Featured speaker at the PMI-LA Alhambra Evening Meeting – January 29, 2015 – The M3 Leadership Manifesto

Presentation Topic – The M3 Leadership Manifesto: Improving the world one project at a time through Methods, Meditations and Mindfulness

The ideology of “mindfulness” is all the rage these days in psychology, self-help and the corporate world.  As Wikipedia defines it:

“Mindfulness is ‘the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment’, which can be trained by meditational practices derived from Buddhist anapanasati… In this context mindfulness is defined as moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, characterized mainly by ‘acceptance’ – attention to thoughts and feelings without judging whether they are right or wrong. Mindfulness focuses the human brain on what is being sensed at each moment, instead of on its normal rumination on the past or on the future.”

From it’s roots in the Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist traditions to it’s practical implementations in Lean manufacturing’s relentless “5 Whys” questioning process created by Toyota (which has much of it’s roots in Zen Buddhist philosophy), the speaker will discuss the methods and meditation practices that will allow one to master mindfulness.  In other words, we will go beyond the stereotypical image of a guru sitting with legs crossed, eyes closed and chanting hymns while finding their inner Buddha (though that is not to say that there isn’t some truth to this image!) and delve into the structured methodological and conscious meditative practices that allow fully present mindfulness.

But this will be done from the perspective of project management which the speaker feels has been entirely too narrowly focused on tools, techniques and processes and not enough on the deep critical thinking, tacit knowledge and emotional intelligence (EQ) skills that truly allow one to improve the world one project at a time!  And that is the central idea: mindfulness can best be effectively achieved through projects and the management thereof one at a time.

This discussion is based on a book the speaker is planning to publish by Q1 of 2015.

About the speaker:

A major shift in Don Kim’s career occurred, when he discovered the field of project management that seemed to integrate and reconcile technical knowledge, emotional intelligence and business management skills into a perfect marriage.  He has never looked back.  In about the last decade, he has been involved in the field of project management initially as corporate employee and now as an independent consultant, trainer, coach, educator and writer which includes being an instructor at four universities and colleges, writer for several industry publications and event speaker.  He is the founder and owner of one of the world’s most popular PM portal website at www.projectation.com.

His core competencies are to consult, train and educate your organization, department or teams to better manage people and projects, act as a catalyst for change, and to push new boundaries.  In addition, his entrepreneurial pursuits have never left him, which provides him with a position uniquely suited to driving and delivering business value to his clients and customers.

His motto is to help you manage your projects like a business so that your “project solutions are realized”.

5:30PM – 6:00PM Registration and Networking and PMI Announcements
6:00PM – 6:15PM Welcome Attendees & Speaker
6:15PM – 7:15PM Speaker of the Month Presentation
7:15PM – 7:25PM Q & A Session with the Speaker
7:25PM – 7:30PM Final Announcements
7:30PM – Adjourn

LOCATION INFORMATION:

1000 South Fremont Avenue, Unit 100 (Building A11).
The complex is located at 1000 South Fremont Avenue in Alhambra. DeVry University is at the north end of the complex, Unit 100 of Building A11, First Floor. Building A11 is near the intersection of Fremont and Orange. Access the complex by turning east from Fremont onto Orange Street. Enter the second parking lot driveway to the south, through a gate with a kiosk. You will need to take a ticket to enter the lot. (DeVry will validate the ticket). Building A11 is on the west (right) as you enter the lot from Orange. Enter the building at the entrance near the center of the building and ask the reception desk for the meeting location. To exit if the gates are unmanned, drive through the parking lots to the east of the buildings, making your way to the south end of the campus, and exit at the kiosk near Fremont and Mission.

Click here for a map of the location.

QUESTIONS:

Contact the PMI-LA Alhambra Evening Meeting Coordinator at: alhambrameeting@pmi-la.org