What Does an MBA Get When He Crosses The Da Vinci Code With Harry Potter?

This week, I interviewed Armin Kittle, a German author.  Armin is a connector, a business person, and a success-trainer.  He wrote a science-fiction book called The Nanorevolution! He calls the story a mixture of Terminator, Time-Machine, K-Pax, The Da Vinci Code, Matrix and Harry Potter.

The setting of the book is in 2021. It tells backwards what happened from 2021 through today. The hero of the book dreamed how he could save the world and then took action to do it.  This notion of the hero creating his own success reflects Armin’s perspective on the world, and how we can attract success to ourselves if we put our minds to it.

Lisa: You’re a connector of people.  How does mutual cooperation support personal success?

Armin: In my opinion, mutual cooperation and personal recommendations are the best possibilities to increase success. The best example from the US is Dr. Ivan Misner from L.A., the founder of BNI; the whole BNI network was built up on mutual cooperation and recommendations.

Lisa: Our MBA group loves global business, and you’re from Germany.  Teach us something unique or interesting about doing business there.

Armin: The people in Germany are not so open and enthusiastic as in the US. They think more in problems than in solutions; so they are more careful. New inventions take a lot of time until they are on the market. They think and act very precisely and in details! So in my opinion the best combination would be on the one hand the power, the enthusiasm, the simplicity of thinking and acting of US-people and on the other hand the detailed, complex thinking and analysis of the Germans.

Lisa: You developed the Hyperkubus-Model.  Tell us more about it.

Armin: The Hyperkubus is a model to understand and realize 4-dimensional reality. It is logical. After the 3rd dimension follows the 4th dimension. I am sure that you know Richard Bandler and John Grinner who developed the NLP-world.  This NLP world modeled the three dimensional reality; especially succes in this world. I found out that perception and reality is dependant on your consciousness. So I created this model of the Hyperkubus to understand the 4-dimensional reality! The fourth dimension is called “space-time”. With this model it is possible to predict and to think a head of liklihoods of the future. People learn to receive information from the 4th-dimension.

How is it possible? People are a combination of a satellite-receiver and a computer. What they can receive is dependant on the frequency. In a deeper consciousness they can receive other “channels” and other information. It is incredible what is possible! In spirituality they call it “Akasha-Chronik”. If you understand the “Hyperkubus-Model” you know “the secret!”. The Hyperkubus-Model connects the “physical reality” with the “spiritual reality”!

Lisa: As a serial entrepreneur, you must balance a lot of business activities at the same time.  How do you leverage the time and energy of others?

Armin: If you learn to manage your own energy everything will be possible. I have a special measurement to check my energy. I found out that I can influence and increase my energy through meditation, sports, my thoughts, feelings and also with “brain-machines”; here I continued researches of Dr. Robert Monroe from the States.

Lisa: Tell us about “unique power” and how it can bring greater human achievement.

Armin: UniquePower will cause the connection of the left and the right part of the brain through a maximum combination of concentration and relaxation. You learn to expand your mind in the “underconsciousness”! You will create experiences that you never thought possible. In my opinion it is clear that if the brain uses its whole capacity (left and right part of the brain), the brain can bring a higher performance. You will learn to increase your IQ, you will learn to “think ahead a possible future!” You are able to receive immediately information from your intuition! To test whether you are able to receive other information from the 4th dimension the participants have to make an invention from a field in which they never worked; e.g. a musician has to make a medical invention. This is possible and it works!

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Armin, thank you for the interview.  For readers who want to learn more about Armin, please check out his website.

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MBAs are Only As Good As The Person Holding The Degree

So what do you think? Is an MBA or a PMP certification enough to impress executives at your company? Look for one compelling argument in this blog post.

This week’s interview is with Chris Pope, a dynamic New Zealander who founded The Valde Group. Chris has been published in Fast Company and CIO Magazine. If you want practical tips for making your projects more successful, read on.

LISA: You’re an expert on “projectizing.” Tell us what that means and how it helps organizations take focused action.

CHRIS: Many executives go through the “strategic planning” exercise, however the organisational strategy is nothing more than vague statements of aspiration without any real-world application. By “Projectising” the strategy, we bring it from a “big idea” into operational reality by treating it like a project. We break strategic goals down into tangible outcomes, then identify the deliverables and activities that are required to achieve them. The key is to always ask the question – “What does ‘achievement of your organisational strategy’ look like, and what does it take to make it happen?“

LISA: When it comes to strategic planning, what is an area that companies need to spend more energy on?

CHRIS: I think that companies need to spend more time on three things:

• Defining the tangible / measurable success factors
• Aligning operational activities and projects to strategic objectives (Asking “How well does this project or activity help us achieve our strategy?“) In fact, this should be the criteria upon which Projects are approved and prioritised.
• Establishing strong executive review and performance management processes throughout the year.

LISA: You have a PMP certification in Project Management. Many of our MBAs debate about whether to attain additional certifications. What is your opinion on the value of professional certifications – both the learning process and the perceived value by clients and employers?

CHRIS: My experience is that the certification is only as good at the person holding it. Success calls for strong leadership, decision making and communication skills and no professional exam has been able to certify these. As for the PMP, I have found that it a good indication of someone’s dedication to the project management profession. It requires significant knowledge and experience in the profession in order to attain it. It is also respected by employers – professional project management certification (PMP or PRINCE2) has become a pre-requisite for many positions.

LISA: When a project team is thrown together quickly, how do you go about building team dynamics for healthy interactions?

CHRIS: That is a great question! I do several things to build a strong team:

• I respect the team’s knowledge and skills – I make it clear that as a project manager, my job is to facilitate the best result from the team – I am not the technical expert – they are.
• Keep the team focused on the goal of the project and how it will add value to the organisation! By focusing on the goal of the project and the benefit to the organisation, this gives the team clarity and purpose, while keeping their morale high as contributors to something great.
• Clearly communicate – Open, clear, and honest communication is key to winning the trust and respect of your team.
• Be Pragmatic – I always ask two questions – What is the Goal? And What is the most efficient and effective way to achieve it? Projects are all about delivering benefits to the organisation – not following process. If an activity does not add value or deliver the benefits – why are we doing it.
• Encourage risk-identification – Too many people try to avoid raising risks, and by doing so make them worse. I always encourage my team to raise risks early so that we have more time to mitigate them.

LISA: We’re a global group, and we love learning about doing business in new places. Tell us something unique about the culture of New Zealand.

CHRIS: New Zealand is a great place to live and work. Generally, people in business are pragmatic. They are willing to give something a try and if it does not work, try something else. Many Kiwis work overseas in larger companies and then bring that experience back to New Zealand.

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Thank you for the interview, Chris. I know my next project will be better if I use these tips.

Chris Pope is known for helping organizations in crisis and for rescuing failing projects. To learn more about Chris, check out his articles or his company, The Valde Group.

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Manage Your Projects with Agility

Project Managers unite. If you’re a PM, you found one of the world’s leading experts on Project Management in today’s interview. Kevin J.J. Aguanno is a certified PMP through the Project Management Institute, and has influenced they way work gets done at international companies such as IBM.

He’s a best selling author and project management guru of gurus. If you’ve never heard of “agile project management,” you’ll learn about it here. And for the global business MBAs out there, he offers a mini-lesson on Canadian culture and business.

LISA: How can we cut through red tape when our project approvals and processes feel buried in bureaucracy?
KEVIN: I get called in to do a lot of troubled project consulting. In doing so, I get to meet a lot of senior executives who are burdened with these failing initiatives.

Once I assess what is wrong, I make some recommendations for turning the project around that usually require significant deviations from the processes the organization was already using. Clearly, when “the way we do things around here” is not working, doing more if it will not help the situation. I point out how some of the existing processes have contributed to the troubles in the project, as not every process step is relevant to every project. I make a convincing case for why specific processes need to be modified in order for the project to succeed. Almost without exception, all of my recommendations are adopted.

What is most interesting about this is that many executives comment that, once I explained why the standard processes were not adding value to this specific project, it was a “no-brainer” to grant a process exemption or bypass. Many say that they know that their organization’s procedures can seem bureaucratic and that they shouldn’t apply in all situations, but that no one has ever come to them before asking for an exemption. These executives confirm that having a solid explanation is the key to getting a bypass approved.

Try to understand the reasons why a process was created in the first place, and why it is set up the way it is today. With this understanding, you can present a case showing that the issue does not apply in your case (and therefore you don’t need that process step) or that you have dealt with the same underlying concerns in a more efficient way.

Don’t just go off and break the rules – that is a sure way to get in deep trouble. Rather, present a reasoned, compelling case and you’ll be surprised at people’s willingness to bend the rules.

LISA: If you’re pulling all-nighters trying to bring project success, how can you get a better handle on personal and project effectiveness?
KEVIN: While there may be some occasional times where we have to work evenings or weekends, this should never become a habit. It is comical how many times I see project schedules built that plan to have people working 12 or 14 hour days – I’m talking about the original schedules. Often, these plans are put in place to deal with tight project delivery dates.

What is so wrong about this, is that if you schedule overtime from the start, what do you have as a fallback position if things go wrong? You should always build plans with people working normal 7-10 hour days (whatever is normal for your industry). Then, when things inevitably go wrong later on in the project, you have overtime as a fallback position to help you get back on track.

You see, when people are burning the midnight oil for days (or weeks!) on end, they become mentally and physically fatigued, resulting in people who are less effective, working more slowly, creating more errors, and not thinking clearly. It is a false assumption that working people longer and harder for days on end will result in a quicker delivery of value. Yes, their volume of work may go up, but the quality and usefulness of the work may greatly suffer.

If you find yourself in such a situation, stop. Take a deep breath, and look around you – objectively. See if your team is making meaningful progress under the circumstances. You may find that your extra efforts are not really improving the delivery schedule anyways, and adding additional resources or building a realistic schedule would be more helpful.

LISA: What are some ways to reduce scope creep without coming across as Dr. No?
KEVIN: Strangely enough, one of the best ways to manage scope creep is to stop fighting the changes. The concept of “change control” is a myth – we cannot control change. Business priorities shift as new directions come down from top executives, competitors beat us to market, government legislation changes, or new technology fails to deliver on its promises. There are countless reasons for change to occur on a project, and nearly all of these are outside of the control of the sponsor or the project manager.

By embracing change, the project sponsor and the project manager can enter into a collaborative discussion about how to adapt to the most important changes, while still meeting project goals. To do this, we need to understand the business case drivers. Perhaps cost isn’t the issue, but timing is; in this case, we would add additional resources to deliver the needed change without impacting time lines. If both cost and timing are constraints, then the sponsor and project manager enter into a discussion about the prioritization of work, dropping something less important to make room for the required change.

What I am talking about here is developing a more open, collaborative relationship between the business sponsor and the project manager. With a mutual understanding of the business case behind the project, together they can maintain a viable delivery plan, even in the face of change. Strategies are further detailed in my audio book Managing in the Face of Ever-Changing Requirements.

LISA: How can we improve ROI on high-change or high-risk projects that we’re leading?
KEVIN: Currently, one of the best practices for high-change projects – ones where scope creep is at risk of derailing the project – is to use agile management methods.

In agile methods, projects are broken down into many short phases (called “iterations”) most commonly lasting 2-4 weeks long. Each iteration is treated like its own tiny project, with a fixed scope and time line for that individual iteration. Changes are welcomed throughout the project and get immediately added to a “backlog” of project requirements/features. Then, at the start of the next iteration, the backlog is re-sorted to reflect the current business priorities and the top few items are selected as the scope for the upcoming iteration.

The total possible scope (as reflected in the backlog) can expand continually, but through the reprioritization process, only the most important items get built in any given iteration, ensuring that the project is focused on delivering maximum business value. A short, simple work authorization or change authorization form lists the items to be completed in the upcoming iteration; this acts as the audit trail for the formal change management process.

At the end of any iteration, the project sponsor can stop the project because it is (a) out of time, (b) out of money, (c) been canceled, or (d) has delivered “good enough” value. Good enough value means that the maximum ROI has been achieved – all of the must-have items have been completed, and a critical mass of the should-have items, leaving only low-priority ones left. Expending further investment at this point would be an inefficient use of capital.

A good deal of my best-selling book “Managing Agile Projects” deals with this very issue. The book explains agile management from a business perspective, explaining the risks, benefits, and trade-offs entailed when adopting agile methods.

LISA: Our group loves global business, and you’re based in Canada. Teach us something unique or interesting about doing business there.
KEVIN: One of the interesting things about Canada is its incredible cultural diversity. The country started as a merging of English, French, and aboriginal peoples, in a uniquely Canadian way that encourages them all to maintain their native languages and cultures. Since its inception, Canada has welcomed vast numbers of immigrants from all corners of the world. With our celebration of our multicultural roots, we have encouraged newcomers to maintain their linguistic, cultural, and religious heritages while embracing the Canadian values of tolerance and respect for differences in others.

In our largest cities, you can find people from all over the world. In Toronto alone, there are over 170 languages spoken on the streets, with businesses and government offering services in many of these languages. Visitors to Canada feel that they are in a safe environment, no matter where they are from, and are free to be themselves.

This pervasive focus on diversity has strengthened Canadian businesses as they have access to new perspectives and employees with experience working around the world. Americans find that they are comfortable dealing with Canadians as our closest trading partner, yet they also notice that many of our cities also have a European feel. Canadian exporters take advantage of our diversity to open new markets internationally.

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If you want to learn more from Kevin, subscribe to the free AgilePM Newsletter. This email newsletter comes out once per month and is filled with tips, articles, book reviews, and notices of free teleseminars, as well as some huge discounts on agile-themed books and courses available only to AgilePM Newsletter readers.

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Web 2.0, Direct From the Netherlands

Everyone I know is trying something new on Facebook or LinkedIn. Still, there’s so much more to know about social media, social networks and other Web 2.0 connectivity. Ayman Van Bregt, an expert on new media, shares innovative topics in this interview that all MBAs need to know about. He owns a consultancy that focuses on marketing, entrepreneurship, innovation, and new media.

LISA: Tell us about digital natives. What defines this group, and what can we learn from them?
AYMAN: Most of your readers will probably be defined as digital immigrants. I think this directly makes clear what digital natives are, they all have ‘digital’(referring to digital language of computers, the web etc.) as their native language. People that want to get in depth details should read Marc Prensky’s paper.

What you can learn from digital natives depends on your goals I would say but there are some mainstream paradigm shifts we can see clearly. I think these changes are very important from an employers’ perspective.

Training digital natives means changing methodology. Not a serial learning process (step-by-step) but more parallel learning processes giving trainees the opportunity to use a toolbox of options to shape their own learning process. The generation is very critical and sensitive because of their behavior online. Focus on democratized tools and use these principles to reach out to them with honest interest. They need to get things placed in the right context otherwise they will not consume your message. Next to that research their behavior concerning multitasking and multi devices so it’s easier to stay connected with them and tune in.

LISA: What web 2.0 applications should we know about that are not popular in the mainstream?
AYMAN: A generic answer for this question is quite impossible. The web belongs to all of us and that means we all have specific wishes and needs. Web 2.0 applications make it easier to fulfill these needs but in the end they are only tools. If your product is not perceived as a true solution for a need your web 2.0 strategy will be hollow and not successful. Even worse, it will make you even more transparent and damage your brand.

Looking at the positive side, some strategic issues can help you in the Web 2.0 era. Web 2.0 is about social structures because we all look for people with common ground and the web makes the world small and easy to find those. Creating ambassadors for your brand with these structures costs less and spreads more quickly than ever! Economical values are rapidly changing and traditional business models are being overrun on the web.

As an example crowdsourcing is an interesting trend at the moment. The crowd is used to fund initiatives such as My Football Club and of course Obama crowdsourced his election very successful. My advice would be to get your top customers involved and connect to their tools (only when you can truly add value).

LISA: Let’s talk about social networks. How can business people benefit from participating in communities like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bebo?
AYMAN: Social networks and social media are everywhere. It can be very tiring because once you get involved in a network, your network starts inviting you for all kinds of other platforms. Even though there are a lot of advantages you can benefit from. You can easily add people in your current network and see what people they know. The way of doing business is changing online.

Normally you would visit a network meeting and talk with strangers and try to find out what common ground you have and if there are things that might be beneficial for both of you. Online you have far more information so you can easily personalize better and when approaching people your success rate increases enormously because their online presence implicates they are open for proposals.

Other benefits are your online reputation and visibility on search engines and the web and last but not least finding new staff.

LISA: Many of us know about open source software such as Mozilla. Help us learn more about open innovation in business. How does the concept reach into business communications and problem solving?
AYMAN: The open source was the forerunner of the crowdsourcing trend. Dell for instance has launched ideastorm. Ideastorm gives customers a platform to discuss products and services of Dell and gives Dell a basket full of opportunities.

Opportunities to better understand customers’ needs, opportunities to repair complaints and create satisfied customers. The most important thing is that this platform gives Dell inspiration for product and service development which is what open innovation is about. Check this document for more information on open innovation.

LISA: Our group loves global business, and you’re based in Rotterdam. Teach us something unique about the culture in The Netherlands
AYMAN: The Netherlands have a long history in doing international business which they tend to boast. During the 60’s the Netherlands had a shortage of staff and a lot of immigrants came to the country and looking at the society there is a real multicultural mix. Rotterdam has over 170 different nationalities in a city of in total around 650,000 inhabitants with the second biggest harbor in the world. These trading skills combined with their liberal thinking and the fact most of them communicate very direct makes them unique.

Of course a lot of people find it difficult to get used to this kind of approach but with the common sense behavior of the Dutch and normally a delivery of what’s promised we are seen often internationally. Due to our history we have learned easily to adapt to other cultures and circumstances with high reliability. Mainstream we only highly value the democratic way of working and direct communication. Conflicts therefore arise when we have to cope with much hierarchy and people beating around the bush.

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To see more from Ayman, check out these live presentations.

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Global Marketing Tips from Spain

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Juan Berga, a fascinating writer, speaker, economist, and consultant from Spain. Currently, his career is dedicated to helping people and organizations communicate well. If you’re interested in global business, you’ll also enjoy our trip to Spain in the last question.

LISA: You started your career as a writer. You’ve since been an economist, communications consultant, and more. For MBAs who want to switch careers, what advice can you share?
JUAN: I would not advise anyone to be like me. My mother, either. But there are a number of things that I think can be useful for everyone:

• Curiosity is more important than talent. Researching is the first secret to life, writing, communication and management.
• Remember, focus on their aspirations, their desires, their ideas, not ours.
• You are the brand.
• Do not lie.
• The beginning is half of everything (The opening of a novel; the beginning of a presentation or speech; the values that inspire us).
• If we fight we can lose, but if we do not fight we are lost.
• Tell a story (storytelling is so good), but first listen to theirs.

LISA: You work with companies to strengthen their advertising and marketing campaigns. How do you identify the tone and approach for your campaigns?

JUAN: Everybody knows that the audience is the key. What we all seek is the emotional identification of people with our brand or our product. Therefore, I try to give our campaigns a focus of empowerment and identification.

I work in two fields, political communication and marketing. In political communications, the tone is alignment with values or behavior. Our last campaign slogan was “people like you.” I think there is a widespread error in the world of communication these days. My view is that consumers, not corporations, own sustainable development. The tone of my related marketing campaign is “so, what am I doing in your life?”

I believe that two attitudes are important for interpersonal communication: 1) emotional identification, and 2) a “you are the center” approach.

LISA: After dedicating a decade to strengthening the skills of people and organizations, you have contributed to the development of many. Do you prefer to focus on leveraging existing strengths or minimizing weaknesses? Why?

JUAN: Certainly, Lisa, this is a good question. It’s one of those of those which consultants like and would like to write a book about. Here is a vital rule that I advise my friends: “we have to believe in the possibilities rather than limits.”

However, I confess that I do not have the same attitude about organizations and people. Unfortunately, organizations do not recognize a soul, or a spirit in secular words. Therefore, the emotional challenges are more difficult to overcome, even with good internal communication based on alignment with corporate goals.

With the people I am a strong supporter of the strengths. I say to my team that “only who is different is essential.” No doubt I should teach them to take on and face the costs of the “difference” (this resource so few value).

LISA: What can we, as individual communicators, do to enhance our influencing skills?

JUAN: My view on this is that the influence is a right that we must earn and in which the self image plays a vital role. I know that this question refers to some leadership skills. I dare to give a few tips:

1. Look ahead in a mirror and ask yourself if you do things because you have too much fear.

2. Have empathy with people, especially with your teams.

3. Learn to manage your emotions to manage the emotions of others.

4. Give importance to Management By Objectives

LISA: You’re from Spain. Tell us about an interesting custom that we should look for when we visit next.

JUAN: First, walk in the city. Spanish architecture is the most incorruptible witness of history. Then, meet with people. Here, everybody will have a story to tell you. Do not forget that Spain is an ideal place for all these secret passions that surely you still have, but you will not confesses (from love to soccer).

Of course, if you do not eat “de tapas” and do not take a “siesta” it is sure that you have not made any of the three previous suggestions.

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If you would like to hear more from Juan, check out his business blog.

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