A valuable, humanistic perspective on leading projects.
In this debut business book, an executive applies leadership strategy to project management.
Pham, who advanced from an information technology consultant to a vice president of product management, has seen project management from the middle and the top. In this well-crafted work, she is highly supportive of those project leaders who “act as the glue that binds teams together, filling gaps in process and communication wherever there is a need.” From the outset, the author makes it clear that her book is not about the processes associated with project management but rather the leadership abilities necessary to become a capable project supervisor. In Part 1, Pham identifies fundamental leadership skills, including techniques for building rapport quickly, running productive meetings, asking the right questions, and documenting/synthesizing information. While this content is basic, it is actionable—and it will undoubtedly assist middle managers who have yet to develop leadership expertise. Parts 2 and 3 are much more project specific. In the second part, for example, the author shares sensible advice about setting measurable goals, managing project teams, and establishing road maps. One memorable methodology she highlights is “CALM,” an acronym for “Closely Aligned, Loosely Managed.” A chapter on preempting risk in this section is especially helpful. Part 3 addresses project implementation; here, Pham cites some excellent examples of how best to encourage cooperation and explains how to manage each of the elements of the well-known time-scope-resources triangle. She closes this portion with a frank acknowledgment: “There is no project I’ve ever led that has gone as planned. No matter how hard you try to manage or control them, change will happen.” This should be comforting news to novice project leaders. Part 4 consists of just a single chapter yet it is one of the most powerful; with sincere words, Pham urges project leaders to create bonds that transcend the office and turn co-workers into friends. The best project leaders, she writes, “are the ones who—with appreciation, empathy, encouragement, trust, loyalty, and strength—from plans and goals, create work friends and work families.” The author is at her best when inspiring others.
A valuable, humanistic perspective on leading projects.Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72251-065-7
Page Count: 242
Publisher: G&D Media
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...
A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.
The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
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These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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