Finish Before You Start

Marita Bushell died last year. She was my second boss in terms of being a project leader, and with her and through her I learned essential basics of project management. Not enough, as it turned out in later years.

One of ICL(UK)’s dictums was that one should deal with one’s existing clients before taking on new clients. This tied in with another dictum Never Make a Promise or a Threat You’re Not Prepared to Keep , which I had to learn by painful emotional experience.

The advice is sound. I should always look after any exiting clients before chasing or opening new ones.

There is no illegality in telling a contact “I can’t start on it before December”; rarity makes me look good.

Issuing text such as “I must admit, my single-minded focus is both my strength and my weakness; I was working through a nice size project last week …” is risky at best. . The rest of the phrase is valid, legal and sound, but the message conveyed is “I was busy paying attention to someone more important than you.

I am reminded of all this by staring into my refrigerator this morning.

A good friend is off on a 2-week cruise of the Caribbean, and I am the lucky recipient of scads of frozen and chilled food that she doesn’t want to find in HER refrigerator when she returns.

Great! I get to eat things I’d never dream of buying, and don’t have to cook for at least ten days.

And there’s the problem.

I love cooking.

I will have to steel myself NOT to cook, but to consume what are essentially left-overs for ten days.

It is a sound business practice!

Talk to Me !