Testimonials and Endorsements
We can now buy almost any car and expect it to work perfectly from the start – very different from a few decades ago. So why not aspire for a world in which every project succeeds? That involves organisational change and improved processes and systems, but primarily it is about people – their attitudes, behaviours and relationships. Project management professionals are already driving this cultural shift. This book, by an eminent practitioner of both Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Project Management, makes a valuable contribution by marrying the two fields to reinforce our understanding of how people can maximise their effectiveness in managing and responding to change. It provides interesting and useful insights for those at all stages in their career development. I am pleased to recommend it.
Mike NicholsChairman, Association for Project Management Board Member, Major Projects Association Chairman of BSI Standards Policy and Strategy Committee Chairman, The Nichols Group
In the world of project assurance we look at two things to gain confidence that projects will be successful: processes and people. There is ample guidance for the processes bit but until recently precious little about the people. This book is a significant contribution to a limited genre of literature that aims to help people develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to increase the chances of project success’
Roy Millard FAPMSenior Audit Manager – Projects, Transport for London Chairman of the APM Special Interest Group for Assurance
Project failures, whether in terms of delivery or benefits realisation, continue to grab the headlines and there is a widely held perception that the project management profession does not learn from its mistakes. Methodologies and processes are clearly part of the answer, but we also need to address the people dimension of project and programme management, and this means looking beyond traditional approaches premised on the rational economic man paradigm of incentives and sanctions. Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with such approaches, apart from the fact they don’t work! They may be necessary, but are rarely sufficient – the difference that makes the difference is to apply approaches that engage people in terms that tap into their creativity and desire to contribute to a worthwhile cause. This is where NLP, and this book in particular, is key. Read it, apply it and not only will it make you a more effective project manager, it will also ensure the projects you are engaged in are more successful.
Steve Jenner FAPM
One of the main reasons for projects of all sizes failing to deliver is the project manager’s lack of soft skills for managing people. In this book Peter helps you to develop the skills in dealing with team members and stakeholders that are essential to be a successful project manager.
David LillicrapDavid LillicrapHead of Programme Management, London Borough of Ealing
Project Managers need a range of hard and soft skills to drive project management processes to deliver successfully. I am clear that using associated PPM tools and applying learning is not enough on its own. Peter’s book brings analysis, insight and valuable pointers to improving those very important soft skills such as building rapport with stakeholders, handling difficult situations and being assertive. I recommend Peter’s book, read it and help improve both your personal performance and your team’s performance.
Paul HirstHead of PPM capability, HMRC
Projects don’t manage themselves, so we need project managers. And the softer ‘people’ skills that help to communicate and deliver results through project activities are already essential managerial competencies. This invaluable book provides a fascinating insight into how NLP can help people to deliver better projects, written by someone with a wealth of project and management experiences to draw from.
Dr Brendan D’Cruz (Registered Project Professional)Head of Department at University of Wales, Newport Committee Member of the BCS Project Management Specialist Group (PROMS-G) Committee Member of the APM Education Network Advisory Group (ENAG)
Even in IT projects, soft skills are very important and Peter, a well respected author and speaker, has shared his insight on this resulting in an extremely useful guide on behavioural competences.
Funmi Adeusi
To be effective, project managers must learn the language of the boardroom. Peter and this book will help you to do that.
Neville BainChairman of the Institute of DirectorsAuthor of ‘The effective Board’, ‘The effective Director’, ‘The people advantage’, ‘Winning ways through corporate governance’, and ‘Successful Management’
Peter has done a great job outlining 1) Project Management, 2) NLP, and 3) How NLP can enable a step change improvement when managing projects. However I think the book deserves a wider readership. Much of business today is about managing projects, and with it change. I’d recommend the book to any manager or director involved in change. Which I suspect is most of us.
Michael Beale NLP trainer and Coach
Change is the only constant’ is a well known phrase and clearly evident within progressive organisations today. NLP should be an integral accessory to the overall project, programme and portfolio managers toolkit and this book, authored by a respected practitioner, provides useful and clearly articulated comparisons between the various methodologies assisting the reader to be better prepared and able to use the right tool at the right time for their given role.
Russel Jamieson FAPM
Peter has done a great job outlining 1) Project Management, 2) NLP, and 3) How NLP can enable a step change improvement when managing projects. However I think the book deserves a wider readership. Much of business today is about managing projects, and with it change. I’d recommend the book to any manager or director involved in change. Which I suspect is most of us.