundamental intelligence of all, because it is the source of guidance for the other three.

It represents our impulse towards the direction and the connection with the infinite.

Spiritual intelligence also helps us to discern the true principles that are part of our conscience and are symbolized by the compass.

People with high influence

When we study the lives of all the people who have achieved great things - those who have had the most influence on other people, those who have made major contributions, those who have simply made things happen - we find a pattern. With persistent effort and inner struggle, these people greatly expanded their four human intelligences or capabilities.

The highest manifestations of these four intelligences are:

• Vision in Mental Intelligence
• The Discipline in Physical Intelligence
• Passion in Emotional Intelligence
• Conscience in Spiritual Intelligence

These manifestations also represent our highest means of expressing our own voice.

The Vision is to see with the eyes of the mind what is possible in people, in projects, in causes, in enterprises. Vision occurs when our mind joins need with possibility.

Discipline consists of paying the price of turning vision into reality. It is dealing with the difficult, pragmatic, brutal facts of reality and doing whatever is necessary to make things happen. Discipline arises when vision is combined with dedication.

Passion is the fire, the desire, the strength of conviction and the impulse that sustain the discipline to achieve the vision. Passion arises when human needs overlap with unique human talent. In the context of relationships and organization, passion includes compassion.

Conscience is the inner moral sense of right and wrong, the impulse to seek meaning and to contribute. It is the guiding force of vision, discipline and passion.

A simple way of thinking about life

I recommend this simple way of thinking about life:

A total person (body, mind, heart and spirit) with four basic needs (Living, Learning, Loving and Leaving a Legacy) and four Intelligences or Capabilities (Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual) and their highest manifestations (Discipline, Vision, Passion and Conscience), which together represent our four dimensions:

As we respect, develop, integrate and balance these four intelligences and their highest manifestations, the synergy between them ignites our inner fire and we find our voice.

                                                                                     Fonte: O 8º Hábito - Da Eficácia à Grandeza 

                                                                                                                                 Stephen R. Covey

Introduction

The PMBOK Guide 6th edition has an appendix dedicated to the techniques and tools that are grouped together for their objectives.

In a total of 132 techniques and tools, 72 of which are grouped into 6 groups according to the intention of what should be done and the different methods to achieve that intention.

The remaining 60 tools and techniques are not grouped

This grouping is performed in a table that crosses the process and area of ​​knowledge with the techniques and tools

Groups of tools and techniques

The groups integrate a set of tools and techniques and have the following designations:

• Data collection techniques - 9 tools and techniques
• Data analysis techniques - 27 tools and techniques
• Data representation techniques - 15 tools and techniques
• Decision making techniques - 2 tools and techniques
• Communication skills - 2 tools and techniques
• Interpersonal and team skills - 17 tools and techniques
• As mentioned, there are 60 techniques and tools not grouped

One of the techniques and tools used in Communication skills is presentations

Show me your PowerPoint

The use of audiovisual media was generalized to support the presentations

Many people just read what they write and project when presenting

To be more effective in presentations supported by PowerPoint (or any other program), I share some suggestions:

1. Only one message per slide

2. To guide the attention of recipients, resort to:

- Contrast

- Size of images and body of letters

3.  Avoid using phrases while speaking

4. The background of the slides must be dark or black

5. Use 6 objects (maximum) per slide

I share this video by David J.P. Philips on the topic:

Make your point...Show me your power!

In order to have an impact on the audience, presentations must have 3 essential ingredients.

To provoke reactions, to captivate, a presentation has to be:

• Emotive: Reaching the heart
• Singular: Teaching something new
• Memorable: Present the content in an unforgettable way

Emotive

Great communicators appeal to the mind and heart, but most people who make presentations forget to attend to the "heart"

Singular

Originality is the most effective attribute to capture someone's attention

Memorable

There is little point in presenting memorable ideas if the audience is unable to remember what was said

Some tips to have more impact

For a presentation to have a great impact, use the following structure

• Create a key idea you want to convey
• Repeat this key idea several times during the presentation
• Between two key ideas, tell a story or an episode that "anchors" that key idea

I share this video by Dananjaya Hettiarachchi   where you can see how the presentation is structured and check the impact it causes  

Conclusion

This article addresses  how to integrate the elements that distinguish inspiring presentations and the way we see ourselves as leaders and communicators

Introduction

The PMBOK Guide 6th edition has an appendix dedicated to the techniques and tools that are grouped together for their objectives.

In a total of 132 techniques and tools, 72 of which are grouped into 6 groups according to the intention of what should be done and the different methods to achieve that intention.

The remaining 60 tools and techniques are not grouped

This grouping is performed in a table that crosses the process and area of ​​knowledge with the techniques and tools

Groups of tools and techniques

The groups integrate a set of tools and techniques and have the following designations

- Data collection techniques - 9 tools and techniques

- Data analysis techniques - 27 tools and techniques

- Data representation techniques - 15 tools and techniques

- Decision making techniques - 2 tools and techniques

- Communication skills - 2 tools and techniques

- Interpersonal and team skills - 17 tools and techniques

 As mentioned, there are 60 techniques and tools not grouped

One of the techniques and tools not grouped, but used in all processes and areas of knowledge is meetings.

"Chronic reunit": a disease that affects many organizations

There are companies and, therefore, project managers who suffer from “chronic reunit”. 

Some symptoms of “chronic reunit”:

- Meetings scheduled at the last minute

- Meetings on everything and nothing

- Meetings without a previously defined and distributed agenda

- Meetings without support information

- Meetings where no decisions are made

- Meetings that last for hours

It is important to combat this "disease" as it affects proficiency in project management and, consequently, the results

Aspects to consider about the meetings

Before scheduling and / or organizing a meeting, check if it is essential to hold it.

If you think it is essential, organize it taking into account the following activities

- Before the meeting

- During the meeting

- After the meeting

Let us analyze each aspect in detail

- Before the meeting

Before organizing the meeting, it is important to:

• Clearly define objectives (SMART) and topics to be addressed
• Collect the necessary information to support the themes
• Identify the people who will attend the meeting
• Organize and prepare the agenda
• Define roles to be played at the meeting (time controller, meeting coordinator and minutes editor)
• Distribute in advance all the information collected
• Diagnose the necessary equipment to support the meeting
• Set the date and place for the meeting
• Convene the meeting
• Confirm the presence of all those invited to the meeting
• Check if the room is available and equipped for the meeting

- During the meeting

Ensure that:

• The topics are addressed according to the agenda and the expected times
• Moderation / facilitation allows all participants to give their opinion
• The minutes are drawn up, approved and signed before the meeting is concluded

- After the meeting

Remember of:

• Archive all information
• Check that all the defined actions are being correctly executed and with commitment
• Fix what needs to be fixed

Today, with technology at our disposal, it is possible to:

• Draw up the minutes of the meeting and ensure its signature before it is completed
• Ensure the participation of all stakeholders (including members of virtual teams)

Conclusion

Proficiency in the exercise of the Project Management profession depends on the approach chosen in relation to some techniques and tools.

What is your opinion about the suggestions covered in this article?

 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (image source)                                                                 Emotional intelligence (image source)  

In the first article in this series of 3 on the topic "Who practices the 7 Habits is Emotionally Intelligent?" I had the opportunity to write about Emotional Intelligence and the five elements of emotional intelligence

Recalling the five important elements to emotional intelligence:

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-regulation

3. Motivation

4. Empathy

5. Social skills

In the second article, I had the opportunity to write about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Recalling the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

1. Be proactive

2. Begin with the end in mind

3. First things first

4 - Think win-win

5 - Seek first to understand, then to be understood

6- Synergize

7- Sharpen the Saw; Growth

Principles contained in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

In the table below I will present the underlying Principles or the essence of the 7 Habits

Emotional Intelligence and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

In the table below I will present the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and the 7 Habits

Conclusion

I recommend anyone who is interested in increasing their EQ to study and apply the principles contained in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Question

A few years ago, the PMBOK Guide recommended that project managers practice the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Why was this recommendation withdrawn and replaced by Emotional Intelligence?   

Fontes: Inteligência Emocional - O livro que mudou o conceito de Inteligência- Daniel Goleman

                                                     Os 7 Hábitos das Pessoas Altamente Eficazes - Stephen Covey