A new year ahead December 31, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Inspiration , add a comment
With 2006 at an end, we will celebrate the new year this afternoon with some hot wine at home with some family. Then we’ll meet friends and enjoy a walk through Prague with food and drinks en-route to arrive at Prague Castle before midnight. From there we will look down on the city, enjoy the fireworks and toast in 2007. (more…)
Tony Robbins inspires December 29, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Inspiration , add a comment
Oh yes, two Blogs in one day. Well to tell the truth, I was excited to share with you, Tony Robbins’ performance at the prestigious TED Conference. It’s attended by the world’s most influential thinkers and leaders, including the founders of Google. What’s more, this guy has helped me for years and I’m a huge fan of his. (more…)
Improving communications December 29, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Communication , add a comment
Whether we are managing a project, programme, regional branch, global corportation, personal or social relationships, one of the most fundamental areas of failure by so many people is in in Communication. This one word can make or break so much and it’s one of my pet subjects that I have enjoyed learning about for many years. (more…)
When you need a new PM December 28, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Organisation, Recruiting , add a comment
I know what it’s like; all of a sudden a decision is made to hire a new Project Manager. The thought of that extra set of hands on deck is bliss, but first; where do you find this new PM and how do you know they’ll be up to the job? (more…)
Getting what you’re worth December 27, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Expats, Job Hunting , 1 comment so farLast night my young cousin called from the UK and asked me about contract rates for IT Project Managers. He’s currently studying for his PMP. I told him that there are PMs who make over £1000 per day and there are many who have to work 5 times as many contract days to earn that money. (more…)
Consultants or Freelancers? December 22, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Expats, Job Hunting, Recruiting, Resources , 1 comment so far
I had an interesting chat yesterday with a guy in Sweden who was calling himself a freelancer. I saw him as a consultant actually. The distinction between the two terms might not appear important, but in a world where words often shape our behaviour and attitudes, it does become important. (more…)
Does Your Boss Wear Prada? December 20, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Attitude, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Job Hunting , add a comment
After salsa classes last night (oh yes!) a few of us had some dinner and drinks at La Casa Blu. We got on to talking about Meryl Streep’s cold-hearted character in the movie; “The Devil Wears Prada”. If your boss is somewhat of a devil, someone you’ll never get along with, admire or respect no matter how hard you try, there are a few things you can do. (more…)
PMI 250,000 Race December 19, 2006
Posted by Rob in : PMI , add a comment
I was renewing my PMI membership yesterday and noticed that the PMI is fast approaching 250,000 members. To celebrate, they are holding a PMI 250,000 Member Race in which the winner will be the person who correctly guesses the month, day, hour and minute that the 250,000th member joins PMI. The other winner will be that 250,000th member. They’ve got some nice prizes on offer actually. (more…)
Sitting on Risk December 15, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Risk , add a comment
An old colleague popped up on Skype yesterday and asked me if I had a Risk Plan he could use. If you’ve approached your project or programme well, you’ll have a Risk Plan/Strategy document. If you don’t, then why not? My old colleague was ‘attending to the missing Risk Plan’, but in reality, he was merely out to get a tick in the box in his project schedule. (more…)
Say Thank You December 14, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Attitude, Communication, Emotional Intelligence , add a comment
A few weeks ago I wrote about the ‘Weekly Message’. Yes I know we’re all far too busy to write one, but we also know that that’s a bit of a lame excuse for not doing anything we don’t particularly want to. I would write a little every day through the week so that my weekly message is all done by ’sending day’. And the benefits to you, the people you manage and the organisation outweigh such a small overhead. (more…)
66% fail, delay or overspend December 12, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Organisation, Project Mgt , add a comment
Over the weekend I was in touch with Steve Lynn - a doctoral candidate at Kennedy Western University, USA and a Project Management Practitioner. Steve very recently conducted a survey among ProjectsAtWork.com subscribers to gather quantitative information on the importance of specific project management initiatives to their organisations. (more…)
Our Opportunities December 11, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Attitude, Communication, Job Opportunities , add a comment
This is no era to sit back and say, “you get all the luck” to people, especially when there are so many opportunities awaiting everyone. Over the last few years, I have not applied for any of the assignments that I have undertaken. All my business has come from a valuable network of people. So far, the same applies to my Recruitment Business where I’m filling management roles across the Gulf, into Turkey, up into Greece then further north in Finland. (more…)
OGC Successful Delivery December 8, 2006
Posted by Rob in : MSP, Programme Mgt, Project Mgt , add a commentThe other day I met up with Paul Byrne - a Programme Manager who used to be based in Prague. Paul is an MSP (Managing Successful Programmes - OGC) Practitioner, and as we enjoyed a glass of Gambrinus in a local Prague bar, he kindly shared 300mb of programme management material with me. Cheers again Paul! (more…)
Listen Hear December 7, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Communication, Emotional Intelligence , add a commentI interviewed someone on the phone this morning for a three month contract in Spain. The rate was EUR 1100 per day and the position was business management focused. My candidate was a very experienced guy with an incredibly impressive CV. He was articulate, confident and knowledgeable. HOWEVER, despite being a EUR 1k+ a day consultant, he failed dismally in the all important area of ‘listening’. (more…)
International Cost of Living December 6, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Expats , add a comment
Many European professionals with a sense of adventure will consider the option of going to work overseas, although far less actually take the plunge. One of the most profitable places to work in recent years has been the Middle East and top of the list for many is Dubai. But this hotspot is experiencing spiraling costs, although life is still tax free there. (more…)
OGC’s P3M3 Version 1.0 December 5, 2006
Posted by Rob in : OGC, Programme Mgt, Project Mgt , add a commentYou, me and thousands of others including the OGC, know that too many projects fail or run horribly over-budget or late. Always proactive in the advancement of project and programme management, the OGC has identified the following key areas of failure which we should focus on in our efforts to manage and deliver projects and programmes successfully: (more…)
Jack of All Trades Recruiter December 4, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Job Opportunities, Recruiting , 1 comment so farIn my years as an independent consultant, I’ve received hundreds of calls from recruiters. Like many, I have suffered the recruiter who has no idea of what a particular job he is trying to fill entails. He has never participated in an IT project, has no idea of what the letters PMP, PRINCE or ITIL actually mean, and does not understand the full range of qualities which make a high calibre IT Project or Programme Manager, particularly in the Middle East. (more…)
Recruit a Manager December 4, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Recruiting , comments closedIt’s likely that you know only too well how critical it is to have high calibre Project and Programme Managers on board to ensure that you deliver successfully to your customers.
We are not a recruitment company that attempts to work in every area of IT, with no real world experience in any of the jobs we are trying to fill. Robert Llewellyn has extensive experience of managing high profile projects and programmes throughout the Middle East, Europe and Australia. We specialise only in finding resources to work in Project and Programme Management in your region. It’s the business we know. (more…)
Subscribe to this Blog December 4, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Communication, Miscellaneous , comments closedClick here to receive an email which will tell you when a new posting has been added to the Blog.
Benefits Management December 3, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Benefits , add a comment
An area which many programmes seem to lack is Benefits Management. This seems a bit silly when the fundamental reason for beginning a programme is to realise benefits through change; whether it’s to do things in a new way or to do things that will influence others to change. (more…)
Documentation December 2, 2006
Posted by Rob in : Documentation , add a comment
Documentation is the physical expression of any project or programme. Unwritten codes, concepts, risks, etc are but ideas that float around. When they are documented, they are suddenly taken seriously and take on a new look.
Whilst all project and programme managers should have the communication ability to create clear and concise documentation, nothing beats the added luxury of a good Technical Author. (more…)
Our 10 Intelligences December 1, 2006
Posted by Rob Llewellyn in : Emotional Intelligence , add a comment
Most people who are gifted in numbers or words with perhaps an MBA, PhD, or well paying job are believed to be “intelligent”. But the true meaning of intelligence covers a far wider area than that which is covered off by the job, qualification or salary.
Howard Gardner, Professor Robert Ornstein, Tony Buzan and others became aware that there are in fact different types of intelligence and that each of them acted in harmony with one another when properly developed. The list of ten is as follows: (more…)
