James Lewis

Most people can sense when something is missing. We can see it ("she needs an umbrella today"), we can taste it ("this tea is not sweet enough"), we can hear it ("too much treble, not enough bass"). Our senses, as vital as they are in our physical existence, fail us when what is missing is an element of our spirit. Here, we must seek to know and understand the connection between our physical and spiritual existence. In this book The Secret Ingredient for Success "The Missing Element" the author 'gets it' and gives it in a powerful and well-laid out guide leading the reader into a sacred introspection of the heart. Be prepared to journey deep inside yourself and resurface only after a short period with insights that will move you to the "true you". Get ready to fall in love with your most constant companion, YOU

This book is about Life and Times of James Dewey Lewis.

American millionaire Edward F. Searles will forever be remembered for his obsession with pipe organs. His most famous project was the construction of the magnificent Methuen Memorial Music Hall that houses the historic 1863 Walcker organ, originally installed in the Boston Music Hall. Searles had six other organs built for his homes, and one for his own organ factory. At the age of 46, Searles, then an interior decorator, married the fabulously wealthy widow of railroad magnate Mark Hopkins, 22 years his senior. Her death three years later left Searles with a $30-million fortune. This is the story of his lifetime involvement with the organ, illustrated with magnificent photographs of his many instruments.

The Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) is a small New Religion which, in the short span of eight years, has evoked intense controversy. An unusual synthesis of traditional Catholicism, esoteric cosmology, and psychotherapy, the OCS already has centers in a dozen major cities in the United States. Thus far, however, it has eluded the attention of scholars of alternative religions. A schismatic offshoot of an earlier group, the Holy Order of Man, the OCS developed a distinctive set of beliefs and practices that set it apart from the mother faith. It has cultivated some curious and provocative features for a Christian-based religion, including the elevation of women to full participation and status within the evolving sacred order. Its treatment of gender is refreshingly egalitarian; women can be priests, and Mary is deified and given equal status with Jesus. Another unusual feature of the group is its emphasis on psychology and prescription of intensive psychotherapy for all members. Beyond surveying the history, doctrines and practices of this unusual group, Lewis brings data from his study of the OCS to bear on many items of conventional wisdom in the New Religions field. He shows, for example, that far from joining the Order in response to a 'youth crisis,' the average age of new OCS members is 37. This and a number of other characteristics of the OCS membership challenge generally accepted conclusions about recruits to New Religions. Lewis also examines how various theoretical models, such as Rodney Stark's influential model of religious 'success,' pan out when applied to the OCS. Lewis shows that although some of Stark's postulates are insightful, other aspects of the model are severely deficient. In addition to the six core chapters of the book authored by Lewis, three other experts contribute chapters on: the results of personality and I. Q. tests administered to member; membership attitudes; comparison of OCS with mainstream denominations; and sex roles in the OCS.

Take charge of your teams and lead them to victory! For nearly a decade, Mastering Project Management, has been the field's gold standard reference. Now, James Lewis has updated his classic guide, offering both practical, real-world guidance and a focus on higher-level tools and applications that you won't find anywhere else. This fully revised second edition shows project managers and team leaders from all industries how to ramp up and fine-tune managing skills and bring all projects to a successful completion. Carefully avoiding any overlap from his other popular project management titles, Lewis clearly defines your role as a project manager and outlines the steps to mastering project management. Lewis has also included the most up-to-date information on today's hot-button topics in the field, providing the know-how you need to:Utilize the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)Survive “no-win” projectsApply Six Sigma in project managementImprove estimating capabilityManage project risksIdentify customer requirementsControl costsUnderstand systems thinking and apply it to projectsLewis shows you how to manage multicultural project teams, coach team members for improved performance, and deal effectively with project stakeholders. He gives you an arsenal of tools for utilizing systems thinking, achieving optimal decision-making, reporting project status, and managing project change and configuration control. Lewis also covers the human element, showing you the most effective ways to conduct interviews, manage meetings, conduct performance reviews, and handle vendors and contractors. If you want to be more than a casual project manager, if you desire to understand every function in your organization, if you aspire to higher management levels, the second edition of Mastering Project Management is your personal guide to success.

The definitive guide to keeping your project on time, under budget, and problem-freeIn this Third Edition of The Project Manager's Desk Reference, top project management consultant James Lewis arms you with today's most comprehensive and understandable project management resources, showing you how to conduct a project of any size or nature-from the office move to building new facilities. Using results-oriented language and easy-to-understand examples, this comprehensive, quick-reference guide presents specific situations taken from today's fast-moving business environment, walking you through proven solutions designed to keep the project moving forward. This ready-access toolbox shows you how to:Plan, execute, and control a project from beginning to endChoose project managers, leaders, and teamsDevelop project plans using Work Breakdown Structures, PERT, CPM, and Gantt schedulesConduct risk analysisDesign a project control systemUse earned value analysis to track projectsCommunicate effectively with all levels of your teamConduct the essential post-project “lessons learned” reviewServing as the perfect supplement to Lewis's bestselling PM bible, Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control, The Project Manager's Desk Reference provides you with the foundation you need to manage any project to its successful completion.

Strategies for achieving first-to-market status with each new product Project management excellence is essential if your organization is to gain the competitive edge that comes with being first to market. Accelerated Project Management shows how you can reduce time on all your product development projects without adding unnecessary risk or cost. James P. Lewis and Louis Wong, two of today s leaders in project management innovation, detail tools and techniques you can use to: Avoid the enemies of project speed, from excessive project size to poor planning, insufficient resources, and perfectionismPrioritize projects, creating a top-down sense of urgency and importanceEstablish an Innovation Project Office (IPO) to act as a key linkage between strategy and implementation, and provide early warning when projects are losing focus and controlProject leaders at top companies from Hewlett Packard to Cisco have discovered that to increase product development speed they must create clear product roadmaps, involve manufacturing in the process from square one, and eliminate rework through stringent quality standards and double-checks. Accelerated Project Management will show you how to adopt and improve upon these techniques in your organization, and dramatically increase project speed without sacrificing end-product quality in today s high-stakes new product development race.

This title provides priceless tips on how to keep your projects and your career on track from today's number 1 expert on effective project management. In today's hyper-competitive business environment, where faster, cheaper, better is the mantra, and your reputation (and job security) is only as sound as the last project you managed, it isn't enough to be a competent PM, you need to be a great one. Now this book shows you how. An engineer with a PhD in psychology, Jim Lewis spent 15 years as a project manager in high-tech industries and another 22 years as a world-class PM coach and trainer. In "Project Manager's Survival Guide", he goes beyond the metrics, planning diagrams and scheduling formats found in most books on the subject to share hard-won lessons about such nitty-gritty realities of project management as politics, personalities, motivation, teamwork, and leadership. From basic survival tips like: "Manage Expectations," "Never accept verbal change requests," and "Assume that you have the authority until told otherwise," to priceless pointers on how to be an effective leader and how to keep your career on track, Jim arms experienced and novice PMs alike with the knowledge and expertise needed to become a great project manager in any industry and any business environment.

This book contains techniques for going beyond 'Managing' to become a true project leader. Even though they can't be reduced to a tidy formula or equation, the principles of leadership are every bit as legitimate - and learnable - as those of finance or engineering. "Project Leadership" provides you with a blueprint for becoming a successful project leader, capable of motivating team members to achieve project objectives not because they have to but because they want to. This uniquely hands-on look at project leadership goes beyond theory to examine the real-world relationship between task, leader, and follower. It outlines steps managers can take to gain the trust of their team members - the first step toward leadership - then goes on to describe: commonly encountered personality traits of both leaders and followers; case studies of leadership in action, in both business and nonbusiness settings; and, leadership principles that can successfully be applied to numerous situations. Research has shown that successful project leaders exhibit remarkably consistent actions and behaviors, and that virtually anyone can adopt those practices to dramatically improve their leadership effectiveness. In "Project Leadership", discover what effective project leadership is really all about, and principles that - if followed - can greatly increase your project management success. 'Leadership appears to be the art of getting others to want to do something you are convinced should be done' - Vance Packard. It is followers, not organizations, that convey leadership. And before people will allow you to lead them, you must understand what they want from you and what they expect of you. "Project Leadership" focuses on the unique skills necessary for leading people in a project environment. Nontechnical and accessible, it provides an easy-to-follow program for transforming yourself from a by-the-book manager into a leader capable of encouraging team members to plan, accomplish, and sustain excellence. Drawing on author Jim Lewis' considerable experience with project management and leadership best practices, this step-by-step coursebook for developing leadership proficiency discusses: proven leadership principles, with methods for both understanding and adopting them; strategies for changing from the command-and-control role to that of facilitator; and, proven steps for building the personal credibility required for effective leadership. As a project manager, you are generally given overwhelming responsibility with little actual authority. So, without such authority, how do you get others to 'do something you are convinced should be done?'. "Project Leadership" unveils a chapter-by-chapter program for developing the skills of a leader. You discover techniques for matching individuals' talents to specific tasks and skills for delegating authority without fear of losing control. It features information on physical approaches for quickly building rapport with other persons and includes tips for acquiring credibility in an unfamiliar setting and, much more. The principles of effective project leadership can be learned, practiced, and improved upon. In "Project Leadership", author and project management expert Jim Lewis combines decades of leadership research with his own unmatched project management experience to arrive at a straightforward, logical, and convincing system for becoming a leader - one who can consistently direct people to bring projects of every type to their successful conclusions.

Effective project management is becoming a critical mission skill for individuals and organizations in every industry. Faster product life cycles, the widespread adoption of cross-functional teams, and the increasing demands of customers are all contributing to the growing need for professional managers who know how to marshal resources, make decisions, and ensure the smooth flow of projects from idea to launch. In The World Class Project Manager , Robert Wysocki and James Lewis offer a highly practical handbook for anyone who aspires to achieve superior project-manager skills. Featuring self-assessment tools, showcasing best practices from the field, and drawing on their own extensive experience in training project managers around the world, the authors provide a comprehensive program for crafting a career development plan and putting it into action.