Project Management

Will you perform?

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:53:35 +0000

Everyone at some point in our lives comes across a circumstance where your services are required to perform on a particular task. The question is, will you be ready for it and are you up to the challenge?

I’m a firm believer that if you challenge yourself with difficult task(s) or integrate yourself with activities that do not come easily to you to resolve or simply be good at; you will undoubltly become better at handling task appropriately when you are called on to perform.

For example, if you are a project manager (PM) and you do not have good people skills; then, most likley the PM roll will cause you more headach’s than you ever anticipated because working with people effectively is truely an art. I say this because in a group of room and/or a meeting, you don’t really know anything about the people surrounding you in respect to their background, life challenges, economics, or simply what’s going on in their lives at that point in time.

To better yourself with what you are lacking; for instance people skills, then here are some tips to help you improve:

Join some non-profits.
While you wait in line for something, talk with the people around you.
Always be friendly, smile and/or simply say hello and see where that leads you to.

Join a Non-Profits. Yes, absolutely the best way to improve your skills! I consider it two fold. One you’re giving back to the community and secondly, you get nothing in return other than dozes of self improvement opportunities. I call this the sand box and/or hands on training to find ways to continually improve yourself.

You never know who’s around you and why not just simply turn around while you wait in line and start talking to somebody. If the saying is true that everyone knows somebody from your circle of friends, then by goolly you might run into somebody that share a mutual friend.

Always be professional and cordial. Again, there’s enough things going on with peoples lives and therefore meeting somebody and being friendly might be the best thing that has happened to that person that day.

Lastly, you only get one shot at making a good impression so make it count!

MS – Mission Accomplished!

admin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:41:18 +0000

To all my friends and family! We did it!

“Mission Accomplish”…”The eagle has landed”..”We crossed the finish line..” . Call it what you may, but together as one, we set a goal, we stayed focused and after four months of fund raising we surpassed our $2,000 goal by $10 .

Our Team – “One Energy” is now ranked 48 out of 180 teams and raised $10,655 so far.

There’s plenty to be thankful for and all of this wouldn’t have happened without your support!

Have a great holiday season!!! As promised, I’m still going to be racing so check for my updates at www.franciscoavalos.com.

MS Support Update

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:07:43 +0000

Hi everyone!

Wow, what can I say about you and your support for this years fund
raising efforts for the MS Society. Because of your contribution, you
have made a person with MS life a little easier. I know for some of
you that are facing hard times and struggling to make ends meet;
believe me that we’re all pulling for you because those are the type
of friends I have in this email distribution list.

As we approach Thanksgiving in less than a few weeks from today, I
know one thing that I’ll be thankful for is having friends like you
that stepped up and contributed. With as little as a $5 contribution
that was made by my neighbors 8 year old daughter; it has helped the
team surpass it’s goal of $10,000, however, I’m still less than $200
dollar from reaching my goal of $2000. However, rest assured that it
will get accomplished because I still have a few weeks before the
deadline.

To see my stats and/or donate, click the link below.
http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=8004988

Thanks all and I’ll send out a final message after the deadline.

It’s just $25

admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:51:31 +0000

Some challenges are bigger than others – especially when it comes to our health. For those of us lucky enough to have our good health, I believe we should cherish what we have and do what we can to help others not so fortunate.

I’ve been a supporter of the National MS Society for the last three years and although I don’t have any immediate family members with MS, throughout my support of the foundation, I have come to know many people living with this disease.

It has become a personal mission for me to raise money and support the National MS Society.

I hope you join me with supporting National MS Society, Pacific South Coast Chapter.

Your contribution is greatly appreciated and together we win as ONE!

All I’m asking is $25 or whatever you can contribute.

Please contribute today at http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=8004988

To help raise money, I am have completed and/or will be completing the following upcoming events:

Races Coming up
Sept – Amgen Century Ride OC – Irvine to SD-Mission Bay (100 Mile Bike Ride) -
Oct – Ms Ride – OC – Irvine to SD-Mission Bay
Oct – Long Beach 1/2 Marathon

2010
——
Jan – (70.3 Chile-Pucon -1/2 Ironman)
Mar – (70.3 California- 1/2 Ironman)
Oct – (Arizona, Ironman) -

Completed 2009 Races
——————————
Sonoma, CA 70.3 Vinenman-Ironman)
San Diego, San Diego International Triathlon
Orange County, Sun Surf 1/2 Marathon
Pasadena, 1/2 Marathon

To see what WE accomplished last year, click the following link:

www.franciscovalos.com

–
Francisco T. Avalos
Teissier Consulting Services
www.franciscoavalos.com
(714) 743-1801

Project Management – The next frontier

admin — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:36:59 +0000

This image was created by Robert Williams and was taken by from one of the websites I worked for CoastMagazine.com. Eventhough this image is rather “Eye” catching, doesn’t it reflect how you view new project assignments today?

With so many components to piece together and limited resources, how really do you make it happen in order to make it seem like a collage of elements seem perfectly clear to the users?

Within the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share with you some some of the best ways to manage a project and get things right the first time so that tasks on hand do not seem overwhelming and/or impossible.

That dam line!

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:20:26 +0000

Does completing a goal mean anything to you? It did for Sian Welch & Wendy Ingramham..

Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham – The Crawl – 1997.

My question to you is, what makes you finish?

Half Marathon Training Program

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:14:57 +0000

Below is the track log for the SurfCity 1/2 Marathon event February 1st. If you dare to do it and be committed, we’ll help you reach your goal!

During the week, you can train and run anywhere you want, however, to help us keep track of your progress, we all rendevous at the East Bluff- BackBay Entrace.

We start running every Saturday at 7:00 AM sharp near the corner of Jamboree and Univerity/East Bluff Corner (East Back Backbay Entrance – Vista Point). We run anywhere from 1, 3, 6, 10 miles. Its open to everyone and its free.

All we ask for is just for you to have fun.

This is a 15 week training program for 1/2 Marathon. The training schedule starts OCT 20th
Week	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thur.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.	Total	Show Up
Week	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thur.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.	Total	For Sat.
1	Off	2	Off	2	Off	3	3	10
2	Off	2	Off	2	Off	3	3	10
3	Off	2	Off	2	Off	4	3	11
4	Off	2	Off	2	Off	5	3	12
5	Off	2	Off	2	Off	5	4	13
6	Off	2	Off	3	Off	4	5	14
7	Off	3	Off	3	Off	4	4	14
8	Off	3	Off	3	Off	5	4	15
9	Off	3	Off	3	Off	6	4	16
10	Off	3	Off	3	Off	6	6	18
11	Off	3	Off	4	Off	8	6	21
12	Off	4	Off	4	Off	8	6	22
13	Off	4	Off	4	Off	8	6	22
14	Off	4	Off	4	Off	8	6	22
15	Off	4	Off	4	Off	Off EAT CARBS * EAT CARBS	13.1

We all have 5k,10k, Marathon, Triathlon – Sprint/Olympic and Ironman 70.3 Training Programs.

Triathlon Training will start in January for those interested, but during the winter season it’s best to start getting your gear!

Multiple Sclerosis 2008 Fundraising Cause

admin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:44:21 +0000

THANK YOU!!…This note is way over due and I appologize for not sending a thank you note last month for your kind contribution and/or support for the fund raising we took on this year. Over the course of four months, I not only challenged you, but I also challenged myself to a commitment of fund raising and fitness for those who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. No, I don’t know anybody personnally who has it, but I figure why wait until I do and why not help now since I/You have the opportunity to do so right. Through this journey, I learned that two friends have a close relative that has MS, so guess what? They became my focus for raising money and accomplishing the goal even more.

The goal was simple:
1. Bring awarness about MS and the century ride event: I did that by having fund raising events at work, at the gym and doing outside activities. I also asked family, friends and corporate donors to help particpate.	Freedom Communication Fund Raiser event.
2. Be a top money raiser for the “Energy One” MS team. Though my goal was to be the top level fund raiser, I came in 3rd out of 23 team participants. The result: $1,573 contributions were made and overall, the team raised 13k!!!	Team Energy One
3. Do a 70.3 Ironman Race – I successfully completed the Texas – Longhorn 70.3 Ironman race in exactly 7:30 (exactly). For the record, I beat two professionals. The first didn’t finish because his bike broke down and the other pro got a blister during the run…losers! Also, to prepare for this race, I partcipate in two other Triathlon events: Carlsbad and Camp Pendleton (Sprint races)	Huffing and Puffing Carlsbad Triathlon
4. The week after the Ironman Race – Cycle the MS Century Ride (100 Mile Bike Ride) – Done!
5. After the MS Century Race (following day) – Cycle the 26.2 Long Beach Marathon Course in less than 1h:30m – Done (1h:23m).	LONG BEACH HALF MARATHON Left to Right: Carmen, me, Connie, Mike & my dearest sis and biggest fan: Mayita. The two friends that always kick my butt: Beth and Tammy.
I can’t thank you enough for your contribution and believe me that without your support, there was no way to accomplish all these activities. You made a difference and I’m sure that the people that receive the funds for this cause are thanking you as well. Next year, I’ll be at it again, however, I’m going to help raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In turn, I decided to raise the bar a little more by signing up for two 70.3 Ironman races (Vineman, in Napa and Brazil) - Hope you can join me, they are a lot of fun. Francisco.	INSPIRATIONAL MOMENTS IN IRONMAN When things go wrong, as they sometimes will; When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill; When the funds are low, and the debts are high And you want to smile, but have to sigh; When care is pressing you down a bit- Rest if you must, but do not quit. Success is failure turned inside out; The silver tint of the clouds of doubt; And you can never tell how close you are It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit- It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit. “Don’t Quit,” Author Unknown

Leadership, Career and Life Success

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:24:40 +0000

On July 8, 2008 I attended a career seminar hosted by the Project Management Institute – Orange County Chapter. The speaker for the evening was Mr. John McKee - a Career and Life Success Coach.

Mr. McKee is well known in the community of coaching and mentoring. His presentation at the event was titled Leadership, Career and Life Success. Mr. MckKee stressed that the leadership books that are being published today revolved around the same principles he has been teaching for the past 12 years. “Today’s books adjust to the modern verbiage and trends, however the concepts have not changed.” stated Mr. McKee.

At the event, Mr. McKee shared the following 12 leadership characteristics:

They live their lives with a thought of being “On Purpose”
They help others to succeed and become better individuals by:
1. Mentoring
2. Training
3. Challenging them
4. and Modeling for them.
The get results
1. Over coming odds, the usually beat and exceed expectations
They give back io the community
1. Volunteer and support non-profits
They excel in difficult environments and they make their own success
They are great listeners to everyone (e.g. customers, employees, competitors.
They make tough decisions
1. When action is required, its taken
2. They admin mistakes and correct them immediately.
They are honest and ethical
1. “what goes around comes around”
They understand the difference between power and force.
They don’t need all the recognition all the time.
They continually upgrade their skills.
They have a clear actionable plan for thier life.

In addition to these characteristics, Mr. McKee pointed the difference between Success vs. being Satisfied with your life and the way to distinguish between the two is simply how you balance the following aspects of your life:

Career
Personal and Family
Financial

Other Notes taken from the seminar:

Great leaders exhibit great calm.
There is always more time than what it seems.
Focus on the reality not what you hear or they tell you.
Take nothing for granted.
The world is becoming smaller more so you can expect change more frequently.
Market share will spread out throughout the world so your job will most likely be taken by somebody else.

In Progress…

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:23:09 +0000

This section is still in progress, however, I found some pretty good stuff from Dr. David Hartl

USE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.

Help people get what they need to know in ways that suit their different styles and that are appropriate for different situations. (e.g. Extraverts like meetings; introverts like one-on-one sessions. For people who want “just the facts,” a brief informative announcement may be enough. Others may like to have the mission and values that lie behind a project explained so they can “get a feel” for the situation.

A memo is good for simple transmission of data (schedules, etc.); telephone conferencing may be necessary for interaction and input.) Avoid painting everyone with the same brush when communicating with the organization. Take into account differences in their states of mind, information, personal styles, etc. Especially avoid criticizing the whole organization because of the attitude or performance of only a few. Instead, remind people repeatedly of the goals, encourage them to overcome difficulties, and be generous with news of achievements.

One rule-of-thumb about communication, however, that does apply to all is that positive communication works better than negative communication in empowering others. Keep telling them how good they are!