Work Wiser #5: Apply Lessons Learnt

Hi, my name is Wan How. I’m a career and project management coach. We’re now in January, but in many ways, 2021 feels like a continuation of 2020 and nothing much has changed. But as a project manager, you have an opportunity to do something about this and to inspire change growth and improvement. How … Read more

Work Wiser #4: Be Resilient

Welcome to January. I trust you had a restful break from work. Usually at this time of the year, it’s a good time to assess the gap between what your project has delivered and what else still needs to be done before you can transition and hand over to operations. Now, some of these outstanding … Read more

Work Wiser #3: How to be creative under pressure

Not only are we in December, this is also the week before Christmas. So by now, your project goal must have been met. If not you should be close, very close. If you’re not close and don’t have a plan, you need to be super creative to come up with a solution to help get … Read more

Work Wiser #2: How to take a break from stress

We’re now in December and for many project professionals it’s the busiest month of the yearbecause of project deadlines. Not only that, it could also be the most stressful month of the year if your project is not going well. You could be in many meetings with your team trying to figure out a way … Read more

Work Wiser #1: Rest Well to Work Well

We’re now in December and it’s likely the busiest month of the year because many projects have deadlines at the end of the year. Your to-do-list may be overflowing your project team could be tired and discouraged, and they may be thinking that the project goals are not attainable and unrealistic. Your project sponsor could … Read more

Career Planning using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Dissatisfaction Powers You Up Maslow's Hierarchy

All I need is a good job then a better job. Why bother with career planning? Isn’t it just a waste of time given that the world is volatile, uncertain, and always changing? The simple answer is without a goal, your career could meander along and opportunities could pass you by. Having a career goal … Read more

Servant Leadership: A Profitable Project Management Leadership Style

Not only is servant leadership a highly effective project management leadership style, it is also highly profitable! Southwest Airlines is often touted as the model servant leadership corporation. Its founder, Herb Kelleher, embodies the philosophy of putting employees first. The highly engaged, low-turnover employee base has generated 47 consecutive years of profitability as of January … Read more

Project Change Management: Buy-in vs. Engagement

A helicopter buzzed overhead, shattering my peace as I sat in my backyard patio on a beautiful summer weekend. I could hear loud chanting and drumming not too far away. Parked cars lined the usually empty main road. Some streets were blocked by police. It was 2018 and I live on Burnaby mountain, right next … Read more

Burnout – How to Recover

Burnout starts gradually and it may be hard to notice. Work and life are challenging. At any point of time, you may have a few burnout symptoms. Then a project deadline looms, a difficult assignment takes more time, or a project risk materializes into an issue. Before long, and without you noticing, you have five … Read more