The January Dunwoody Dinner Meeting started with one of PMI Atlanta's Newcomer sessions, and that inauguration was well received and attended.  The room was full of new chapter members as well as chapter board members.  If you're a new PMI Atlanta member or, like the author, a chapter member who never took in a newcomer session, you owe it to yourself to attend one of these. The sessions are held at the start of every other month’s Dunwoody Dinner Meeting. The information provided in these conversations does a great job orienting members to the overall chapter, it's goals, and its board members.
 
The main dinner topic was "Championship Coaching and Inspirational 'Manipulation'," presented by Lee R. Lambert, PMI Fellow, PMI Professional Development Provider of the Year, PMI  / Distinguished Contribution Award, PMP.

Wow! Those credentials look impressive, don't they?  They are . . . but not because of the credentials themselves.  No, Lee's past credentials are impressive because of the accomplishments that earned them.  As Lee said, “Yes, I have certifications, but those came after the fact.” As a case in point, Lee got his PMP after several years of being a successful project manager.  Of course, he helped to create the PMP certification, but that's another story . . .

Lee regaled the audience with several stories - because people remember stories - from his 40+ years as a project manager.  Those stories had the crowd of ~120 project managers nodding our heads in agreement and laughing in appreciation of his exploits.   The stories, though, all carried a central theme:  there are three things that you need to define in order to properly motivate (i.e.,manipulate) teams and team members: 

1) What’s in it for me;
2) What’s in it for you; and
3) What’s in it for the Organization? 

If the project manager can define and realize those three things for your team members, then you will create an environment where people WANT to be on your project teams.

The humor, knowledge, and insight in Lee's talk were an invigorating and reaffirming way to start 2010, and he's coming back to PMI Atlanta for an educational seminar in late February (click here to read about and register for his seminar). 

If you need a way to start a fitness routine, then take in Lee's seminar; your lung capacity will increase twofold from laughing so hard at the insights he offers!