Amazing Colleagues

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Project Management Institute, the "world's leading organization for the project management profession". I recently returned from the Leadership Institute Masters Class 2010 and the North American Leadership Meeting, two events in Orlando Florida which preceeded the North American Congress. I've personally reached the 9 year mark of volunteering with the Institute and had an opportunity to reflect on the amazing colleagues I have within the organization.

The LIMC 2010 is comprised of 23 leaders from 7 countries (10+ if you count country of origin, rather than residence) over 5 continents. This is perhaps one of the most distinguished groups of project executives and directors, board members, authors, and speakers that I have ever had the privilege working with. Our facilitation included studies of leadership styles, strengths, trusted relationships, and building sustainable organizations.

The Leadership Institute Meeting was attended by more than 720 leaders from 38 countries. These are just a fraction of the 5,000 volunteer leaders worldwide that interact with the 305,000+ members (from 180+ countries) and over half a million stakeholders from an estimated market of 16 million project management practitioners. The keynote and closing speaker was Dr. Gary Bradt, author of The Ring in the Rubble". Paricipants had an opportunity to learn and share in three tracks - Association Governance, Institutional Knowledge, and Individual Leadership Development. I had the opportunity to facilitate a governance session on external relationships and later, with co-presenter Richard Polendey from Honolulu, offered leaders a way for "Governance Made Easy" through operational tools and templates.

Throughout the next year, I will be working with the LIMC 2010 group and my learning group. There is a physical meeting in Scottsdale in April and our final meeting and graduation will be in Washington DC next October. My learning group team is considering developing a presentation on transitioning an operational board of directors to a strategic board of a sustainable community. I'm looking forward to the path ahead.

If you would like amazing colleagues too, then visit the Project Management Institute and consider volunteering.