I won’t lie to you; up until a few months ago I had absolutely no concept as to what “project management” was. It seemed foreign but self-explanatory – a person who manages projects, right? However, I then began reading about certain forms of leadership – distinct values that were once either mocked or ignored – and the word of guys like Dr. Harold Kerzner and Frank Saladis. Each item and author seemed to share common threads in both project management and an organization dubbed International Institute for Learning, a “global leader in training, consulting, coaching and customized course development,” as they put it. Soon – because of my research at their Bookstore – the concepts of Grateful Leadership, Positive Leadership and “PM” started infesting my brain; I was immersed. And when I was told about International Project Management Day, I knew I was deeply in it…
Led by Founder / CEO E. LaVerne Johnson, IIL – as it’s often abbreviated by the in-crowd – has been a staunch supporter of the importance of project management in every field of business for well-over twenty years. Ten of those years have been dedicated to the aforementioned International Project Management Day, an online event that celebrates and recognizes PM as the profession it has become, “the lifeblood of an organization,” as Dr. Kerzner puts it.
Needless to say, all of this information piqued an interest and I decided to do something about it. So, like any good journalist, I did some research and conducted a few interviews. When it was mentioned this event was FREE, I cheered, because who doesn’t love free things? When I found out it was online and I didn’t have to leave my desk…well, I became overjoyed, lost my mind, and started breaking things.
While reading one of the latest from Dr. Kerzner – Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence, 3rd Edition – I found myself craving more information about the ins and outs of project management and IPM Day (another hip abbreviation). You see, I’ve come to realize that this profession, once seen as a methodology for some inexplicable reason, is truly vital today. Perhaps the incessant writings online (much like this one) are proof of that, showing that organizations are continually realizing its importance. And as a company that has been saying this for over two decades, I can only surmise an “I told you so” from IIL is rightfully in order.
Landing on November 7 – it’s 10th anniversary – IPM Day will house keynote sessions with expert Project Management Professionals (PMPs), live Q&A webcasts, and interactive booths, all for the purpose of educating attendees on the knowledge and best practices of PM. And as if IIL isn’t doing enough by giving us a taste of knowledge, they also hold Power of the Profession, a FREE (don’t break anything!) event occurring during IPM Day that currently carries over 50,000 viewers from more than 160 countries.
Coined as “the largest PM event around,” by Frank Saladis, the day proves to be profoundly raising the awareness of what project management actually is – both to an international business community as well as those interested in learning more – while at the same time offering guidance and lessons from those who have experienced project work firsthand. Aside from a broad learning platform, the event is a wonderful stage for PMPs to earn those oh, so desired Professional Development Units (PDUs) to update and maintain their certification.
From the looks of it, the rest of the world is finally catching up to something International Institute for Learning has addressed for years, even before the event’s inception. As much as this pains me to say…we don’t know everything, so, if you’re looking to gain an extensive amount of knowledge and further yourself in your career, do register for IPM Day. I can only imagine the interactions and experiences you’ll encounter are intense and long-lasting.
Somebody once said, “Nothing is ever free.” Well, that guy obviously didn’t attend IPM Day, because this is free, so quit questioning and start registering. I’ll “see” you all there!
Lastly, in the great words of Dr. Kerzner: “IPM Day is a window into the future, and IIL is at the forefront of leading us.”
Oh, as an aside: IIL is not responsible for any items you may have broken due to the excitement of IPM Day.
For more information, please visit www.iil.com.
To register for IPMDay 2013: Power of the Profession visit here.
For more by Kyle Dowling, visit his site.
