What do you wish someone had told you early in your PM career?

I agree with all but here is my hard lesson learned. If someone is not performing well, do all you can to correct that quickly, but when all else fails, replace them. I wouldn't tolerate it if a printer refused to print but I often waited far too long to replace someone, hoping it would get better, which it never did and always impacted project success. Sounds hard, but if a person isn't a good fit for the job, everyone is better off if that's identified sooner rather than later.

My answer immediately popped into my head - read Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep book ASAP! I didn't read it until a few months before my exam, and I regretted not reading it sooner - not for the exam but for the great job it does explaining WHY things are the way they are in the PMBOK. It does a great job of explaining the logic behind the processes and practices.

I didn't work directly with PMPs, so I didn't have local mentors. The book really helped me understand project management more fully.

Figure out who you are and what you have to offer. Do not get caught up in other people's expectation of who you are or what you can and can't do. Otherwise, you're going to be run into the ground trying to satisfy everyone. Listen to your own advice.

1. Tell them a story! Make the vision a visual represnation with a picture. Be it stick figures and crayon or high end graphics. Take what they say and put it in a picture. draw lines, have them help. Do this for business cases, for strategy sessions, for planning, and so on. It has changed the way I do things, and it is so much more effective than a 50 page document.
2. Learn your team, sponsors, stakeholders, identify with them, find their strengths and weaknesses. Use their strengths and help them strengthen their weaknesses.

Hope this helps. It all boils down to people and how to manage them in the end.