As I listen to the 7 year old podcast episode (#5) from Cesar Abeid, PMP‘s PM for the Masses, I’m happy to see Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM is still going strong with his PM prep company OSP INTERNATIONAL LLC.

You see, as I dive into learning about being a PM, most of the material I find is quite aged. Many of the podcasts, blogs, and websites, date back 10+ years. Sometimes the interviewees have retired, left PM’ing, or simply vanished off the internet. However, when they are present like that of Cornelius, their words of wisdom shine all that much more.

If you’re a PM write…just get started. – Cornelius Fichtner

I started this blog as a means to learn more about rhetoric, but as I’ve transitioned into a role and career set on Project Management, I’ve found that writing helps me learn more about my new role.

So, I’m already following some great advice and writing!

Goals have been a big talk for me as of late. My 2 year review was last week and my COO Andy asked me “What personal goals do you want to set for yourself?”. He suggested networking. Getting out and meeting other PM’s would be a great way for me to learn more about the PM community.

Being a PM requires soft skills – Cornelius Fichtner

While rhetoric is the embodiment of “soft skills”, I’d like to dive in more. I want to make others excited. I want them to feel safe and encouraged. I want them to get to the end of a project, blog or portal in hand, and feel a sense of “wow!”.

Servant Leader – “Deliver Projects that make people happy” – Cornelius Fichtner

When I heard that, I identified greatly. It’s never mattered too much to “what” I was doing as long as it was purposeful and positive. I could lead a project over the finish line, but if everyone hates it and thinks less of me as a result, then what’s the point?

There isn’t one.

So, I’ll continue on with my writing, learning, and positivity. Maybe, in ten years from now, there will be some fresh PM that reads my blog and is happy that I’m doing well. For now, these weekly posts will just have to be good enough to get started. As for my goals, I’ll look more into PMP or Scrum Master training. Who knows, I may have more letters coming after my name in the future yet!

I’ll keep this post short as I’ve got some projects to tend to, but I hope you still found something to add to your everyday rhetoric repertoire. If you’re like me, new to PM, then take Cornelius’ advice and “just start”, “write”, and “make people happy”. There’s bound to be a wonderful learning experience in there somewhere.

Until next time, thank you for reading.