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Finding YOU

After a long day of work, you sit back and think of everything you accomplished. You fed the kids, got them to school and activities and even helped them with their homework. You are a great parent!

You helped your partner cook and clean. Even took the time to talk to them about their day and any rough times they had. You are a great partner!

Your boss sent you a bonus check and announced how awesome you did on that account project you finally closed after months of hard work. You are a great employee!

So why are you unhappy and feel stuck or lost? Let’s look back at the prior thoughts. Great parent, partner, and employee. What could possibly be missing? What happened to being a great you?  Often, we get stuck focusing on the roles we play, parent/partner/employee, and forget about the person behind the role. We get this idea if we successfully completed these tasks, we are successful and thus happy… right?

Make a list of you.

Stop and take some time to write a list, on paper or digital, of the things that make you, you. Go ahead and take just 5 minutes and do that now with a few of the below suggestions.

  • Twenty activities you enjoy, big or small.
  • What makes you relax or how you reward yourself.
  • What interests you have, even if it is just a favorite color or that amazing hat you saw last week on Pinterest.

 OK. List in hand. Now read through the list and see how many you have done in the last day. How about week? Month? If you haven’t done at least one every other day, you might have found part of the problem. Not taking the time for yourself can result in a loss of who we are as a person.

Put yourself first.

Reviewing the list again, plan in just one item, every other day. It could be having a quiet cup of tea in the morning, or a short break while working to walk outside for 5 minutes. Even wearing that hat that doesn’t really match anything but makes you feel good. What it is doesn’t matter, only that it means something to you. Continue for just two weeks then take the time to reflect. How do you feel now? As you change, be willing to revise the list or toss it out and re-create it. Doing so is a great way to learn more about yourself and find what makes you, you.

Letter From the Board Chair - December 2023

Dear PMI Phoenix Chapter Members, 

Happy holidays! Since last I wrote, we were selected by PMI as Chapter of the Year in Category III (>1500 members)! That’s out of the 300 PMI Chapters around the world! I am honored to be part of this incredible Chapter. The PMI Chapter of the Year Awards program recognizes and celebrates those chapters that have made significant contributions to members, the project management profession, and Project Management Institute. Our Chapter builds opportunities for all our members to engage, learn, grow, network, give back, and support each other in our project management journey. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. It is all of us together that has made this a truly special Chapter that PMI has recognized.  

Help me welcome Heather Cardosi, Aaron Jang, and Sean Ryan to our Board of Directors. These three outstanding individuals have committed their time and energy to our Chapter to help support the vision and mission and ensure we continue to execute our strategic objectives to continue to carry our chapter forward. 

I want to once again thank our corporate partner, Nextiva, for providing space in their beautiful training facility for the PMI Phoenix Board of Directors to meet during day-long strategy sessions. Their hospitality and partnership have been invaluable to allow us to plan and move forward on many initiatives this past year. 

As I look back over 2023, our Chapter has held many programs and events: 

Our monthly virtual breakfast meeting, hosted by Paul Bartal, on the last Friday of each month (with adjustments for holidays) is regularly attended by 100+ participants. The breakfast meetings are speaker events to address current topics and trends in project management, but so much more: They provide a forum for networking, recognition of certification achievement, and a place to share if they are looking for jobs or have jobs opportunities to fill. It’s a community of project managers and project management professionals coming together to network and grow. 
We’ve launched monthly Phoenix Fusion Networking for new members to join and connect with existing chapter members. These lively evening events are rotated around the valley in different locations, and are designed for those who've recently joined, those who've been with us for a while, and those curious about our community. These new events average 40-50 attendees each month. 
Our Social Good Team just completed a full year of events, with five events this year. In addition, during our 45th Anniversary Celebration picnic the Social Good Team organized building hygiene kits to distribute to local non-profit groups serving the homeless. 
The PMI Phoenix Chapter participates in two collaborative chapter meeting programs that bring different content and viewpoints outside the Phoenix Metro Area:  
We are in our third year of participating in the PMI Chapter Xchange Program and were only the second US-based chapter when we entered the program. The PMI Chapter Xchange has grown to include 26 chapters and provides a unique, diverse, and worldview experience to our chapter members.  
We began collaborating with the PMI Los Angeles multi-chapter meetings in 2022. These meetings currently include eight chapters and are offered monthly to our members. These meetings offer differing regional views and are very popular with members who travel between chapter cities. 
Watch our newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn, and website for details on all these programs and events, along with much more. If you are interested in volunteering, click here. 

To stay up to date on everything your membership provides you, keep an eye on our monthly calendar, as we add new speakers and events throughout the month. 

Thank you for joining the PMI Phoenix Chapter. You are a valued member, and I want you to get as much benefit from your membership as you can.  

Stephanie Hanko 

2023 PMI Phoenix Chapter Board Chair

Volunteer Spotlight August 2023 - Brendan Elliott

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Brendan grew up in Arizona, he graduated from Collins College in Tempe with a BA in Film and HDTV, after which he had an existing 15-year journey as a producer- shooting, producing and delivering films and content. His interest in Project Management was kindled during a lunch and learn session about PMO’s and how the PMO’s work – he was intrigued and spoke with the VP of PMO who said start here , and gave him a book - “Effective Project Management" by Robert Wysocki,  , he really liked the book and the Project Management space and got his PMP a year later. He accepted his first job as a marketing project manager with a construction company where he manages multiple projects, within the marketing department of about ~18+ people. His work involves managing projects for marketing of various construction equipment and other materials. He is now expanding in process and workflow streamlining with the senior executives like CEO, COO within his organization.

When asked about challenges he faced when he moved into the PM role – he says the key challenges were about getting into the field and learning the lingo which team members speak (what we called the PM Jargon!)  which he found quite new and challenging as his professional background had been mainly in film and content production till now, but once he learned the vocabulary it became so much easier to connect and march ahead in the existing realm of Project Management.

He really enjoys solving problems using processes and workflows. He loves creating solutions to problems, like simplification of a complex task and process or improving the efficiency of repetitive processes in a team’s day to day work.

He became a PMI Phoenix chapter volunteer during summer of 2023 , as he was seeking avenues to learn and experience new professional connections and was looking for networking opportunities , so he decided to apply and got the volunteer role in the marketing team , he got through the interview process with Cynthia Ford , who helped him explain the exciting opportunity and volunteer position . His key volunteer assignment was to organize the 45th anniversary celebration, which he projects managed – including aspects like the organization of the event, staffing and marketing amongst other activities. He loved the connection, experience, and camaraderie which came from managing the big event. It was a successful event, and everyone had a blast. As he was managing that project, he was connected with Danielle Lee, the marketing board member, who was looking for some help on her team – and he eventually ended up getting the role of Marketing Director in Danielle’s team.

His advice to new members is that volunteering is a great opportunity to learn other disciplines and aspects within Project Management, you can dip your toes in marketing, events, social good, accounting and will provide you flavor of each of these aspects. PMI is always looks for great people to volunteer! but also about finance, marketing, organization, event management and will provide you flavor of each of these aspects.

On the personal front, he has a fiancé, 4 dogs, and 2 birds! He also loves playing ice hockey - He says “Yes!  there is hockey in the desert.”  

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Home Alone for the Holidays!

 

The thought of being alone during the holiday season often brings to mind a sense of isolation and sadness but it doesn't have to. Whether you're alone for personal choice or life has hit some bumps along the way, there are ways to help you navigate the holiday hazards, and maybe even enjoy a few of them. 

 

Accept the facts.

Avoiding the facts won't help but setting some expectations for yourself can go a long way. If you need to tell yourself "Holidays are going to be rough, and I probably won't enjoy them, but I will make it through" then do so. Despite what all the marketing and holiday hype tells us, it is okay to hate every minute of the holiday. 1

 

Redefine your expectations.

Watching TV, shopping, even just a trip to the corner store for a gallon of milk can be an emotional roller-coaster. All around us are depictions of holiday cultural expectations. But remember, there is no ONE way to celebrate. Don't lock yourself into one set of expectations that you must meet to be happy.  

In fact, just think for a moment about all the ways people spend this time all over the world. Not all cultures involve family gatherings, presents, and similar rituals. People have found other ways to commemorate these dates. Looking at the holiday season from a different angle may help you remove the emotional pressure. Reassessing your expectations for how the season will go instead of how it should go can help.2

 

Make your own happy.

Giving your time to others can be a great way to support your local community and provide the social interaction you may not realize you need. Volunteering can make you feel good about yourself and can also help you build relationships with others. 

If you don't feel comfortable with strangers, be willing to speak up at work or school. Let people know you will be on your own during the holiday and find out if there are others who may be as well. You can adopt each other for the season and celebrate together.3 

 

Treat yourself; you matter.

Nutrition, hydration, sleep, and movement have a huge impact on your mental health. When those things go off the rails, all the negative emotions we’re already dealing with can feel even worse. When that happens, staying up on self-care feels even more impossible. It’s a hard cycle to be trapped in. To the best of your ability, try to tend to your basic needs so your cruddy holiday can at least exist on top of a sturdy foundation. It won’t fix everything, but it will help. 

Give yourself permission to buy that one thing you have wanted but didn't really need. Take yourself to the spa, sports game or a movie, whatever brings you joy. You deserve a treat too. And of course, practice a ton of self-compassion if and when these practices don’t come easily to you, or you can’t manage them on certain days.1

 

Review time.

While there are many reasons and causes for being alone during the holiday season, it can be hard and that’s okay. Be willing to redefine your expectations, and don't hesitate to reach out to others. Togetherness, through volunteering or a shared holiday celebration, will help redefine what the season means to you. Take care of yourself, body and mind, and don’t forget that special fun treat. And finally, most important, YOU matter. 

 

References

  1. "9 Self-Care Tips for Anyone Spending the Holidays Alone". Anna Borges. Self.com, December 11, 2020. <https://www.self.com/story/holidays-alone-self-care>
  1. "Reframe your expectations". PsychCentral, November 18, 2021. <https://psychcentral.com/health/spending-holidays-alone-coping-tips>
  1. "Single and Alone for the Holidays? 6 Strategies for Surviving and Even Thriving the Holidays Alone". Sally Connolly. Mentalhelp.net, December 19, 2011. <https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/single-and-alone-for-the-holidays-6-strategies-for-surviving-and-even-thriving-the-holidays-alone/> 
 

Volunteer Spotlight September 2023 - Alex Green

Alex started his professional career in healthcare in Houston as an intern, where he got to be part of a big project at a large oncology practice and interacted with Doctors, Administrators, Nurses, and other cross functional teams. This ultimately led to a job there as a Contracting and Credentialing Coordinator. He moved from Houston to Phoenix and got an opportunity with a government subcontractor in the healthcare space. There he helped the organization oversee program compliance for a national hospital patient satisfaction survey. He moved from being coordinator to a Project Manager and wanted to get the formal certification. He had a colleague who had recently got her PMP certification and helped him connect with the PMI PHX study group. He earned his PMP certification in July 2021.

The certification helped him land a new project management job with a tech start up in Scottsdale in early 2022. He credits the PMP certification for removing barriers to entry for such a role and believes it helped him to get the job he is currently at. He is grateful for the support provided by Marrisa Atkins, Bob Gates, and Conrad “Skye” Sandoval for helping him in his PMP preparation. The knowledge of budgeting, scheduling, and Agile Project Management which he learned during PMP exam preparation helped him in his new job and positioned him to stay on top of project activities.

He became a volunteer at PMI Phoenix in 2021, as he was thankful for the support he received from the organization and wanted to give back and get involved. One initiative he volunteered for was the 2023 PMI Phoenix Chapter Arizona Project Management Summit. He liked the idea of meeting and working with other project managers of all professional backgrounds to discuss timely industry topics and share and learn from each other’s experience. It was lot of work, but it was quite rewarding for Alex, and he definitely recommends other chapter members to volunteer at events like these to learn new skills and expose themselves to challenges and rewards.

He is an enthusiastic fantasy football player, a Houston Astros fan and likes traveling and weightlifting in his spare time.

He believes PM skills are relevant to any kind of goal setting, whether it’s saving for a trip or getting in shape – all goals are more likely to be obtained using some PM skills. He feels this is a fantastic way to practice PM skills daily.

 His advice for chapter members who are thinking about volunteering is “There are a myriad of opportunities throughout the chapter. Whether you have an area of expertise you are looking to work in or want to branch out and try something new, you can find what you are looking for at PMI PHX.”

His favorite destination to travel is New Orleans, as it has a great combination of food, culture, history and fun and is like Paris. According to Alex it has the best food in the country.