10 Things Every New Program Manager Should Know

10 Things Every New Program Manager Should Know10 Things Every New Program Manager Should KnowProgram management is a rewarding and well-paid career choice, but it can be a challenging role as well. If you just got your first program management job, or want to know if you should make the jump to a program management career, its important to understand what the career entails. Consider these 10 things of which every new program manager should be aware before starting a program management role. Program Management is Not the Same as Project Management Project management is about planning work, organizing tasks and resources, controlling processes, and delivering a specific objective. Whether opening a new office, launching a new app, or building an Olympic stadium, projects have a defined start, middle, and end with a clear set of objectives. Program management is different and generally much broader. A program manager might oversee multiple projects at one time, each of which might have its own project team and project manager. Those projects together might all be part of a larger program designed to deliver something of value to the organization over time. Expect Uncertainty Programs are inherently uncertain. While you might know what the big picture is, its just a vision statement when you start out. The exact path of how to get there, and what projects are going to be required over an extended period of time, is something you have to work out as you go. Youll start with detailed planning for what you do know and build up a picture of how to address the rest of it as you get closer. Progressively extend your planning and delivery horizons until you cant go any further. Block out time at regular intervals to plan the next steps. You also can use this opportunity to ensure that you are leise on track to deliver business value. Watch Out for Burnout While a project might be over in a year or so, programs can stretch on- seemingly indefinitely. Program managers need to protect their teams against burnout. You cant work at top speed endlessly, so ensure your staff members get adequate downtime. This should include periods of quieter time at work with fewer deliverables and adequate time away from the office for vacations. Manage sick leave closely, watch your overtime reports, and be alert to the fact that the welfare of your team is paramount if you want to slash attrition and keep your talented people for the life of the program. You Need to Manage the Pace When you are delivering a program that has a distant completion date, you need to manage the pace of the work. Its difficult to maintain momentum over multiple years, so your role as a program manager is to juggle the priorities and projects so there are measurable outputs being delivered regularly. Mix up the quick wins and the steady progredienz toward the bigger picture goals. This helps the team see you are moving forward and ensures that there are some shorter-term su ccess stories to share to keep motivation high. Finally, it helps investors and executive managers see that there is progress being made. Train your Team for Success Programs often deliver something novel, unique, or transformative for an organization. One of the challenges of working on those kinds of initiatives is that you probably dont have the skills in-house to be able to complete all the tasks and projects required. Thats OK and to be expected. Your job as a new program manager is to ensure you can upskill, retrain, and develop the people you do have so that together you can address all the resource requirements. There might be some areas where you only need a certain resource for a limited period. For example, you arent going to train one of your staff how to drive a forklift if thats a skill you need for just one week. However, if you are transforming the way your companys online presence is managed, it probably would be valuable to have website development skills in-ho use along with some expertise about social media or search engine optimization. These are skills the business will rely on in the long term. Make decisions about which of these you need to have embedded in the team and which should be outsourced, then ensure your program can deliver the training and recruitment tasks required to be ready to manage the outputs as each project delivers. Governance is More Complex If youve come from a project management background, then governance wont be a surprise to you. Its the way in which project and program structures are organized and controlled to ensure that decision making is done in the right way and that the right people are involved. Its crucial for ensuring the work is being progressed in a way that fits with the overall business case, and it helps keep people accountable. Governance also is the way that the project management office and senior executives can ensure that a program is on track to deliver benefits. It also provides a f ormal route to closing down projects or an entire program if it can be shown that those benefits no longer will be achieved. Governance is more complex in a program environment than in a project environment. Project boards and steering groups normally have an executive-level membership. This is to be expected as the end result from a program is normally business transformation. Planning is More Difficult Project managers, who are involved in a program, typically will put their project plans together, then a program management team- under your direction as program manager- meets and the plans are integrated. This is easier said than done. It requires identifying the dependencies between projects and project tasks. It forces you to look at the resource requirements for the whole program and to juggle activities to suit the availability of key people. Once your integrated program plan is established, you can track it in a Gantt chart or other software tool. As your project managers track their projects in real time, youll have to make adjustments to the program plan, keeping everyone informed of changes and spelling out what this means for their areas of work. You Dont Have to Plan Every Line As a program manager, you rely on your project managers to do the detailed planning. It isnt practical or desirable for you to be tracking a program with thousands of tasks. You need a rolled-up, high-level view of the projects with enough detail to show you whether something is going to have a program-level impact. The easiest way to do this is with dedicated software apps. Trying to manage your multimillion dollar program on a basic spreadsheet would be too challenging. You Need to Delegate However good you are at delegating, being in a program management role means you need to get even better at it. The good news is that you should have a team of project managers, and you might even have a dedicated program management office to support your transformative chan ge. There is a lot of work to do on a program, and setting it up to ensure that all the moving parts move together at the right time is a huge effort. You cant do it alone and you shouldnt try. Work out how much time you need to do the program initiation and then ensure you have a team in place to back you up. If you dont have anyone in your program management office, ask for someone to be seconded to the program management team. There is plenty for them to do. For example, someone in a project coordination role would be perfectly placed to deliver the coordination required at the program level, freeing you up to get involved with strategic tasks. Dont be Afraid of Conflict There are lots of strands to programs. From projects with difficult stakeholders to seemingly unachievable deadlines, every day is going to give you opportunities for conflict. Watch out for the things that disrupt project performance and be prepared to step in when needed to head off a conflict situation bef ore it starts.

Keith B Thayer

Keith B Thayer Keith B Thayer Honorary Membership Recipient Keith ThayerKeith Thayer decided to become a mechanical engineer when he was going to Kansas State University under the G.I. Bill after he left the Navy. Part of the reason for the decision, he said, is that he had once worked for the railroad in a roundhouse where he greased the side rods of old steam locomotives. Much of his professional life since thenwhich has included work on power plants, pipelines, refineries, and millshas involved petroleum and steel.Its been a fascinating career, he said, and Ive really enjoyed the engineering.Mr. Thayer has mora than 50 years of experience in engineering and construction for the petrochemical, refining, steel, manufacturing, and related industries. Today, he is president of Garuda U.S., Inc. in Houston, a firm that provides business consulting, mediation, arbitration, and expert witness services.He is recognized by ASME with honorary membership for outstanding leadership as chair o f the South Texas Section and the Petroleum Division, and as governor and president of ASME, and for mentoring engineers, improving engineering management, and raising industrial standards.Mr. Thayer has more than 50 years of experience in engineering and construction for the petrochemical, refining, steel, manufacturing, and related industries.Mr. Thayer began his professional career in 1950 at Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville, Okla., where he worked on a variety of projects, including the design of heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and plumbing systems for industrial facilities. He later became involved in piping design and engineering at Foster Wheeler Corp., and in HVAC and plumbing design at the consulting firm of Raymond L. Jenkins, both in Houston.He went to work for two partners who were starting up a small engineering company, Stubbs Overbeck Associates, in 1953. During his 43 years with the firm, he was involved in every facet of the engineering and constructi on of refineries and petrochemical plants, from long-range planning and financing to systems design and installation. When he retired from the company as chairman of the board and chief executive officer in 1996, Stubbs Overbeck had about 1,500 employees.Mr. Thayer served as president of ASME for the 1997-98 term. It was during this time that the United Engineering Center was sold. The building, on 47th Street in Manhattan, held the headquarters of ASME and several other engineering societies. Mr. Thayer supported ASME remaining in New York City and participated in the selection of the new location, on Park Avenue. His activities also include promoting participation in FIRST and supporting fund drive efforts.A member of the Society since 1950, he is a Life Fellow and has served on numerous committees and groups in the Petroleum Division, in the South Texas Section, and at the Society level. He was chair of the Petroleum Divisions executive committee (1984-85) chaired and worked on t he National Agenda Committee and Workbook Committee, among others, within the South Texas Section, and directed the sections Emerging Leadership program (1976-77). He has worked on several Society-level committees and was elected to the ASME Board of Governors in 1992. Among his honors, Mr. Thayer received the ASME Centennial Award in 1980, a Dedicated tafelgeschirr Award in 1987, and the ASME International Petroleum Technology Institutes 2007 ASME Exceptional Volunteer Award. In 2009, IPTI named an award in his honor the Keith Thayer Exceptional Early Career Engineer Award.Between 1996 and 1999, his activities centered on the ASME presidency, efforts to establish a peanut manufacturing facility in Shandong province in China, and civic association responsibilities. Since 2002, in addition to his consulting efforts, he volunteers with the Houston Technology Center (helping start-up companies grow), continues ASME-related endeavors, and serves as judge at FIRST contests. He was co-aut hor of the recent ASME publication Energy Choices A Guide to Facts and Perspectives.Mr. Thayer earned his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering with honors at Kansas State University in Manhattan in 1950. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi.Its been a fascinating career, and Ive really enjoyed the engineering.Keith B. Thayer

This is how I found peacefulness in my life

This is how I found peacefulness in my lifeThis is how I found peacefulness in my lifeSolitude and creativity have been in my arsenal for some time now. Theyre the best way to confront the inhumanity and sorrow one witnesses in law enforcement.Suicides. Murder. Accident victims. Child abuse. Such things are obscenities that crush the human spirit.I welches a cop for over twenty six years. The last ten years I served as Chief of Police. The years of shift work, little sleep, fear, moments of pure adrelanine and stress took their toll.Cops learn to be stoic. We bury our feelings, mask our emotions and get the job done. Its only later, in the sanctuary of our homes, that the demons come. Memories, images and scenes of carnage that reside persistently in our psyche.Each of us has to find our own way. Our own salvation and methods to process it all and stay healthy.For me, my family played a crucial role. Exercise helped. But mostly, solitude and creativity were the ballasts that steadied my course.It became politically difficultI welches constantly drawing as a kid and served as an editorial cartoonist on several newspapers. I did the cartooning on the side while working full time as a cop.Unfortunately, as I rose through the ranks, it became politically difficult to continue with my editorial cartoons. So, I turned to landscape painting.I didnt have time to go back to school and study art, so I sought instruction from one of the best landscape painters in the country, Scott L. Christensen.I flew to Idaho and took a workshop with Scott. The next year I flew back for an advanced workshop. The year after that, Scott invited me to a private salon with one other artist.I was a bit of a noveltyI wasnt like most of Scott Christensens students. They had art backgrounds, worked in design or were full time professional artists. I was a full time cop who liked to paint. I was a bit of a novelty. The artful cop.Scott Christensen took a liking to me, which led to that week lon g salon in his studio. What an experience it was. One on one instruction. Daily outdoor painting. Total art immersion. It was life changing.Autumn path by John P. WeissI discovered that I fell in love with plein air (outdoor) painting. Standing near those Idaho cottonwoods, and taking in the grandeur of the Tetons, stirred something in me.The wind in the trees and the silent solitude of being alone in nature calms the soul. Heals the spirit. Time stands still.The siren song of mountains and ocean wavesMy professional law enforcement world involved responsibility and the weight of leadership. The phones rang, my cell phone buzzed, emails pour into my computer.There was a community to protect and politicians to keep informed. It was a privilege to serve as Chief of Police and I am proud to have helped so many in my police career.But I grew tired. The siren song of mountains and ocean waves tugged at me. Sometimes, after a long day at the office, I swear I heard my paint box whispering to me late at night.Its voice was faint but the message strong and clearTake off that gun belt. Set down your ballistic vest. Grab your brushes and gear. Leave the noise and sadness and responsibility behind. Let go. Paint.And so I did. I retired early, and dove into my creative life. Its how I found peacefulness. By embracing what I truly am, an artist.My family and I moved to another state. I immersed myself in painting, artwork and writing. Im proud of my law enforcement career, but Ive never looked back. Only forward.I was the artful cop. Now, Im a full time artist, and theres a serenity in my soul. It feels good.There are always optionsHow about you? Are you where you want to be, or do you long for something else? Yes, its not easy to change your life. There are responsibilities and commitments.But there are always options.You could say no to some things to carve out more time for your passion. You could downsize and relocate to a more affordable area.Thats what I did. Unlike California, Nevada has no income tax, which allows me to keep a lot more of my pension. Homes are more affordable, too.Take the time to figure out whats really important to you. Let go of the stuff you dont need or thats dragging you down. Of course, be smart about it and dont jeopardize your family. Some changes take time, patience and planning.People change their lives for the better every day. By getting healthier. By making their passions more of a priority. By changing careers, relocating and learning to live with less clutter and possessions.You can too. It worked for me, and my life is more peaceful. Ill bet that with a little planning, you can improve your life, and find the serenity we all dream of.Before you goIm John P. Weiss. I draw cartoons, paint, and write about life. Thanks for reading.Thisarticlefirst appeared onMedium.

6 Important Life Skills for Everyone - The Muse

6 Important Life Skills for Everyone - The Muse6 Important Life Skills for EveryoneIn most organizations, continuous learning and self-improvement isnt a formal requirement, but its one of the top unwritten ones. Wherever you are in yur company, taking charge of your own development is always a good idea. And the nice thing is, you dont need an embossed invitation to a leadership training to prepare you for the next level. Here are six skills everyone can (and should) work to improve, regardless of where youre at in your career.1. MindfulnessLets say youre in a meeting with a colleague who shares a great idea that was originally yours, but he doesnt give you credit. Anyone will have that initial moment of OMG, hes stealing my idea However, a person who practices mindfulness is able to notlageice that reaction and then pause for a beat to examine the situation objectively (Maybe he forgot that was my idea) before publically correcting him in what may become an embarrassing situation t hat makes you both look bad. Mindfulness is the ability to notice your emotional response to events, without reacting to them. In stressful or high stakes situations, mindful people are able to pause for a beat and look at a whats happening impartially. You can begin today by taking an extra breath and trying to examine events from an objective point of view.2. Collaborating Across DifferencesBeing a team player has always been important, but learning the skill of collaborating across differences in our increasingly diverse world is a timeless necessity. You should strive to be someone on your staff who celebrates the full spectrum of uniqueness and difference in everyone.Organizations and teams that can collaborate and work effectively across differences like gender, race, religion, politics, and age will be the ones at the front of the pack. The first step to develop this skill is to become more aware of your unconscious biases about people who are different than you.3. Resilience Some people take feedback- and even failure- better than others. The ones who dont let hard news slow them down are resilient. Setbacks are a part of life. Its how you choose to respond to them that matters. The strongest people neither avoid feelings of failure, defeat, and rejection nor do they become paralyzed by them. When unexpected obstacles get in the way, they grieve, dust themselves off, and jump back in. So, you blew that presentation It happens. But heres a secret To become more resilient, dont feel less, feel more. Dont pretend that presentation never happened. (It wont work.) Be honest with yourself that youre upset, then focus on learning from your mistakes and moving past them. All of us have resilience, we just have to learn to use it.4. Working at Your Highest and Best UsePretty much everyones work involves tasks ranging from simple, repetitive ones that happen every day to complex ones that take months or years to complete. Focusing on the most complex, long-term t asks on your plate is the sweet spot where you produce the most value. However, you cant solely do the long-term tasks at the expense of short-term job requirements. You have to be able to do the easy daily to-dos while staying focused on the bang for the buck items where you add the most value. Balancing highest and best use with daily chores is an occupational hazard for managers who work on big, multi-year projects with budgets in the hundreds of millions (as well as the rest of us who are balancing work on something due at close of geschftliches miteinander, versus the end of the quarter). The most important thing you can do is not get lost in either one Dont neglect your inbox altogether, or alternatively, be so consumed by answering emails that you never find a chunk of time to focus on the big picture project. Find the way that you work best and can find time for both.5. EmpathyAnyone who works to improve his or her ability to be empathetic will stand out at work, with the bo nus of a happier home life. As you know, empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone elses shoes and see how it might feel to be him. Working on your emotional intelligence results in the people around you feeling seen and heard, and its is a key ingredient in developing trust with co-workers. Your co-workers dont want your sympathy. Telling someone Im sorry you feel that way usually just makes him or her more angry, but saying (and meaning), Ive been frustrated when something doesnt work as planned, and I understand why youre angry. Let me help almost always works. 6. InquiryInquiry, or learn how, is replacing expertise and know-how, in business today. The worlds hardest problems are going to be solved by curious people who can find the right questions to unlock new discoveries. Know-it-alls are a bore, but great question-askers help us grow, learn, and innovate. Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia couldnt afford to pay their rent, and they wondered how they might use additional spac e in their apartment to lodge tourists and make some money. Finding the answer resulted in the founding of Airbnb.Dont be afraid to ask questions- at work, and of yourself and your career. It will help ensure that youre always growing.Whether you want to be a CEO some day or just great at your current job, self-improvement is for everyone. Look at working on these skills as a journey with endless possibilities for growth and insight, not a destination or a box to check so you can move on to the next one. Focusing on them throughout your career will get you ready to move up and keep you working at the top of your game in your current role. Photo of hard worker courtesy of Shutterstock.

Danger Signs on Cover Letter and Resume Example You Should Know About

Danger Signs on Cover Letter and Resume Example You Should Know About The Basics of Cover Letter and Resume Example Review our examples and make use of what you learn how to develop job-specific titelblatt letters for each one of your applications. Consequently, PDF is going to be the smartest choice. Its possible to still attach your cover letter in another file, just be certain it matches the content of your cover email. Also, ensure the font is large enough to read. Finally, heres a cover letter format example. Remember that its important to tailor the letter in line with the corporations mission and the work role youre seeking for. Finding a nice job can be exceedingly difficult irrespective of your profession with incredibly qualified applicants being your strongest competitors in the industry. A successful candidate for a work opening takes the opportunity to learn the names of the vital individuals in the organization where theyre applying. Yet another tip, always re member to produce your whole job application relevant and specific to the job which youre attempting to land. The letter has to be tailored to a particular job and business. If you send the exact same cover letter to each company, youre missing an opportunity. For instance, a cover letter is an outstanding place to speak about a career shift or maybe to explain a protracted gap in employment. In contrast, it provides an opportunity to explain why you are qualified for the job. The Birth of Cover Letter and Resume Example Be sure to look into the school that youre applying to before writing your cover letter so that you may add a small enthusiasm to demonstrate why you would like to work there. Its much better to demonstrate how youre qualified rather than tell the reader which you are qualified. You would like the employer to have the ability to find the most significant points of the cover letter on a fast glance. Again, use our cover letter templates and dont forget to pr event easy mistakes at the very start of your letter, because you dont want employers to quit reading or eliminate interest till they reach your key points. As soon as youve written your outstanding cover letter providing more info on your expertise and the way it is related to the job that youre applying for, its crucial to format it correctly before sending it to any recruiters. Below youll find a number of samples for job applicants. Technical skills, licenses and certifications, and the capacity to communicate effectively are some of the very best qualities to put in your cover letter. It is crucial to figure out the status of your job application. The Cover Letter and Resume Example Trap Fortunately, there are numerous excellent samples and resources available to assist you craft the great professional resume. With our specialized therapy, you are going to be in a place to tap the complete potential of your professional network and make sure your profile on social netwo rking channels matches the caliber of your resume. Any additional information which you want to point out must be stated concisely and properly too. Resume examples will reveal to you just what type of information is required and the format it is required in. Job postings frequently dont list the name of the individual to contact and just offer an email address. After that, move to LinkedIn to see whether its possible to locate their email address. The business information ought to go on the left side of the webpage, and ought to incorporate the organization name and the name of the contact person. Your resume email needs to be short and sweet. Cover Letter and Resume Example - Overview Writing a perfect resume email is only a fraction of all of the situations you must keep in mind before you click send. When you have proofread the letter, after that you can let another person take a look merely to keep on the safe side. An effective cover letter has to be compelling yet to-the-point to avoid wasting someones time. Opening your cover letter in a deliberate way will also offer a feeling of direction to the remainder of your letter. Irrespective of your degree of work practical experience, your resume structure is crucial to making your application stick out. Its obvious you wont understand whom to tackle. Graduate school is a significant commitment of many decades, money, intense coursework and research. Whether you wish to receive a job in nursing, dentistry, or pharmaceuticals, weve got a sample that is relevant to your career path. In case it makes more sense to first highlight professional accomplishments or other activities because it is going to cause you to be a stronger candidate, then its important to achieve that. No matter your degree of job practical experience, your resume format is crucial to making your program stick out.

What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Brand Manager Resume

What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Brand Manager Resume In-house orts are offered in the majority of large business advertising departments. Youre a personal services business. Companies make a lot of new products everyday. They will be focused on what you can offer. If youre also a great communicator and team player, we want to meet you. The manager, naturally, was the particular person who opted to start a tournament. Youre going to find an ideal advertising and marketing manager resume sample. Turning into a brand manager is my final career objective. Key facets of the job include creating brand guidelines and making certain that employees follow them. Finally, a recruiter would like to know the value you bring. Every additional day youre in the work market is lost income. In your day-to-day role, you are going to deal with the brand lizenz setting advertising initiatives and priorities dependent on the firms priorities. In the end, save your advertising manag er resume in PDF. An effective branding plan is to make your brand guide an integral portion of content creation workflows. Creating a resume can be an intimidating task, but nevertheless, it can be particularly hard for brand ambassadors. Making the absolute resume isnt straightforward. Brand Manager Resume Secrets That No One Else Knows About A superb talent agent ought to be in a place to recognize talent. There is a superb chance it is going to take a bit of college, at least an AA in marketing. If you wish to land your dream job, were here to assist. Even when you have never had an advertising job, include experiences where you demonstrated skills and abilities necessary for the job. The War Against Brand Manager Resume Branding is a significant portion of any sales and marketing strategy. Firstly, to be able to compose a standout marketing resume you will need to learn your target, because you will never begin an advertising campaign before defining your intended m arket or customer profile. Experienced brand managers could be head-hunted as an immediate outcome of a successful product launch. A prosperous advertising and marketing manager has to be in a position to create interest in whatever product or service a provider is selling. Your name ought to be the largest thing on your resume. Simply take another look at your list and discover the ones youve got. In a sense you must turn into the item. Therefore, you must know everything about the service or product youre representing. Brand managers are those who shape a firms outward image. So it isnt going to matter if youve got an entry level Brand Ambassador resume. To find out more on what it requires to be a Brand Manager, have a look at our complete Brand Manager Job Description. Brand Managers play a remarkably significant part an organizations success.