Gina Abudi

Is Your Smile Your USP?

Paul — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:30:50 +0000

Customer service, service with a smile – terms we’re all familiar with but what do they really mean when put into practice? Let’s think about a situation that is commonplace around the world these days, the ‘boutique’ coffee shop. Quite a phenomenon considering twenty years ago or so they didn’t exist and [...]

What if what’s in their best interest……doesn’t interest them?

David K — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:38 +0000

Salad by digitalminds on deviantart.com

A very good post appeared on the FastCompany site recently, in which author Ginny Whitelaw declared, “Empathy is the most powerful leadership tool.”

There’s not a lot to disagree with in the article. It is, essentially, about Covey’s “seek first to understand” and represents both a [...]

5 Ways to Resolve Frustrating Team Meetings

Gina — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:30:11 +0000

We have all been in team meetings that were just absolutely frustrating. Whether there is no agenda, attendees are talking over each other, or the meeting just drags on and on – we have all been involved in or led frustrating meetings.

Here are 5 common meeting problems and how to resolve them:

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Best Practices for Developing Virtual Workshops for Executives

Gina — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:30:23 +0000

Most executives have limited time to take a class. However, just like everyone else in the organization, they need training in order to enhance their skills, build new skills and increase their knowledge as the organization continues to grow and change, expectations of clients change and the expectations of their employees change.

Certainly [...]

Are You a Good Leader?

Gina — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:30:33 +0000

What are you doing to be a better leader in your organization? Are you reaching out to the folks who report to you to understand how effective you are in your role? Are you regularly asking for feedback and inquiring as to how you can support them so that they can support [...]

Are You the Problem on the Project Team? Part III

Gina — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:30:49 +0000

Part III: Checking In With the Team

Read Part I and Part II to catch up on our story.

When we left off, the project manager was having a team meeting with his team to specifically discuss the feedback from the two questions he posed. As you will recall, he developed a plan [...]

The inexcusable “I just don’t have time” excuse

David K — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:30:11 +0000

If there’s ever a time when you hear someone indicating they were unable to do what they knew was the right thing to do, or at least the better thing to do, than what actually occurred due to a “lack of time,” remind yourself that people most want to do what they are [...]

Are You the Problem on the Project Team? Part II

Gina — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:30:58 +0000

Part II: The Team Meeting

Read Part I to catch up on our story.

When we left off, the project manager had asked his team to respond to the following two questions:

What is he doing effectively as the project team leader? What does he need to learn to do better to be [...]

Are You the Problem on the Project Team?

Gina — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:30:19 +0000

I was talking to a project manager the other day who was complaining about his team. Specifically, he felt that the team members were a serious problem on the team and were detrimental to the success of the initiative. To make a very long story short….in conversations with him about what was going [...]

Overcoming the Challenges of Managing Virtual Teams

Gina — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:30:35 +0000

Managing teams in general is wrought with challenges when you consider, for example, the various personalities on the team and the fact that team members are likely working on other initiatives while working on the project you are leading. Add to that when your team is a virtual one and will likely never [...]

How to Obtain and Maintain Management Support

Tom — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:30:47 +0000

“If human progress had merely been a matter of leadership, we should be in Utopia today.” – Thomas B. Reed

Whether you work in the private sector, or the public sector, organizational success requires both leadership AND teamwork. For a team to be successful, its management must ensure adequate materials, facilities, equipment, human [...]

Are You Politically Savvy at Work?

Gina — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:30:16 +0000

My husband hates politics…at work that is. That’s why he likes having his own businesses – no politics to deal with. Well – let’s rethink that. Now that we are working together he might tell you he is now dealing with politics yet again! How about you? How do you feel about politics [...]

Dealing with Unhappy Clients

Gina — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:30:15 +0000

Sometimes as business owners we need to deal with unhappy clients – or even people who are not our clients but are not happy with us or our business anyway, for whatever reason. It is even more difficult to deal with these individuals when they reach out to us online – either via [...]

Five Steps to Coaching Failure

Paul — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:30:35 +0000

Helping individuals or groups to change their outlook or behaviour which leads to demonstrable differences in their performance both at work and at home is what coaching is all about. Whether it’s Executive or Life coaching the end product usually covers more aspects of an individual’s existence than was originally anticipated. Having [...]

How Are You Handling Your Project Challenges?

Gina — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:30:33 +0000

I’ve heard from many clients and members of the PMI® Massachusetts Bay Chapter (I’m the current president of the chapter) regarding challenges in managing their projects. They are many and include:

Managing projects that have fewer resources Working with teams that are remote or virtual Increased scope and reduced budgets Increased pressure to [...]

How to Strengthen Team Commitment

Tom — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:30:23 +0000

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

Commit to getting it right. It is one thing to be able to do the work. It is another to be willing to commit to do your absolute [...]

What does Red, Amber and Green Mean for Your Projects?

Gina — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:30:27 +0000

Stop light reports are a great way to report on the status of your project to your stakeholders and they also provide a quick reporting from my team members to me at each team meeting (enabling us to reduce the time we meet!).

Let’s define (overall) what each of the colors means:

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The Challenges of Entrepreneurship

Gina — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:30:20 +0000

A recent article in Business on Main, 10 Solutions to Fix Young America and Rebuild the Economy, provided ways that we, as a society, can support those young Americans interested in building their business. Many of the ideas provided are of value to any age entrepreneur and provide some food for thought. Entrepreneurship, [...]

Taking the First Steps in Understanding What’s Going Wrong on Your Project

Gina — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:30:04 +0000

One of the most important tasks you have as the project manager is monitoring the progress of the project. This can be especially challenging on large, complex global projects and certainly when you are working on the project along with managing the project.

By keeping track of the project through meetings, status updates [...]

No More Whining Please!

Gina — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:30:20 +0000

A little less whining and we could get more done. Seriously. Rather than whining about everything, teams would do well to find solutions to issues that arise and take a positive approach to their work. I was working with a team recently that had a number of problems thrown at them. And I’ll [...]