Management Solutions July Newsletter

Letter from the CEO

Welcome to our July newsletter!

Relax, Reflect, and Recharge: What does balance mean to you?

It’s July, Summer is in full swing. Wherever you are, I hope you’re finding time to unplug from work. That’s because the greater your responsibility, the greater the need to make time to relax, reflect and recharge.

Members of a CEO group I am in make time each year for at least one trip together where we can unwind. The casual atmosphere unlocks thinking and cements relationships.

The Restorative Power of Pausing

Prime ministers and presidents are among the busiest people on earth. George Washington retreated to Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson to Monticello—locations reasonably close to America’s recently established capital. Herbert Hoover established America’s first presidential retreat because his adopted state of California was too distant for regular getaways. He directed Lawrence Richey to find a place within one hundred miles (161 km) of the capital that had 2,500 feet (762 m) of elevation for cooler temperatures; was mosquito-free; featured plenty of woods for hiking and privacy; and had a mountain view and fishing streams.

Within sixty days of Hoover’s election, Richey recommended several sites for consideration. First Lady Lou Henry Hoover and Herbert Hoover visited these sites on January 20, 1929, and then selected Doubletop Mountain alongside the Rapidan River in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. By mid-April, private funds were raised to purchase approximately 164 acres. When Franklin Roosevelt succeeded Hoover and visited Rapidan, FDR found the narrow trails too rough for his wheelchair and the mountain streams too cold for swimming. But he appreciated the idea of getting away from the White House.

On April 22, 1942, FDR selected a site in what would become the Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland, as his presidential retreat. FDR named the camp Shangri-La and visited often. FDR hosted Winston Churchill and extended invitations to staff members and officials as political perks. FDR’s successor Harry Truman seldom visited, but Dwight Eisenhower loved the place, renaming it Camp David to honor his father and grandson. He built a three-hole golf course on the property.

Eisenhower held the first cabinet meeting at Camp David and hosted, among other world leaders, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Each U.S. president has utilized Camp David to varying degrees. But each has recognized the camp’s effect to relax tensions and change the context for important discussions—whether with trusted advisors, domestic politicians or world leaders. Serious meetings held in relaxed settings allow participants to access different parts of their hearts and minds and consider new possibilities. “To me,” said Lady Bird Johnson, “Camp David is more a psychological journey than a physical one.”

Changing the venue can change mindsets. A relaxed mindset is more creative and more receptive to new ideas. Changing mindsets changes the discussion. And when you change the discussion, you can change outcomes.

Start With Yourself

Leaders model the behavior they expect to see in others. So, if you expect creativity, innovation and fresh thinking from your colleagues, it’s a good idea to ask yourself some questions:

What does “balance” mean to me?
How do I replenish my energy for the next the lap around the track?
How much time do I need to get recharged?
How often do I need to be recharged?
Am I reserving time on my calendar for myself?

Remember: The greater the responsibility, the greater the need to relax, reflect and recharge.

- Misty Mayes

Predictive Analytics: Prevent Problems Before They Happen

As Nobel laureate and father of atomic theory Niels Bohr remarked, "Prediction is very difficult - especially if it's about the future." Like atomic physicists, project management professionals have working knowledge of the challenges of prediction, particularly when dealing with an abundance of data.

How the Project Controls Maturity Assessment (PCMA©) Can Help Address the Skills Gap

According to a report last year from the Project Management Institute, there is expected to be a global need for 25 million new project professionals by 2030, meaning 2.3 million new project managers will need to fill project management-oriented roles every year to keep up with the demand.

Project Controls Solutions Update

PCS is delighted to be supporting the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) with their commitment to continual improvement of qualifications and assessments. PCS has been awarded a contract to review the bank of assessment questions used in the online knowledge tests for the ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Project Controls Practice and Techniques (RQF).

20 Year Anniversary Recognition

As we continue our series of celebrating our 20-year anniversary, it has been great to celebrate those individuals that played such a vital role in helping us get to this point. Two people I want to say thank you to are both individuals that have given endlessly and unselfishlessly to Sam and I both professionally and personally. Our first administrative support team member was Debbie Harb. Debbie joined the team in 2006 and has played a vital role since day 1. Debbie has been the “go to” person for all things financially and contractually related. She has worked with us through all the highs and lows and has been the constant when often we were not sure of the next step. Debbie’s loyalty and can-do attitude have enabled us to deliver excellence to our staff and clients.

In addition to Debbie, several years ago, Tammie Lambdin joined our team as our 2^nd Administrative resource. I remember when we hired her, I cautioned her that we may not have enough work to keep her busy. Wow, was that an understatement. Tammie quickly became my right-hand person. She anticipated the need and brought a solution often before I realized we had a potential problem. She carpooled my children from activity to activity when I couldn’t, she traveled with me and took care of every need. Tammie not only was an assistant to me, but I also still count her as one of my closest friends and believe I am a better person because of the influence she had on my life.

Thank you both for taking a chance on a young woman with a dream of building a business; we wouldn’t be here today without you.

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When you’re feeling extremely happy or blissful, you might feel you’re “on cloud nine.” But what on earth does being happy have to do with clouds? And why cloud nine?

This saying, which dates back to the early 1800s, was coined during the time when scientists and seafarers, including amateur meteorologist Luke Howard, first began organizing clouds. By observing cloud appearance and height above ground level, they were able to categorize all clouds into the ten basic cloud types we use today: cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, cumulonimbus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus. To make recording cloud observations easier, Howard and others also assigned a number from 0 to 9, to each of these ten cloud groups. According to their code abbreviations, zero represented the lowest clouds (stratus), and nine, the tallest clouds (cumulonimbus, or thunderstorm clouds). It’s from this that the expression “cloud nine” was likely born! (If you’re on cloud nine, you’ll be extremely high up, which also describes the sensation you may feel when overjoyed.) Source: Almanac.com