International Business Travel Tips: Tip 9 - Learn how to self medicate.

When travelling internationally on an extended basis, you should expect to get sick. You will not always have the time or ability to immediately see a doctor, so it is a good idea to pack a first aid kit and know how to self medicate. Ask your doctor for recommended medications and over-the-counter products.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 8 - Pick up some of the language.

When travelling and expending an extended period of time in countries in which your native language is not spoken, take time to learn some of the local language. It can be quite valuable to learn key phrases and numbers and it is not as hard as you may think. Also, your efforts will be highly appreciated.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 7 - Learn about the country your visiting.

As part of your international business travel, learn about the country that you are visiting. Familiarize yourself with the country history, business and social customs, attractions as well as any political and infrastructure issues and risks. The more you prepare for your trip, the more you will get out of it.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 6 - Eat safe.

When in country on business you can't just eat anything you see and expect to not suffer the consequences. Unlike a vacation where you might welcome the opportunity to eat exotic foods or patron the local food courts, you might want to avoid such risks when travelling on business. The last thing you need is a bad case of diarrhea or even food poisoning. Your host will understand.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 5 - Arrive a day early.

When taking a long international flight, especially when flying in economy class, plan to arrive a day early. This will allow you time to adjust to time zone differences, recover from jetlag, and hit the ground running with your business meetings.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 4 - Plan for communications.

On extended international business trips, planning for your voice and data communications can both save you a great deal of money and ensure that you are connected when and where you need to be. You might consider a local SIM card for your mobile phone or even a low cost prepaid phone. Also, be mindful that not all countries permit Skype calls, so you can use a local VPN to get around the local ISP blocking of Skype.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 3 - Obtain required documentation.

In addition to having a valid passport with a minimum of 6 months validity prior to expiry, there may be other travel documents required such as visas and/or proof of immunizations. Also, in some countries, if you plan to use an electrical device such as your laptop you may need to have it certified for use by way of testing and tagging. Be sure to check with you travel agency and/or host country invitee on what kinds of documentation is required in support of your business travel.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 2 - Verify reservations.

Once flights are booked and seats assigned, return to the airline website to get a feel for how flights are filling up. You may wish to pay more closer to your travel date for an aisle seat. The seat selector features of the various travel sites can help with this. Also, be sure that your reservations have your frequent flyer numbers on them in order to get credit for those long flights. The points quickly add up and can be used for upgrades to better seats or a high class of service.

International Business Travel Tips: Tip 1 - Book airfare early.

Booking airfare early will not only reduce the cost of your international flights, but it will give you a much better opportunity to select the seat that you want such as an economy seat in an exit row for extra leg room or an economy seat in the bulkhead section where you can comfortably use you laptop. In addition to making better use of your time on your flight, you will be much more comfortable over the long haul.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 10 - Practice, practice, practice.

Years back, my high school golf coach would plead with me to practice like I play and play like I practice. This would be sage advice for giving presentations, especially to the executive team. Know you material inside and out. Practice giving your presentation and then give it with the same confidence, comfort, and control of your practice. Don't allow yourself to be unprepared to give your pitch.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 9 - Remember your audience.

Always keep your audience in mind. Seek to understand what they know, what they need you to tell them, what they expect from you, what will help keep them focused on your presentation and message. If you lose sight of your audience, no amount of creative design, animation, and colors will bring them back.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 8 - Don't be foolish.

Be mindful that your audience defines the content and context of your presentation. Use humor to complement your message as appropriate, but don't go overboard with it. The last thing you want is for your audience to remember your humor but not your message.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 7 - Use images.

Use more images than text, but don't over decorate. A great image will convey not just words, but thoughts and emotions. Use images to visualize and explain your point.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 6 - Aha message.

In your presentation, make your message an aha message. This is not just a summary of your data or summary of your story, but an epiphany for your audience that is memorable.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 5 - KISS.

We all are familiar with the term Keep It Simple, Stupid. A good rule to remember is that your slides are only there to support your talk, not to replace it. Be sure to tell your story and in your own words. Use slides to emphasize key points. If you read your slides, you may run the risk of putting your audience to sleep.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 4 - Apply brilliance.

Carefully select your colors to bring out your message. Using too many colors will weaken the color effect. Seek to match a few colors for design and then use good contrast to highlight your message. The combination of a few colors and contrast will produce brilliance and will be very pleasing on the eyes of your audience.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 3 - Make use of contrast.

Use contrast to help your audience easily view your presentation. Black text on a white background is great contrast and prints well, but also a boring choice. Experiment with colors to find the contrast of background and text that you like remember first and foremost that you don't want your audience to have to strain to guess what is on your slide.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 2 - Consistent appearance.

Have a consistent appearance throughout your presentation. Use the same font style and sizes throughout your presentation. Use color in a consistent way that adds meaning and fosters organization to your content. A poor choice of font styles, sizes, and colors can ruin an otherwise good presentation.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Tip 1 - Simple design.

Keep the design of your PowerPoint presentation very basic and simple. Decorate sparingly, but beautifully. You want the information to jump off the page, not the design.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 10 - Goals.

Set stretch goals, not 'good enough' goals. Setting mediocre goals that get accomplished is not nearly as impressive as setting stretch goals, some of which might not get met. The point of stretch goals is to inspire personal and professional growth. If we are punished for pushing for growth and coming up short, we need to find a new workplace.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 9 - Welcome exceptions.

There are exceptions to most rules. Exceptions represent business judgment. Rather than mandating rigid processes and policies, welcome exceptions to the rules.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 8 - Network.

Seek to continually build meaningful relationships. When done right, networking is good. Spend time with colleagues. Work an extra hour to have an extra lunch with a colleague. Quality time with colleagues will help you develop new perspectives and skills.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 7 - Write.

Even though your business school might not have taught it, writing matters. Haphazard email is rampant in the work place and writing is becoming a lost skill. Those who do it well stand out. Consider it an investment – learn to write clearly, concisely, and with impact.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 6 - Communicate.

Become a conversationalist. All workers need to talk. No matter what the role, the ability to create conversation will immensely increase our chances for success in our job, projects, and tasks.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 5 - Add Value.

Seek to add value in any way possible. If you don't have the opportunity to add value then it might be time to find a place or role new where we can. Within three months of starting a new job, we have enough experience and we should have learned enough to be a valuable resource to someone in the organization.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 4 - Business Skills.

Even if your present job does not require them, develop business skills. Learn how to read your company's annual report, the operating statements, and most importantly the business strategy.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 3 - Industry Knowledge.

Be informed about your industry and your business environment. Without industry knowledge, your ability to add value to your organization will be limited.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 2 - Learn.

Our ability to learn is our greatest asset. Seek to good in many skill sets and an expert in at least one.

The New Project Management Triangle: Business Acumen Tip 1 - Ask Questions.

The absolute dumbest thing we can do when entering the workplace is not ask questions. Yes, we might sound stupid for five second. But if the 'stupid' question prevents embarrassment for the entire team or organization later, was it really that stupid?

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 10 - Humor.

A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 9 - Assertiveness.

Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 8 - Fairness.

Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 7 - Creativity.

Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, "What if … ?" Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, "I know this is a dumb question ... "

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 6 - Openness.

This means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others' ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 5 - Humility.

Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a "follower-centric" leadership role.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 4 - Magnanimity.

This means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 3 - Dedication.

Dedication. This means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 2 - Honesty.

Honesty. Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.

The New Project Management Triangle: Leadership Tip 1 - Integrity.

Integrity. This is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 10 - Make faces.

Always display a facial expression of impatience and annoyance. Your PMO manager and project sponsors will assume that you are impatient and annoyed because you have so much to do. Hence, they will not give you extra work or ask for extra reports and information. You can practice this with your wife. (Author’s note: I am not being sexist, but these tips are really only for men. There just isn’t a female equivalent to George Costanza.)

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 9 - Use a dictionary.

Use a dictionary to learn words that nobody else knows and use the latest industry jargon to impress people. Rather than saying software-as-a-service say cloud. Instead of saying project portfolio, say initiatives stratiform. Instead of saying post project audit, say benefits management intervention. The more that people have no idea what you are talking about, the more that they will be impressed with you.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 8 - Learn to sigh.

Learn how to sigh. When you are in project team meetings or even meetings with your boss, a loud sigh gives the impression that whatever discussions you are having in the meeting is of little importance to you and all of the more important work that you need to get back to.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 7 - Send emails late at night.

When you have important emails about your project to send your boss or project sponsors, always send them at ungodly hours such as 6am in the morning or 11pm the night before. In fact, send an important email out at midnight with a follow up email at 6am. This gives the impression that you manage your project 24x7.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 6 - Leave the office late.

You don’t have to be the first to arrive at work, but when the boss is around you must always leave the office late. You don’t have to actually work, of course. You can play games on your PC or make telephone calls to friends. Always walk past the boss' office on your way out and make sure he or she notices you.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 5 - Never answer your phone.

Let your calls go to voicemail. People don’t call you to do your work, they call you to give you work, so screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you that requires you to do extra work, be sure to respond to them during the lunch hour or when you know they are in a meeting. Send yourself enough voicemails to reach your inbox limit so that people can’t even leave you a message. A full mailbox is a sure sign that you are a hardworking project manager busily keeping your project team on their toes.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 4 - Bury important documents.

When you know your PMO manager or project sponsor is coming to your cubicle to talk to you about your project, bury the latest status report deeply down in your tallest stack of papers and then rummage for it when he or she arrives. This makes you look like you have a lot of project details and the project plan under control.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 3 - Maintain a very messy desk.

Executives can get away with a clean desk, but for the rest of us a clean desk looks like you don’t have enough to do. Set out stacks of project documents and project management schedules around and on top of your desk; go for volume, the higher the stack the better.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 2 - Use project management scheduling applications to look busy.

Any time you use a complex scheduling tool, it looks like better project management to the untrained observer. When you produce all kinds of fancy color coded tracking ganttcharts, you look like a real pro. Never mind that the data is just a bunch of guesses or copy and pasted information from previous project documents.

George Costanza's Top 10 Tips: Tip 1 - Walk with documents in hand.

Always walk down the hall with project documents in your hands. Project managers with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings to talk about complex, hard to manage projects. Project managers with nothing in their hands look like they're heading for the cafeteria or maybe slipping out to play a round of golf. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

Things Steve Jobs taught us: Thing 10 - Embrace the unexpected.

No amount of scientific "plan-driven" management can account for today's complex adaptive systems that we all live and work within. Steve Jobs knew and embraced this. Steve Jobs knew that technology products, whether the iPhone or the iPad or something else, holds future potential that no one can see or plan for in advance. To embrace the unexpected, organizational nimbleness is required otherwise you will find yourself asking that now famous question by the book of the same name, "Who moved my Cheese..?"

Things Steve Jobs taught us: Thing 9 - Don't swim upstream.

Steve Jobs believed that it is far better to find and ride the wave than it is to swim upstream. Steve Jobs understood consumer patterns and consumer loyalty. Rather than trying to compete in the corporate PC market against all of the other PC makers and Microsoft, he found and rode another wave.

Things Steve Jobs taught us: Thing 8 - The cover matters.

Did you ever hear the expression, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, Steve Jobs believed that the cover of the book actually does matter. From its earliest days, Apple was noted for its design. I can remember my IBM days back in the early 1980s looking at an IBM PC next to an Apple PC. I jokingly asked, "Where is the C prompt?" but what I was really thinking was, "Wow, I would like to have one of these..!"