Margaret Meloni
Helping project managers be the best they can be - Helping human beings navigate impermanence. A human making sense of this world using Buddhism to guide me. Want to know more about leading your team to project success? Great! Dealing with loss and life and how to cope - let's talk.
Beyond Good and Bad: Asking “May I Perceive This Differently?”
Check out this recent episode of the Death Dhamma podcast and consider a change in perspective. By embracing both the agreeable and disagreeable aspects of any situation, you can begin to foster a more balanced approach to life’s challenges. And that is what this episode of The Death Dhamma podcast will help you accomplish. This episode also highlights a fascinating encounter between the Buddha and a Brahmin teacher, where the limitations of sensory perception are unveiled. Here, the Buddha...
Plan Resources, Avoid Surprises
How do you know what kind of resources your project needs to complete all of the required work? Click Here for: Consider This - Assigning Project Resources How do you know the who and what of the resources needed to bring your project from concept to completion? Here are some of the essentials for you to contemplate. Work with your team on your scope and WBS and dig into the work. Identify your resources early; don't be surprised when it's time to do the work. Know who is going to do the...
The Roadside Dilemma
Imagine three scenarios in which people’s cars break down by the roadside. Our emotional responses will likely vary significantly based on our connection to them. A stranger? Mild compassion. A neighbor? More involvement. A best friend? Deep emotional turbulence. Before we hit the road, let’s revisit equanimity—how it weaves together with metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), and mudita (sympathetic joy)—and consider how we can practice equanimity in everyday life. Sometimes called...
Project Currencies Essentials
"What kind of currency can you use to acquire resources or enter into agreements, but is not in your project budget? Click Here for: Project Currencies: What Are They and Why Do They Matter? You have a subject matter expert who can help your colleague with her project. Your colleague is part of a committee that sets the guidelines for project management. Perhaps, you can work out an exchange? This is both of you utilizing currencies, items of value, that you can give or lend to one another to...
How a Stuffed Frog Taught Me Dharma
The other day, I found some odd, sand-like substance on my dresser. At first, I thought it was termite droppings. I live in an area that is well-loved by termites, and I have some familiarity with termite droppings. I quickly realized that this was something different. A quick scan of the dresser showed me the source of the sand. My beloved purple and green frog had been torn open. This little guy was a cross between a stuffed animal and a cheerful decoration. At first, I wondered how this...
Are YOU Powerful?
"Use power wisely and kindly, because the human spirit is fragile." - Anonymous Click Here for: When and How to Use Your Power. As a project manager, you deal with the authority versus responsibility dilemma. You are responsible for the success of your project, yet you have limited authority. You are the boss, but you are also not the boss. Many of your team members will be motivated professionals. They are going to step up and do the right thing. Once in a while, you find that you need to...
Cultivating Equanimity in Daily Life
.🚗 Imagine three scenarios of people broken down by the roadside. Your emotional responses vary significantly based on your connection to them. A stranger? Mild compassion. A neighbor? More involvement. A best friend? Deep emotional turbulence. 😰💔 Consider how equanimity functions as a stabilizing force in your emotional life. It allows you to experience deep compassion, loving-kindness, and joyousness without being overwhelmed by your feelings. In a recent episode of the Death Dhamma...
What Would You Do?
What is it like to be a project manager? We spend quite a bit of time thinking about planning. And when you take project management courses, or study for an exam, you see that there is a strong emphasis on planning. And rightly so. Does that mean when the planning has completed, and your sponsor approves the plan, you can sit back and kick your feet up? No, no, and no. There is plenty for you to do when your team is executing your project plans. Your days are interesting. Some days you are...
Remorse Is Holding You Back
Welcome back to the Death Dhamma Podcast! Last week, while on my walk, I thought about regret. I was not experiencing regret, rather I was contemplating some statements I had heard from others who were experiencing remorse. One was a friend having second thoughts about moving into a relationship too quickly, and another felt let down by someone on whom he had relied. It seems pretty normal for each of us to look at choices we have made in our lives and think that perhaps we could have done...
Quiz Time for Project Managers!
Nobody told you there would be a quiz, but nobody told you there would not be a quiz. Wait what?Introducing Quiz Time for Project Managers, a new section over on the pmStudent YouTube channel. Do you know your work packages from your control accounts? What is a WBS Dictionary and when would you use it? And how does a WBS support estimating?Is there a type of estimating that relies more heavily on the WBS? These short quizzes are designed to test your knowledge or act as a refresher. Because,...
Helping project managers be the best they can be - Helping human beings navigate impermanence. A human making sense of this world using Buddhism to guide me. Want to know more about leading your team to project success? Great! Dealing with loss and life and how to cope - let's talk.