In All Things Be Humble

I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Get Motivated seminar here in Des Moines. It was a day full of empowerment and inspiration. I am glad I took time out for me to soak up this knowledge from leaders all over the United States. There were many underlying themes in the messages from all the speakers, but one of those items that reaonated with me is the importance of being humble. Now matter how wealthy, knowledgeable or powerful you are, humility is essential. Never think you are so knowledgeable or wealthy or even powerful that you have an aire of arrogance. I have been told that I'm a great networker and I know many successful people as well as people on the road to success. For those that are successful and even those on the road to success one characteristic I admire is their humbleness. Being humble is easier said tha done because it's easy to get caught up in the hype of what is going on around you, but when you get to the point in your life of true humbleness there is a light that shines so very brightly that attracts others to you. At one point or another every speaker I heard used this word. It is so important to check yourself daily to ensure you are not judging others or thinking you are better than others because those same people you may need in the future. Remember in all things be humble. It's an essential principle. Also, if you have never attended a Get Motivated seminar please do because they are so empowering. Regards, Paula Bell www.paulaabell.com

The BLI Concept™ - The Well Rounded BA

I am pleased to announce a new concept I will be working on this year, the BLI Concept™.

I have been in many different industries during this wonderful work of business analysis and I have been part of very successful projects, not so successful projects, very successful business analysts and not so successful business analysts.  I am the type of person who likes to constantly learn.  With that I do a lot of observing and self-introspection.   I always try to learn from every meeting I conduct, every requirement walk through I’m a part, all requirement documents I have created, etc...

I have found that as a business analyst there are certain skills that are needed to be successful, as I’m sure many of you have found as well, it’s more than just knowing the concepts of business analysis.  To be successful as a business analyst you must understand the concepts but more importantly you have to understand where and how to apply those concepts.  In order to do that you have to understand how to leader with or without influence as well as how to interact with the individuals on our project team.  It sounds logical and simple but it truly is not that simple as I’ve seen many business analyst not be successful because at least one if not more of these skills were lacking.

The BLI Concept™ is a concept that will help business analyst bring the hard skills and soft skills together to become that more rounded and successful Business Analyst.  BLI stands for business analysis, leadership and interpersonal skills. I have found that when all of these items are present you can be very successful as a business analyst.  Whether you are new to business analysis, doing business analysis for a while or even a leader in business analysis it is important to ensure that there is a balance between the hard and soft skills because it is that balance and mixture that will make you a success business analyst.

Look for more information on this concept as I continue to write my blog over the weeks.  Some of the things that will be discussed as I begin to bring forth this concept are as follows:

·         Business Analysis

o   What is this thing called “Business Analysis?”

o   What are the hard skills of a business analyst?

o   When to utilize the fundamentals of business analysis

·         Leadership Skills

o   What is the definition of Leadership?

o   What are the characteristics of a Leader

o   What are the skills that a leader should possess

o   Why development should be a focus when in leadership positions?

o   How do Leadership and Business Analysis relate

§  Why is Leadership Important to Business Analysis?

·         Interpersonal Skills

o   What are Interpersonal Skills?

o   What are the Types of Interpersonal Skills?

o   How do Interpersonal Skills and Business Analysis relate?

§  Why are they important to business analysis?

I’m very excited to develop this concept and I welcome your feedback and thoughts as I begin to develop this.

Paula Bell