Project Hero Blog - Weekly Best Practices and Tips

On the surface, collaboration is deceptively simple.  It is about actively working together, usually toward a common goal.  But true collaboration is not just about discussion and work.  It is about actively contributing solutions that help to achieve that shared or common goal. So in effect, good collaboration has equal participation which leads to a solution or understanding.

Great collaborator...

Emotional intelligence (aka EQ) is recognizing, comprehending, and responding to our own emotions. As with leadership, there is much debate over whether EQ is learned or occurs naturally. But despite the controversy, project leaders need to develop and expand their EQ.

Why is EQ important for these leadership roles? First, self-aware leaders can better leverage their strengths and improve their w...

While the role or job title might be project manager, project managers also need to act as leaders. They need to help set the vision for the project and motivate the team to work by influence. Here are six tips to improve your leadership skills to lead project teams better.

Be self-aware—Self-awareness is a crucial leadership attribute. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and use the knowledg...

What is the difference between a project manager and a product manager? As far as jobs go, in some small organizations they may be fulfilled by one person.  In reality, however, they are two distinct roles.

A product manager is responsible for a product life cycle.  The product life cycle may go on for years as products gain new features, are sold in more variations, and are ultimately retired.  ...

While the global pandemic meant many started working remotely as early as 2019, the idea of remote teams is not new.  In fact, I've been working with remote teams since the 1970s and found these next 5 tips to be helpful:

Respect differences. The diversity of teams becomes more apparent in remote work situations and you need to respect them.  Whether the remote team is simply in a different time ...

I noticed that my most recent project management classes have had an unexpected number of women.  In fact, one class is 2/3 women and 1/3 men, which is exactly the opposite of what recent surveys have shown exists in most workplaces. It is good to see this diversity gap may be closing.

Last month, October, was Global Diversity Awareness Month, and last Thursday was International Project Managemen...

Are you an aspiring, new, or accidental project manager?  The tips in this blog are generally focused on you, however some are more important than others for those just starting out. These 5 tips are things that I learned early as a new project manager and hope they will benefit your careers as well!

• Get in GEAR - be an active listener:  Active listening is especially important for a new projec
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To be successful, project managers need many different and diverse skills, ranging from expertise in their industry to business, and of course, project management technical skills.  Someone recently asked my what major skills project managers need.

To respond to this question, I grouped the most important into three major categories.  Without developing these skills, it is unlikely a project mana...

Short answer?  Absolutely! Being a professional project manager can provide great job satisfaction and excellent compensation and be a stepping stone to something more.  Take it from someone who has been managing various projects in various roles for over 30 years.

Here are just a few of the features that make project management a great career:

High Demand: There has been a nearly perpetual shor...

Ethics is about doing the right things. When you have integrity, you will continue to do them, even when no one is watching.

What if your manager is forcing you to do something unethical?  The best advice is to stand your ground and find a new job (or manager) if necessary.

Projects can be full of ethical dilemmas – the hard choices we must make.  Ethical dilemmas occur when all choices lead to ...