“Does your project have a pulse?”

2 sentences from the summary of this article:

"Distilling lessons learned from his research, the author offers a set of principles for seeding creativity and innovation by creating a project
environment that fosters a healthy curiosity on the part of individuals and project teams. The paper ends with a valedictory challenge to project
leaders to become curiosity-curators for their projects."

Roberts, L. (2018). Does Your Project Have a Pulse? Paper presented at the 12th Annual UT
Dallas Project Management Symposium, Richardson, Texas, USA in May 2018; published in the PM World Journal,
Vol. VII, Issue VIII - August.
https://pmworldjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/pmwj73-Aug2018-Roberts-does-your-project-have-a-pulse-utd-paper.pdf

Interesting reading this again today while I have a tidy up of papers etc after reading the chapter on curiosity in the Rebel Talent book last weekend and in the last few days the chapter on required competencies (including reference to project management skills) in the Mastering Virtual Teams book.

I love the following list:-

Ten Curiosity-Enhancing Suggestions

1. Hone your observation skills - pay attention to “the things that don't fit”

2. Practice and learn to master the art of inquiry - specifically, articulating and asking high-value questions that yield information-rich insights

3. Challenge assumptions, especially any critical assumptions that could have a major impact if they were later proved to be false

4. Listen to others' opinions, but temper them with facts and empirical evidence

5. Build knowledge-sharing networks - identify experts you can call on to help fill any gaps in your own knowledge or experience

6. Keep written notes of questions you want to find answers to - don't rely on your memory

7. Practice looking at situations from various angles, perspectives, and viewpoints before drawing conclusions

8. Formulate hypotheses, but don't become wedded to them - don't become emotionally, intellectually, or professionally attached to unproven theories

9. Expand your horizons - don't allow yourself to become one-dimensional; if, for instance, you are an artist, take an interest in some particular area of science; if you are a scientist, take an interest in the arts

10. Become a mentor to others - working with individuals who are novices in your field can help you find gaps in your own knowledge, perhaps via the unvarnished questions they ask, perhaps by surfacing assumptions you had unwittingly accepted as facts over time

I suspect that the WOL Circle M (Alexandra, Daniella, Karen, Leonie) gang will love the content - may be even as much as me. Rabbit-trailing, carefully managed, is encouraged!

Be inspired and encouraged.

(previously posted on Workplace by Facebook in my WOL etc community)