First, I'd like to say that I'm delighted to be able to contribute to eLounge. It's a wonderful idea that really exploits the community aspect of eProject. As this is my first post here, I'd like to introduce myself.

I'm the author of Napoleon on Project Management, co-founder of a project management research site called PMThink!, and an active volunteer with PMI. I serve on the Board of Directors for PMI's Aerospace and Defense SIG (although my area of focus is IT), and served on the leadership team for the upcoming PMI standards for program and portfolio management. I had also contributed to PMI's OPM3 maturity model, (and am glad to see the improvements they're making with the next release).

While it's wonderful to see all the great techniques for implementing processes and methodologies, it's also good to remember that there are some other things that are beneficial as well. Three things, to be precise---and they all conveniently begin with 'P' (what I like to refer to as "the 3 P's").

The first is Principles. The problem with detailed rules is that novice project managers abandon them as soon as things get hectic, and veterans tend to ignore them completely. Principles are different. Given general guidelines and a good set of principles, novices and veterans alike can thrive on their own, assuming their objectives are clear, and management helps remove barriers. In the future, I'll post on which principles have worked for me.

The next 'P' is the Past. How many times must we be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Everyone's always looking for "new and different." What we really need to do is look to the past for answers, whether it's a past project in our organization, or a lesson from ancient history. Sometimes answers can be found in different fields entirely (what Tom Kelley of IDEO likes to call "cross-pollination" - check out his book The Ten Faces of Innovation for groundbreaking ways to invigorate project teams).

The final 'P' is People. We can have the best processes and tools, but ultimately our long term success is dependent upon our people. Sadly, short-term thinking has become an epidemic in big corporations (especially public ones driven by quarterly earnings), with the exception of companies like Toyota. In general, "learning organizations" that focus on leveraging people's strengths and providing positive reinforcement have proven to bring more results than those that focus on criticism and fear.

Unfortunately, I find that the importance of Principles, the Past, and People---the 3 Ps---are the most frequently overlooked and most sorely needed elements of leadership today. 

I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts on this, as well as any principles, lessons from the past, or people elements that have worked well.