Psychological Sleight of Hand – Part 2

In Part 1, “It’s All Your Fault”, we briefly explored current thinking on human biases and the role of optimism in human evolution. We declared that common biases, including our inherent optimism, are key contributors to our persistent inability to complete programs on time and within budget.

In this article, we identify some key actions that you can take to acknowledge, temper and compensate for common problematic human behaviours.

This is a long and detailed article – it is not a simple problem. If the contents ring true, we can help you self-assess and identify those strategies that best fit your reality.

Why should you get outside help? Because, apart from the fact that your circumstances are unique, as we noted in Part 1 you and your team carry a suitcase full of biases that impede your ability to act objectively.

Please read Part 1 before you proceed. Continue reading

The “Executive SuperTemp”

In their article “The Rise of the Executive Super Temp”[1] , Jody and Matt Miller describe the growing phenomena of highly skilled executive level independent consultants in the market.

“Supertemps are top managers and professionals from lawyers to CFOs to consultants who’ve been trained at top schools and companies and choose to pursue project-based careers independent of any major firm. They’re increasingly trusted by corporations to do mission-critical work that in the past would have been done by permanent employees or established outside firms.” Continue reading