Dear Jeannette,

Thanks for your email, ref a, responding to my letter to you, ref b, and to Jim, ref c.

I would ask initially that PMI consider publishing the quote from General Hatch because of his stature and accomplishments in project management and leadership, shown by his biography submitted at ref c. We do not know for sure whether any of the speakers will appear, until they show up. We do not know the views of most of the speakers, and how they relate to the theme and thesis of Asilomar. We need guiding lights, beacons, a call to arms under the environment of downsizing you reported this month. This takes leadership. General Hatch is a leader whose opinion on the objectives of Asilomar, based on the theme and thesis, alerts PMI members, including the executive set, that Asilomar can chart a new course for deploying technology that supports leadership. If PMI is to be a leader, it must garner the attention and input from leaders. General Hatch fits the bill.

If you get a chance, try to pick up Johanna Neuman's book at Dalton's or any popular book store. She was recently interviewed on CSPAN about her book on leadership and technology, which is the theme of Asilomar. However, we are not quoting her because of notoriety, but rather because she draws together important lessons from the sweep of history which, under the reasoning in the NWO paper, are often lost by those of us in the trenches exercising leadership on the job each day.

Ms. Neuman cogently explains the need for changing personal work habits in order to achieve a better partnership between leadership and technology, needed to improve earnings and grow more jobs by avoiding mistakes caused by the "noise" of constant information.

The Asilomar agenda includes a discussion about Stephen Covey' s work which calls for better work habits, as well. Since Covey typically is not associated with technology, Neuman's quote informs prospective attendees, particularly those skeptical of technology, that to survive, leaders must adopt new habits for a modern era of the Information Highway. But, people don't like to change. Executives don't want to hear that they are a bundle of errors. It is a happier thought that others are not telling the truth. Executives want to keep trying to lead by talking and listening because it seems fast and easy. So, Neuman's quote encourages the change needed to make technology a better partner to support leadership.

Possibly Jim can do an editorial or other more expansive article drawing on PMI's interest in the discipline of Project Management, and forces in the modern era placing it at risk, citing the Dec article in PMJ on Risk Management, the NWO article in May and your articles in the Apr PMNETwork on downsizing. These issues are addressed by the Asilomar theme on leadership and technology, as set out in my Apr 19 letter to Jim.

The next three paragraphs comprise a compressed version of that letter. per your request.

Robert MacNamera's book, "In Retrospect," published in 1995, recalls that leadership in the Kennedy/Johnson Administrations was flawed because events moved too fast to permit adequate analysis. Dr. Henry Kissinger notes in his book, "Diplomacy," published in 1994, that the overwhelming challenge of leadership is the pressure of time to perform analysis for decision support. He has cited an "Alice in Wonderland" environment of fast moving information where people have strong feelings, but do not know why. Johanna Neuman's new book, "Lights, Camera, War," traces the stormy love-hate relationship between leadership and technology over the centuries to the present-day worry about horrific mistakes and miscalculation by leaders under siege in the New World Order from a constant stream of information, like the modern project environment. Ms. Neuman notes on page 24 in her book that each new communication technology unleashes a dilemma calling on leaders to "...change their habits, to adjust to a new speed or a new imperative, to hurry their decisions... But technology has also been a gift to those who learned to exploit its blessings..." Asilomar explores how to make the Information Highway a blessing for project leaders.

What mix of technology, skills and new roles can make a "blessing" of the time/information continuum, today called the Information Highway, so that adequate analysis can be produced more quickly? Stated another way, how can technology become an effective ally of the executive mindset that relies on cursory analysis that produces endless mistakes, because talking and listening seem fast and easy? Only the right mix of technology and people working together can produce the analysis that converts mountains of information from endless meetings, calls and email, into the knowledge, understanding and wisdom leaders need to make better decisions? Asilomar will discuss "obstacles" to leadership and Stephen Covey's effective work habits. Since time eviscerates good habits (e.g., Haste makes waste!), Asilomar can show how a better partnership between technology and leadership meets the challenge of a future increasingly dominated by the compression of time and distance on the Information Highway.

For businesses, better leadership means higher productivity, higher earnings, less downsizing, more work and a brighter future for everyone. This is a good objective for PMI and the PMBOK. It is a big job; so, members should bring their energy, their questions and ideas to Asilomar.

Sincerely,

THE WELCH COMPANY

Rod Welch