FEATURED AUTHOR

Christopher Cook

Author
Self Employed

Over the past ten years, Christopher Cook, PMP, has spent his career in the construction industry. During this time, he earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Technology Management with an emphasis in Building Construction Management, Master’s of Science in Project Management, and Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification. He is a member of the local Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter in Denver, Colorado.

Subjects: Business & Management

Biography

Over the past ten years, Christopher Cook, PMP, has spent his career in the construction industry. Aspects of the industry include heavy highway, aggregates, sewer, and grading roads. During this time, he earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Technology Management with an emphasis in Building Construction Management, Master’s of Science in Project Management, and Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification. In those years, he served as a laborer and worked his way up to estimator and master scheduler roles. Serving in these various roles has provided many opportunities to monitor and control projects from headquarters. The portfolio of projects is in the tens of millions of dollars annually. Working side by side with operations, he has the technical skills necessary for daily work while learning the management way of doing things to serve as a better manager. He is a member of the local Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter in Denver, Colorado. Having the right education and technical background has proven vital to his success and continued growth in the industry. He shares his project management insights weekly through "The EntrePMeur" blog (http://entrepmeur.wpengine.com).

Education

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Personal Interests

Websites

The EntrePMeur

Books

Featured Title

Articles

The Problem with Your Interview Questions

Published: Jun 05, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Where do you see yourself in five years? This question has plagued the interview process for too long. It's high time we start asking better questions to get better answers from our prospective PMs.

Biggest Challenges for Beginner Project Managers

Published: Apr 24, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

You are a new project manager! You have spent years being on the outside—and now you are in those meetings about scheduling and where the project should go next. You start to realize how all these things can go wrong. Life in management isn't as glamorous as it appeared. What could some of the issues you are running up against in your new role be?

Wanting to Be Right Is Wrong

Published: Apr 03, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Project managers have a responsibility to their teams to be a leader, and leaders put pressure on themselves to be mistake-free. But having to be "right" all the time is a detriment, not a benefit. Here are some ways to deal with the want or need to be right…

Are You the Mechanic or the Contractor?

Published: Mar 06, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Some project managers like to be hands-on. They want to know every detail of every process to better understand the system on an intimate level. Other project managers like to hire experts to take care of the day-to-day maintenance. Which project manager are you?

Bouncing Back From Exam Failure

Published: Feb 21, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

A failing result on the PMP exam is devastating. What you do next tells more about yourself than flying through the exam and passing with ease. What should you do? Get back on the horse!

The Know-Like-Trust Factor

Published: Feb 06, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

The “know-like-trust” factor is known for creating content for an audience you want to grow. If your audience knows who you are, likes who you are and trusts the information you are sharing, it becomes more receptive to what you present.

How to Use Your Network Effectively

Published: Jan 12, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Building a network pays dividends far surpassing career development. It brings resources together from different backgrounds, helps put out fires and continues to grow with the right plan of attack. This article delves into identifying who is in your network and how to use those connections to grow.

Human Resources: Hiring Who's Right for You

Published: Jan 04, 2017 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

As a project manager working in teams, your members are the lifeblood of project success. Without them, there is no work performed. How can we help human resources and ourselves hire the best people for the job?

The Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Published: Dec 07, 2016 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Most organizations and leaders have succumbed to the sunk cost fallacy — sticking with a project or team member based on the time and money already invested, even though there is no sign of a turnaround. Being aware of this phenomenon is the first step in making sure ego does not trump rational decision-making.

The Entrepreneurial Project Manager: Bringing Philosophy to Project Management

Published: Oct 27, 2016 by projectmanagement.com
Authors: Christopher Cook, PMP
Subjects: Business & Management

Project management is not an exact science as much as we want it to be. People are dynamic. They change hour to hour while projects last months or years. As a leader, project managers have to deal with these dynamic individuals on a daily basis. Enter philosophy, continually challenging ideas new and old.