Author: Stefan Vesenmeier (Swiss Chapter President)
I wish all friends and members a healthy, peaceful, and successful 2024.
After searching unsuccessfully for over a week for an interesting topic that I could share with you, and that might have some value for you, yesterday it suddenly clicked... The pitch and the corresponding storyline of the article came to my mind's eye. It's about three thoughts, or rather three questions, that I've thought about several times over the past few days.
- Why do I like the Christmas Season so much?
- What were my PMI highlights in 2023?
- What am I most looking forward to in 2024?
As I think that some of you have already asked yourselves these or similar questions, I am sharing my thoughts with you, in the hope that my view of things may give you some inspiration for your own path.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
Why do I like the Christmas season?
When I listen inside myself, there are actually two reasons why mid-December to early January has a special influence on my life path. Although each reason is quite different in nature, they both drive my starting of a new year with positivity, confidence, and trust that the unknown and new paths will lead me to where I am intended to be.
On the one hand, like probably most of you, at the end of the year, I have the habit of looking back on the past year's ups and downs, and deriving one or two ideas for the upcoming year. Even though I've gotten out of the habit of making specific "New Year's resolutions", I still think about where my path should take me, and how I can possibly influence that a little.
On the other hand... perhaps a seemingly trivial reason why I really like the Christmas season... is that many old movies are shown on television during this time. These films have accompanied me from childhood, through my student days, into adulthood. Watching these "old motion pictures" awakens many wonderful memories, which then trigger a beautiful and grateful feeling. They remind me where I have come from, and how far I have already come on my journey through life. (Embrace Curiosity!1)
What were my PMI highlight in 2023?
Two things immediately come to mind... Firstly, of course, our PM Conference in mid-October, with the motto "Innovative Project Management: Power Skills for the Future". The feedback received from almost 200 participants (Be welcoming!1) was overwhelming, and the sessions from over 20 speakers (Embrace Curiosity!1) were a complete success and exceeded all expectations (Aim Higher!!1) . Once again, I would like to thank the volunteers from the organization team (Together we can!1) for making this outstanding event possible.
Personally, I was particularly pleased that the 12th annual PM Conference was a "home game" for me, being in Bern (Make It Easy!1), as F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG hosted at its Kaiseraugst Event Center. For this I would once again like to thank our volunteer fellow, James Heidrich, whose commitment made this possible.
The other highlight in 2023 was certainly the PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) in Lisbon (December 2023), which I attended together with our VP of Marketing, Thando Dube, along with over 250 other volunteers from 42 European PMI chapters (Together we can!1). Not only did we learn from approximately 50 officials representing PMI what the European chapters had achieved in 2023 (Aim Higher!1), but also what innovations PMI has planned for 2024 (Embrace Curiosity! & Make It Easy!1).
What am I most looking forward to in 2024?
I would like to answer this question from two different angles.
From the perspective of a Senior Project Manager... In recent years, the local PMI Chapters have repeatedly been identified as the best point of contact for project managers in terms of Project Standards and the appropriate expertise, yet, offering hardly any specific expertise for experienced Senior PMs and PMOs. But now, this is set to change. PMI has recognized the problem and since October 2023 acquired the largest and most relevant global community of PMOs (Project Management Offices) and PMO professionals, PMO Global Alliance (PMOGA). (Together we can!1)
I am very much looking forward to the addition of the PMOGA to the PMI ecosystem, which, in my opinion, is long overdue.
To help shape the future development of PMI's PMO offering, we would like to learn more about the Swiss PMO community to understand what information and help Swiss PMOs would like to see from PMI. So, it's a good coincidence that our volunteer, James Heidrich, has just published a survey on "Programme Management" as part of his Master's thesis. (Link to survey available in this Newsletter)
I am happy to recommend this survey to all readers and would like to thank you in advance for your contribution. Your feedback will help us develop the right offers and services for you, our community.
From the perspective of a PMI Switzerland Volunteer... I look forward to 2024 and my new tasks, with one crying and one laughing eye. For personal reasons, after serving 4 years on the PMI Switzerland Chapter Board, I am leaving the role to spend more time with my family. The 2 years serving as VP of Events, and a further 2 as President were, in retrospect, an absolutely great and really valuable time for me. I learnt so much, and acquired skills in those roles, that I would otherwise never have dreamed of. These I can now call my Power Skills. (PMI Power Skills)
These personal development opportunities, as well as with the team support, are exactly what being a volunteer at PMI Switzerland is all about. That is why I will continue as a volunteer... where it all started for me... in the Basel Event Team. Alongside engaged volunteers and new momentum, we want to revive on-site events in Basel, which was suspended during the Corona period.
In line with our PMI value (Be Welcoming!1) , we look forward to embracing all interested project professionals, or anyone who simply enjoys organizing events and networking functions. Further information and contact details can be found here.
1 Italicised phrases represent PMI principles and values. For further information, refer "PMI CULTURE, VALUES & BEHAVIORS"
Thank you for your interest and wishing you all the very best.
Stefan Vesenmeier
"Choose a profession you love - and you will never have to work another day in your life." (Confucius)