Have you wondered about your leadership style and how it affects your business? As a business owner, it is a good idea to understand your leadership style and to cultivate it continuously. So I will share a few common leadership styles along with how they function.

Below is a short list of common leadership styles:

Servant leader: is someone whose role is to lead as a steward or keeper of business resources whether they are human, financial or otherwise. The whole focus of a servant leader is to serve others while continuing to stay focused on accomplishing the goals of the business …read more

As you begin delving into a project management career, you may be faced with many questions. One of those questions is “should you complete the certification process”. It all depends on the project management environment that you work in.
To help you make your decision, I want to share the top 10 reasons why the Project Management Institute (PMI) feel that you should.

Show your commitment to the project management profession.
Recognize your knowledge, skills and abilities.
Reflect achievement.
Can lead to greater earnings.
Can lead to career opportunities and advancement.
Prepare you for greater job responsibilities.
Improve skills and knowledge.
Build self confidence.
Allow for greater recognition from peers.
Enhance …read more

I am very pleased that this one is well read- it indicates a realization that what corporate boards want is important AND reveals a clear link to excellent governance and PMO processes. This is the clearest, simplest advice I’ve written about.
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Do you care about economic freedom? Maybe you will after reading this post. GET INVOLVED!
Freedom is what this country was founded on. Economic freedom is in danger of being taken from us by those who simply hate business. Most businessmen are hard working and honest. The regulation and tax burden that our federal and state governments put on business is suffocating and, with recent SOX and soon to be Carbox legislation, destroying that freedom one step at a time. Get educated, speak up and let your elected representatives know that you want your economic freedom back.
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This turning point in my business life is a lesson for all- especially those who don’t think they need it. There is nothing like humility to win over an adversary who has a big heart. Learn how I gained a mentor for life.
 
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More evidence of governmental bungling and great example of poor governance and poor project management. George Runner, my California Senator, writes in his weekly Report:

….raise taxes, meddle with the free market and impose more onerous regulations on businesses. Assembly Bill 2716 essentially does all of the above. The bill, which passed the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee yesterday on a 3-2 party line vote, would demand that all employers provide paid sick leave to every employee – in spite of the employer’s ability to pay and regardless of whether the employee works full or part time….
Like a mandated tax, …read more

Just read an article that Miki at www.leadershipturn.com pointed me to in her post on Sarbox Welcomes Carbox. Whether or not you agree with the level of intrusion of both Sarbox and Carbox (SOX laced carbon emissions reporting)- and I don’t- the article accurately sums up the benefactors of such overbearing and sometimes ridiculous (in the case of Carbox) legislation:

“Expect the fees for consultants and lawyers to follow the same path.”

It’s a sad state of affairs when government intrusion is based on public whim and consultants and lawyers interests. In almost every case, the level of intrusion is proven to …read more

California is in trouble again. Running itself like a charity it spends based on public whim that drives vote buying legislators. My congresswoman, Sharon Runner, comments in her Runner Report about the most recent budget approach (click here for a subscription):

Our plan establishes a strict spending limit and creates a rainy day fund that will protect California’s taxpayers. We must put an end to government’s wasteful spending practices and not treat taxpayers as the Legislature’s own personal ATM machine.
Under this plan, the Legislature will be forced to prioritize to stay within the spending limit….Democrats have stated that we …read more

My California Assemblywoman, Sharon Runner, keeps me up to date on my home state politics in her “Runner Report” – click here for a subscription. In it she reveals that California is leading the charge in attempting to pass taxes related to global warming. These bills have successfully made it through the Assembly and await passage by the Senate:
Plastic Bag Tax – AB 2058 (Levine – D) would force grocery stores to impose a new tax of 25 cents for every paper and plastic bag used by shoppers.
Global Warming Tax — AB 2558 (Feuer – D) would authorize the Los …read more

I had to laugh at the headline from Manufacturing Business Technology:
Focus on Innovation: HP expects restructured labs to produce fewer, more successful projects
MBT went on to say, in an almost sad way, that HP consolidated its research to focus on 20 to 30 large research projects from about 150, with, lo and behold, a strategy focused on five areas.
Those of you who read projectmanagement411 know that the first thing you do when you attempt to control projects is a project inventory. The next is to see if the projects align with strategies of the company. Because, guess what, you aren’t …read more