Taking the Scenic Route to Success — Performance Engagement Innovation Time-to-market Efficiency Today, we’ll be praising inefficiency instead. How does it make sense? Let’s see how inefficiency, when strategically embraced, can have surprising merits. Inefficiency at work Politics: The Inherent Virtue of Democracy In our fast-paced world that often extols efficiency, the notion of celebrating inefficiency in politics might sound like an anomaly. …

Why one size doesn’t fit all — Methodologies describe how a “happy project” should be, and provide universal guidelines to follow. In this sense, yes: all happy projects are alike. …

Project Management Insights from Celestial Endeavors — Huge projects are always a fascinating subject, and the past week brought contrasting news about two monumental projects that shared the same goal: getting a rover to the Moon’s south pole. Still image from the movie “Le Voyage dans la Lune” by Georges Méliès, 1902 — public domain What do…

A lesson in Defence Against the Dark (Negotiation) Arts — The first two articles in the series shed light on important aspects of leading successful meetings: establishing your authority within the meeting environment and thorough preparation. We drew insights from the intriguing world of penalty shootouts, as highlighted in a thought-provoking piece by Geir Jordet. The article’s most amusing part…

Project Management and Negotiations: Agile Coach or Football Coach? — As a Project Manager, your role in a negotiation meeting is akin to that of a coach strategizing before a penalty shootout in football. …

From the Football Pitch to the Meeting Room — I am not a football fan. This fact often surprises my friends due to my Italian background. On one peculiar evening, I found myself in a peculiar situation: I had invited a couple of (non-Italian) friends over for dinner, and as I prepared the meal, they were absorbed in a…

Novak Djokovic, a champion that many loved to… —

Effective meeting tactics inspired by high-stakes events in football — You have meticulously crafted a good presentation, rehearsed your pitch, and prepared strong arguments to counter any objections. But then, as the meeting is about to start, all the confidence suddenly vanishes, and you’re left with this overwhelming feeling of pressure and uncertainty. Sounds familiar? Meetings involving negotiations rank high…

Finding New Favorites and Overrated Picks in Best-of Lists — I confess. I am a member of the “I love disagreeing with best-of lists” club, and I was thrilled to come across yet another ranking of the best movies from an actor I like. Because who doesn’t love getting worked up over the choices made by someone else? Sometimes, this…