1. The Human Factor of Project Management Seminar #36: Thursday, 8 November - 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 7 PDU; 0.7 CEU

2. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.2 Agenda Introductions Insight Into Project Management Trends Looking Inward First The Human Factor Influencers Paths One Must Take Examples & Specifics 3. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.3 A Thought Creative Thinking 1. Purge: Dispose of old prejudices, procedures and presuppositions that could and do constrict your thinking. 2. Prod: Attack challenges in ways that force you to consider new solutions and new courses of action. 3. Precipitate All of a sudden, out of nowhere, out drops something wild because we're thinking differently. Guy Kawasaki 4. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.4 Another Thought All things are created twice: first mentally; then physically. The key to creativity is to begin with the end in mind, with a vision and a blueprint of desired results. Stephen Covey 5. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.5 Insight Into Your Sherpas Kim Resch Extensive Experience in Debit, Credit, and Smart Cards, Mobile Commerce, Loyalty and Incentives. Practical Experience in new product launches including Amex Blue and smart Visa. Specializes in project strategy, project management, implementations, and training in the emerging areas of commerce. Dave Carrithers 20 years experience in semiconductor, chemicals, consumer products, incentives, stored-value & debit cards, development Marketing, IT, Sales, NBD, Operations Focus on product, business & market development 6. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.6 Insight Into The Group Majority of projects managed are technology based, also includes new products On average most manage between 1 and 8 projects, with others manage more than 20 Most have teams ranging from 5 to 10 people Equal on projects completed on time & budget and those on time but over budget/ never on time and/ or on budget We have babysitters, rodeo riders, masters and coaches Most have between 4 and 10 years PM experience 7. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.7 Insight Into The Group Most are impacted in crisis times and budget tightening Most use specific PM software, a few have company wide platforms We have cats, cheetahs, Flipper, lion, sheep herding dog, the Predator, Beaver A 50/50 split on management supporting PM Most received formal training 50/50 split on being in a play and sitting on a beach Most budgetary control comes from upper management or elsewhere (a few actually have control) Next five years: intergroup coordination will be a challenge; being asked to work faster with lower budgets; constant education to whole organization why PM is important; employee development; convincing customers that PM is necessary. 8. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.8 Insight Into The Group Majority do not have a PM mission statement Most offer some type of incentive Top business problems: Cost overruns Schedule delays Increasing margins and competition with flat sales Scope creep Resource shortages Getting priorities of project from upper management Conflict juggling Priorities & communications Factoring technology into the business decision process Sticking with a direction more than a week WTC on 9-11 has impacted retail & entertainment business Revenue generation & utilization of technology resources 9. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.9 Insight Into The Group Favorite Quotes: Plans get you into things, but you got to work your way out Will Rogers It its got to be done, do it and be done with it Dont spend too much time fretting over things you cant control. Excuses, excuses, excuses This company didnt hire me to make friends. Leaders dont create followers, they create more leaders. Tom Peters Never reduce your dreams to the size of the box you are in. 10. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.10 The Goal Of This Journey Project management requires tools, processes and analytics to successfully operate. But these elements only show half the picture. The most critical element of successful project management and execution is what we call the human factor looking beyond the steps, the tools, the technology to what motivates and drives proper project management performance. In this seminar we will look at how to drive better communications, better requirements gathering and definition, and improved project results, as well as look at how to modify poor project management behavior, the application of incentives in driving project results, team building and milestone celebration. All projects consist of people with needs, wants, desires, issues and time constraints. How can you impact the human factor to improve the results of any project? 11. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.11 What I Heard Coaching & team skills Help selling PM to corporate management Ability to motivate others Deal with people who do not share the same ideas Relationships between project members How to get humans to follow a PM process Achieve buy-in from the team How to work with difficult people on projects Insight into the human side of work 12. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.12 Project Management Time Resources 13. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.13 A Meeting Thought Project management is no accident. It is all about planning & strategy to allow the chaos of creative and individualism to operate within a defined and developed business process. Successful PM doesnt just happen. The good of the one outweighs the good of the many 14. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.14 Today We Will Explore The unseen elements that impact project success The unsaid elements that impact life & sanity when heading up a project The human factors that give projects life or death The Fine Print: for today to be a worthwhile investment everyone must share, be involved and think! 15. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.15 How It Feels Sometimes 6 phases of a project 1. Enthusiasm 2. Disillusionment 3. Panic 4. Search for the Guilty 5. Punishment of the Innocent 6. Praise and Honors for the Non- Participants 16. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.16 In Simple Terms Processes Formats Requirements Project Software Gantt Charts Resource Scheduling Schedules Certificates Budgets Successful Project Management Is More Than: It Is: Leadership Of Ideas Focused On A Cause! 17. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.17 Warm Up - Famous Faces You will have a picture of a famous person placed on your back Your task is to ask questions of others in the room that will help you guess the name of the person you have stuck to your back One at a time turn around and show your picture One closed question at a time The group answers only in Yes/No Keep going until everyone guesses 18. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.18 Share Observations - Famous Faces What kind of questions were most helpful in getting the information? What kind of questions could be more helpful to quickly find out the answers? How did different participants solve the problem of finding out the name on their back? Did anyone feel threatened by this exercise and if so, why? 19. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.19 Challenging Thoughts Could all the tactics of project management get in the way of what is required to make a project succeed? Could you be doing everything that is trained in project management and still miss the mark? Could you be impacting the lives of those on your team and not realize the cost in human spirit? 20. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.20 A Few Questions? How many of the companies represented here have The word project management in their mission statement? Project management skills as a requirement in performance reviews? A company wide project management process and approach used by every area (i.e. marketing, sales, etc.)? How many people in the room feel their management understands the value of project management - truly gets it? 21. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.21 A Few More Questions? How many of you in this room look at your role as a leader? How many people take the time when starting out a project to sit down one-on-one with each team member to review the mission, objectives and desired results? And with the team members management? How many take the time to convert the project from the actions at hand to the business value? How many of you feel you have total control of your project, from start to finish? 22. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.22 Look Inward & What Do You Find? How would you describe yourself? A leader? A risk taker? A coach? A teacher? A business person? A facilitator? A judge? 23. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.23 A Time To Share Worst & horrible moment in project management Most memorable & proud moment in project management 24. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.24 Lesson Of The Red Suit All people, no matter age, race or history have basic wants & needs Adults are the children they were When we have a beard & costume to hide behind we let our humanity come though Sometimes, listening is more important than delivering 25. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.25 Insights General: A research study done by the Standish Group of over 300 IT managers and their projects. In the United States, companies spend more than $250 billion on IT application development of approximately 175,000 projects. The average cost of a development project for a large company is $2,322,000; for a medium company, it is $1,331,000; and for a small company, it is $434,000. A great many of these projects will fail. General: Additional research shows a staggering 31.1% of projects will be canceled before they ever get completed. Further results indicate 52.7% of projects will cost 189% of their original estimates. The cost of these failures and overruns are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The lost opportunity costs are not measurable, but could easily be in the trillions of dollars. 26. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.26 Insights General: On the success side, the average is 16.2% for software projects that are completed on-time and on-budget. In the larger companies, the news is even worse: only 9% of their projects come in on-time and on-budget. And, even when these projects are completed, many are no more than a mere shadow of their original specification requirements. Projects completed by the largest American companies have only approximately 42% of the originally-proposed features and functions. Smaller companies do much better. A total of 78.4% of their software projects will get deployed with at least 74.2% of their original features and functions. Re-Starts: One of the major causes of both cost and time overruns is re-starts. For every 100 projects that start, there are 94 re-starts. This does not mean that 94 of 100 will have one re-start, some projects can have several re-starts. 27. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.27 Insights Cost Over Runs: Equally telling were the results for cost overruns, time overruns, and failure of the applications to provide expected features. Almost a third experienced cost overruns of 150 to 200%. The average across all companies is 189% of the original cost estimate. The average cost overrun is 178% for large companies, 182% for medium companies, and 214% for small companies. Time Overruns: For the same combined challenged and impaired projects, over one-third also experienced time overruns of 200 to 300%. The average overrun is 222% of the original time estimate. For large companies, the average is 230%; for medium companies, the average is 202%; and for small companies, the average is 239%. Content Deficiencies: Of challenged projects: more than a quarter were completed with only 25% to 49% of originally-specified features and functions. On average, only 61% of originally specified features and functions were available on these projects. Large companies have the worst record with only 42% of the features and functions in the end product. For medium companies, the percentage is 65%. And for small companies, the percentage is 74%. 28. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.28 Insights - Success/Failure Profiles Project Success Factors % of Responses 1. User Involvement 15.9% 2. Executive Management Support 13.9% 3. Clear Statement of Requirements 13.0% 4. Proper Planning 9.6% 5. Realistic Expectations 8.2% 6. Smaller Project Milestones 7.7% 7. Competent Staff 7.2% 8. Ownership 5.3% 9. Clear Vision & Objectives 2.9% 10. Hard-Working, Focused Staff 2.4% Study done by Kent State 2000 29. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.29 Insights - Success/Failure Profiles IMPACT ON PROJECT FAILURE/SUCCESS Project failure usually limited up front planning Project management as a skilled process Successful projects most attention on up front proactive planning Proactive management & strong focus on a planning methodology is key Lack of agreement on project goals or objectives Weak or problematic project team Lack of measurement system Team not capable of task Current IT infrastructure inadequate Corporate management delegated monitoring Lack of support from senior level management Escalating project cost and time for completion Study done by Kent State 2000 30. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.30 Insights - Success/Failure Profiles Businesses Say: Lack of user involvement Problems in communication Poor planning IT Staff say: Weak leadership Poorly defined objectives Poor planning Projects Fail Because Study done by Kent State 2000 31. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.31 Danger Signs Of Failure Too broad of a scope Failure to meet user needs Lack of clear business goals Too many leaders Lack of contingency plans Inadequate testing Inadequate user training Denial that the project is in trouble Study done by Kent State 2000 32. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.32 Project Turnaround Strategies Extended the schedule 85% Better project management procedures 54% Added people 53% More funds 43% Pressured suppliers by withholding payment 38% Reduce project scope 28% Used consultants 27% Better development methodologies 25% Change of technology used on project 13% Abandoning project 9% Study done by Kent State 2000 33. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.33 Insight Into Project Trends Average number of development projects worked on at one time 1-5 Projects 64% 6-10 Projects 14% 16-20 Projects 14% 20 + Projects 9% What type of development projects have you done? New Product 77% Product Enhancements 59% Technical Projects 50% Business Development 68% Market Development 55% Web Development 50% BusinessHive Study 2001 34. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.34 Insight Into Project Trends What has the biggest impact on a development effort failing? Time 55% People Resources 36% Budget/Dollars available 23% Lack of Direction 36% Lack of Support by Management 36% Other: Timing of third party delivery Lack of teamwork within a company or lack of others to see the benefits Client availability for content and approvals BusinessHive Study 2001 35. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.35 Insight Into Project Trends When implementing a development project how often is there communications with the development team? Daily 55% Weekly 41% Bi-Monthly 9% Monthly 9% Sporadically 9% Other: Whenever there is new information that must be shared. Custom Schedule based on size and complexity of project. BusinessHive Study 2001 36. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.36 Insight Into Project Trends Biggest frustrations with projects? Too many projects Not enough time to get everything done Lack of understanding of why something is being done Upper management non-involvement Too many meetings Too many leaders Frequent direction changes Lack of support by management BusinessHive Study 2001 37. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.37 Either Be Comfortable Or Productive Level Of Anxiety TeamPerformance Complacency = Boredom/Apathy Creative Tension = Excitement Terror = Flight or Catatonia Managing Creativity, by Donna Shirley 38. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.38 What Does This All Mean? What can we learn from the statistics & numbers? What words did we see and understand? Language gives hints to what is important. When people think project management do they think: Fun, creativity, exploration, get excited about???? 39. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.39 The First Realization Successful project management requires leadership. When humans go into conflict, big undertakings, challenges with a diverse group they want to be lead. Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence - Bernard Montgomery, Field Marshal 40. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.40 Let Me Share A Story Sir Ernest Shackletons British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 to 1916 with the goal of accomplishing the first crossing of the Antarctic continent, a feat he considered to be the last great polar journey of the "Heroic Age of Exploration." In December 1914, Shackleton set sail with his 27-man crew, many of whom, it is said, had responded to the following recruitment notice: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton." 41. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.41 Let Me Share A Story Endurance crew spent 2 years in the Artic circle and on the ice Shackleton said all of them would get home They were experienced polar explorers They accomplished the unheard of: Survived the sinking of their ship Minimal food stores Sailing the most dangerous seas on the planet Crossing an uncharted mountain range 42. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.42 How? Shackletons Leadership 1. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives. 2. Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors. 3. Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality. 4. Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt. 5. Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are onewe live or die together." 6. Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect. 7. Master conflictdeal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles. 8. Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about. 9. Be willing to take the Big Risk. 10.Never give upthere's always another move. Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition 43. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.43 Break Time Thoughts Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should head the list. - John Maxwell Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they dont quit. - Conrad Hilton 44. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.44 Trust Me Where does trust belong in project management? What are examples of how we trust others to guide us when we are unsure or trying new things and/or when we must move out of our comfort zones to achieve our goals? Building a bond between the project leader and the team is critical. 45. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.45 Im Here To Tell You It is not going to be the technology It is not going to be the project It is not doing to be the tools It is not going to be the management You are the single most critical element to successful outcomes on projects U 46. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.46 The Business World Today Creates leadership vacuums: Consensus management Group think Political correctness The tallest blade gets cut first Fear of risk No one teaches these points they are learned! 47. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.47 Project Management Shouldn't Be 48. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.48 Project Management Could Be 49. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.49 Human Factor = Successful Projects 1. Leadership 2. Selling & handling management 3. Building & knowing the team 4. Personal communications 5. Converting mountains into mole hills 6. Pink Submarines resource requisition 7. Spirit through recognition & incentives 8. Velocity & vision 50. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.50 Process & People Kim Resch Using The Human Factor To Launch Products A sharing of experiences & discussion 51. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.51 Human Factor = Selling Management 1. The larger the project the more management support is needed 2. Get and keep management involved in the right projects at the right time dont wear out your welcome 3. First thing, gain the clear understanding of the managers highest level goals and desires 4. On a regular basis meet one-on-one with management to up- date and ask for support 5. Meet with, face-to-face, each manager of each person assigned to the project gain commitment 6. When priorities shift re-commit with all levels of management 7. Gain outward signs of approval & support from management 52. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.52 Human Factor = The Team 1. Get to know each person on your team, including personal likes, interests, etc. & share about yourself too 2. Get buy-in sell hard when necessary 3. Trust the people on your team and show them you trust them 4. Give them a chance to shine and get recognition relinquishing power 5. Define their strengths & weaknesses 6. Spend time explaining the importance of the project to the bigger picture 7. Write thank-you notes and take time to have a snack/lunch with the team 8. Go out of your way to care and be personal 9. Never let family or the individual come second 10. And at the same time, push them through example and challenge them beyond what they think they can do 53. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.53 Human Factor = Communications 1. After leadership the second most important role you will play 2. Watch for issues, build-up and possible explosions only way to know is via talking, seeing and sharing 3. E-mail is the scourge of proper and effective communications great for documentation, horrible for getting the right out- come 4. Communicate often with the key team members and (on larger or fast projects, do so every day), with the larger circle of members at minimum weekly 5. Utilize all forms of communications 6. Involve upper management in formal & relaxed moments 7. Restate the mission, goals, business impact, etc. 8. At start of program develop a scope document that includes the business value and the why it is important 9. Handwrite thank-you notes along the way 54. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.54 To Build A Team A little experiment: We will divide into teams Building a separate part of a larger item You will receive instructions You will receive materials As a group try and figure out what the bigger thing is Afterward we will share what as been learned 55. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.55 Human Factor = Converting 1. Obstacle remover 2. Work the team to bring expectations into alignment 3. Shut down gossip and trash-talk 4. Address problems head on first to the immediate person then go up the chain 5. Clarify, define and bring into prospective 6. Feel the pain, but move beyond to the result generate a positive outcome 7. When a person is blocking the projects success, after attempts to correct the behavior, have them removed nothing and no one is untouchable 8. Keep the mission visible and the end result alive 9. Dont let scope creep & fix all the ills of the business, change the projects desired result 56. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.56 Human Factor = Pink Submarines 1. Your job is to find the necessary resources, tools, training and support for the project 2. People are shy about asking for help (and most of the time reserved in offering it) get out and drum up the support 3. Be creative with problem solving 4. Trade with, barter with 57. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.57 Human Factor = Spirit 1. Utilize recognition & incentives 2. Non-cash rewards are better 3. Both team and individual rewards & recognition 4. Reward for each milestone or important result 5. Say thank you, in writing and in group settings 6. Hold up performers 7. Hold a kick-off meeting followed up with an activity 8. Reward positive behaviors openly, handle poor behaviors privately and one-on-one (use as a learning experience) 9. Get management to stop by performing individuals cubes/offices or meetings to say I heard and wanted to say 10. Create performance legends & stories 11. The positive spirit begins with you 58. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.58 Human Factor = Spirit The moment people in an organization are recognized, they will act to get recognition. The moment they realize that the organization rewards for the right behavior, they will accept it. Peter Drucker WSJ Positive, Immediate and Certain Change requires a motivator - what gets rewarded gets done Awards need to have meaning and be beyond the living basics Cash is limited in promotion value, long-term remembrance and excitement 59. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.59 Human Factor = Spirit 60. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.60 Human Factor = Spirit Have a strategy for reinforcing the new behaviors that align with your new work design - Creating a successful team structure requires changes in behavior for everyone. Identifying the desired behaviors, and reinforcing them immediately, will bring about a smoother change. Use a demand-pull model for motivating employees - The specific, team-supportive behaviors expected from employees should be clearly communicated. As team members and leaders begin to use these behaviors and become more self- directed, they should be given more control and more freedom to act, make decisions, gain autonomy, get access to reward/celebration funds, etc. With this approach, teams are motivated to move forward, receive more training, and excel within the team system. Reference: Daniels, Aubrey. Bringing Out the Best in People 61. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.61 Human Factor = Spirit Make the criteria for receiving reinforcement and rewards clear and achievable - The more unclear contingencies for rewards are, the more confusion and skepticism employees will exhibit. Reward and reinforce individual efforts as well as team performance - Individual recognition is important, but use it to reinforce a members contribution to the team. Empower teams gradually and systematically - turn over responsibilities such as self-management and decision making, only when team members are ready, and initially provide a limited scope for them. Handing over complete empowerment immediately, especially when employees are not used to it, can be disruptive and counter productive. Reference: Daniels, Aubrey. Bringing Out the Best in People 62. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.62 Human Factor = Velocity 1. Determine upfront how much or little the specific project requires - the tools, tracking and formal processes 2. Create a vision the team can believe in, including how fast and why 3. Create a sense of urgency and action (if it can be done now then do it) 4. Important means speed velocity only comes with a clear understanding of where you started and where you are going 5. Make it real, make it tangible 6. The pace of the leader sets the pace of the pack! 63. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.63 A Quick Story U.S. Navy Cmdr. Mike Abrashoff took the worst ship in the Navy and transformed it into the top ship in the Pacific Fleet. In 1997, Abrashoff, a well-decorated officer, was assigned command of the USS Benfold, a ship with a $60 million budget and a crew of 300. Under his people-first leadership, crew retention increased from 28 to 100 percent, the ship achieved best-ever results in every competitive category, and it consistently operated at 75 percent of budget, returning millions to U.S. taxpayers. To cap off Abrashoff's success, the Benfold won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for the best ship in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet. 64. November 8, 2001 2001 - 2004 BusinessHive. All rights reserved.64 A Few Thoughts Killer Bes Be brave! Be bold! Be adventurous! Be courageous! Be persistent! The best way to predict your future is to create it!