I'm re-sharing my custom version of Rudyard Kipling's "If" with focus on 2024 America.

I've been involved in a couple of National Special Security Events (NSSEs). To say planning for these events is challenging is an understatement. In this episode, How to Make Our Nation's Biggest Events Safer, I share insight on how Federal, State, and Local agencies can and should work together to keep each other, the public, and their public figures safer.

The Ground Rules:

• Safety above all
• No egos
• No silos
• One planning process
• One planning team
• One incident action plan (IAP)
• Hope is NOT a Plan

This episode is dedicated to Firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died shielding his family, and to David Dutch and James Copenhaver, who are recovering from their injuries.

Godspeed.

Today's episode, The Parable of the Lost Team Member, is inspired by the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15 in the Bible. While no human can ever life up to Jesus' example, we an aspire to emulate his concern and effort to take care of the one lost member of the team as much as we do about the other ninety-nine members.

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" - Luke 15

In this episode, How Project Managers Can Wield a Shepherd’s Crook, I’m sharing how Project Managers can redirect the lost flock, or stakeholders, which can become lost during projects.

The Flock:

• Scope: The Wandering Sheep
• Schedule: The Lost Sheep
• Cost: The Indecisive Sheep
• Quality: The Half-Shorn Sheep

Stay safe, keep the flock moving in one direction, and Godspeed,

Kevin

Even facing battlefield chaos, Ulysses S. Grant remained unshakable. Want that same unshakeable calm? In this episode, How to be imperturbable like Ulysses S. Grant, Kevin Pannell shares three focus areas you can practice bringing more steadiness to your stressful times. Discover how mindfulness, stoicism, and faith can help you achieve imperturbability and navigate life's challenges with greater ease.

The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 to July 3, 1863. In Leadership Lessons from the Battle of Gettysburg, I share what I learned by touring the battlefield in 2019 as part of a Staff Ride leadership development course.

Lessons include:

• Flexibility
• Indecision
• Ego
• Poor communication
• PACE Contingency Planning

Thank you for listening to this From the Archives episode. I hope the lessons I shared help you as much as they helped me shape my professional career.

This week my family and I are gathering to remember my Father's life and legacy. As I prepared myself I recalled my Father's last week on Earth. I was reminded that we don't have to be a Viking, climb a mountain, or enter a boxing match to show courage. We, as regular people can show courage every day.

In this Five-Minute Friday,

Sharing how Incident Management Team Members and Project Managers can apply the nine Viking virtues of Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, and Perseverance to fieldwork and in the board room.

Project Manager application:

• Courage -> Speaking up for the end user
• Truth -> Reporting objective project status
• Honor -> Taking ownership of team mistake
• Fidelity -> Loyalty to the team's work
• Discipline -> Working a combined process
• Hospitality -> Welcome team member feedback
• Industriousness -> Innovating and iterating your style
• Self-Reliance -> Ability to work autonomously
• Perseverance -> Pushing through the dog days of the project

Stay safe, lead like a Viking and Godspeed,

Kevin

Kevin Pannell, PMP, CSM, Prosci | Host of the Hope is NOT a Plan podcast and YouTube channel | X & IG: @hopesnotaplan | https://hopesnotaplan.org

*Originally recorded and released in May 2020*