Author: Thando Dube

VP Communications & Brand Development

Last month, I participated in the biggest running event in Lausanne, 20km de Lausanne alongside other volunteers from our PMI chapter.

 “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”, said Emil Zatopek, the legendary long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. We did not run a marathon, but this was an excellent team building experience that nurtured a positive impact on the PMI running Team.  This event has several race formats.  Each year, there are over 20 000 participants. Our team consisted of 7 participants from 5 different cantons. We had 4 runners participating in the 10km race and 3 runners in the 20km race respectively.

After several months of preparation for this event, I was thrilled to meet other team members just before the start of the race!  We had some brief introductions and we quickly put on our lovely running-shirts branded with PMI colors. We then took some photos and exchanged last minute running tips before heading off to the start line. The 20km runners started first followed by the 10km participants.  

Everyone had a good run besides the steep, uphill and downhill runs that make this race one of the most challenging urban running events! After the race, we got together as a team to share our running experience and most importantly to refuel! We had some drinks and food together! My takeaway from this experience is the bonding that has resulted from this event.  We have created a running group, and we regularly share tips and other information not only related to running but other daily interactions! We are already working on other different formats of running events to come. The group dynamics that we have created is helping us to work closer with each other on other PMI volunteering activities. I encourage other volunteers to join our running group, “you only need a pair of good running shoes and the desire to walk or run and to share your favorite drink with the team after the run”!

Finally, a big thank you to all the PMI running team members for the fun we had together, I look forward to our next race!  I extend my thanks also to all the volunteers that contributed to the preparation and organization of this event, Ala, Pia, Joachim and finally Leandro who did a great job in coordinating this event “Vielen Dank, Merci, Grazie, Thank you”! 

Author: Leandro Benda, PMP

 “Projects are the living proofs that a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to a tornado”

Michka Guerrier

On Thursday, April 27, 2023 took place in Geneva our live event “Resilience in project leadership - Tools from elite sports” in partnership with our sponsor PwC presented with great talent by Michka Guerrier, Director - Risk Consulting Leader Western Switzerland and Finance Transformation by PwC.

Michka is passionate about supporting individuals, teams and companies in reaching their fullest potential – and translating these into realities.

How does he pursue this purpose? He seeks the most interesting and proven knowledge, tools, methods, experiences from various disciplines such as fighting sports, scientific exploration, psychology and brings these to the people and companies he works with. 

the event started right away very strong with Michka who put some participants in real conditions from the beginning, the volunteers were asked to do the following exercise in the room:

• Push Ups
• set of 10 reps
• 2 breath cycles break between reps
• 2 min. max time

Through this practice, the usual cognitive process was shown:

• 1st set: Easy, fresh body and mind, intact motivation.
• 2nd set: Body starts to sweat; we start to feel the muscles.
• 3rd set: Difficulties starting/increasing, body vs. mind.

As a conclusion of this debrief, we can say that:

• The pain & struggle in our muscles is what makes them grow
• Muscle cell disruption is what triggers the growth!
• The aversion toward the challenge is a paradox.

 Do you think that Discomfort is an acceptable sensation? How can we work on this (in a fun manner)? Here are some ideas:

• Put yourself in discomfort e.g physical exercise, cold shower
• Implement this practice regularly
• Use mantras or affirmations which are supportive.

A particularly interesting concept was the Kintsugi, a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold.

As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history and value of an object.

In conclusion, we can say that:

• Resilience, entrepreneurship & leadership are intrinsically connected.
• Disruption is part of growth.
• To progress towards goals, you need to want the challenge.
• To lead effectively, you need to connect challenges and goals within your team.
• Resilience is among other things to recognize that there will be difficulties and to be smart in suffering.

From butterfly to tornado – cherish your thoughts;

Idea -> Paper -> Plan -> Share and recruit -> Start / Implement / Build -> Grow and refine

Thank you for participating and don’t hesitate to take a look at our events via the link below:

https://pmi-switzerland.ch/index.php/events

Kind regards

Leandro Benda

Author: Joachim Dehais

VP Volunteers

Old habits die hard, and volunteers are undefeated. We have voted once more for our top volunteers this year, and I sure hope you were a contender.

Coming hot in the top 4 is Daniel Rodellar, who's been instrumental in our communications and particularly the newsletter. Next is our very own Martin Härri, who has kept the engine on high RPM for the conference and the Swiss Corporate Networking Group. Finally shines Valérie Pierre, who has grabbed the Zurich events team and run with it to new heights.

Each of them will receive a book, you know me, and having had our AMM in Bern, they could not avoid receiving Mandelbärli, either. Thank you, Daniel, Martin, and Valérie, for your engagement and company, it has been a pleasure, and I hope it will continue.

The volunteer of the year for 2022 is Leandro Benda! Leandro has shot up since he joined and has found a place in the heart of others with his great efforts and disposition. Leandro first gets this negotiation & supply game, to strengthen his skills while beating his friends. Second, a book on using your voice for good, a discussion we had when he arrived. Finally, I received access to an experimental tool from Rutgers business school. Leandro can now help us survive the geopolitical climate by training us on competitive supply chain management.

The President’s Award went to Prasanth Nair who was recognized for his long service to the Zurich events team, where he has been the event director from 2014 to 2022 after joining the chapter in 2009! “Prasanth made a difference for the Chapter and especially for the event region Zurich, which he led over the last 8 years,” said Stefan Vesenmeier, Chapter President 2022.

We also thank Thierry Altenhoven, Gessami Sanchez Olle and Benoîte Bargeton Grisouard who have contributed enormously before moving on last year. May your path be as bright and sweet as having you here was pleasant and productive.

Finally, we extend our thanks and gratitude to the board members who stepped down this year, Agnieszka Skalska, VP Brand Management & Development, Claudia Rassalski VP Finance and Pia Henzelmann, VP Events & PMIEF.

And with shameless self-promotion in mind, I hope you will be tempted to join us as a volunteer and participate in this grand adventure too.

Joachim

Author: Ganesh Gopalan, PMP

 “Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless”- Sherry Anderson

The above adage holds fit, as could be seen on Volunteer’s Day held on October 8th, 2022, in the beautiful city of Luzern. PMI Switzerland Chapter treated its volunteers in a very special way. It was a full day program neatly chalked out that started with a ship ride from Lake Lucerne to the foothills of Mt. Pilatus. The one-hour ride was marked with a lot of selfies, great networking, serious discussion, and friendly banters amongst the volunteers. From there, we took the Cog train to the top of Mt. Pilatus. What an amazing climb over the steep mountain, that was! From there, we further trekked to the peak and were stunned by what nature has to offer it to us. We were literally on “top of the world” 😊. Such breath-taking views, with the mild fog, light drizzle – volunteers munching chips, snacks with a lot of “Camera, Action” – the experience was truly amazing. In fact, the weather went out of way to support us by not raining heavily and spoiling the show! After spending a good amount of time, we stepped down to the beautiful restaurant for lunch.

The restaurant was spacious, and we treated ourselves to a sumptuous gourmet meal. Over “innocent” chit-chat we discussed Project Management, Agile, PMI etc., and made new friends across the table. The return was on a different route with another new experience. Yes - we returned via Cable Car and needless to stay, it was one of the best experiences ever. We got to see lush green trees shedding their autumn leaves in hues of green and red, followed faintly by the jingling of bells far away from the herding of Cows. We equally admired the architectural marvel of installing heavy poles for the Cable Cars in such rugged mountains, years ago! We reached the last stop at ground level in Luzern and quickly rushed to the venue for a workshop on “Speaking with Impact”.

“Speaking with Impact” workshop was conducted by Mr. Damien Gauthier, a well-known actor, director, TEDX speaker and an UX lead and team manager. These were the key take-aways from the session:

1.     Enunciating with presence (physical)

2.     Conveying a clear idea (intellectual)

3.     Being attentive and open (relaxed posture)

4.     Intonations and body posture

5.     Delivering a pitch talk perfectly

6.     Pre-exercises before attending an important meeting – In-person or Online

Several tips and hacks were taught to us on how to make ourselves more presentable in a group, how to ensure our ideas get across the audience and how to be as effectively as possible to win over in a discussion. Lot of emphasis was laid on clarity of thought and communication and the sync between them and its nuances. The 4-hour session was interspersed with real time scenarios, anecdotes, and several foods for thought. The instructor answered all our questions patiently along with a few video visuals to point out the general flaws made while talking in public and how to overcome them with great ease. The workshop was highly satisfying to all the volunteers and a special thanks to PMI Switzerland President, office bearers and more importantly to VP Volunteers – Joachim Dehais for organizing such an event impeccably under his guidance. Joachim was instrumental in ensuring each of us were well taken care of and the event went smoothly without any glitch.

Overall, this was one of the best events of the year and we look forward to more such great events in future. Thanks to all those who participated and gained out of this event.