| Ron Taylor | |
|---|---|
Ron Taylor Photograph by Kloepping Photography |
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| Born | Ronald W. Taylor Washington, DC |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Ron |
| Alma mater | University of Kentucky Masters Degree |
| Occupation | Author, Speaker, Consultant, Musician |
| Known for | Expertise in leadership and project management |
| Website | |
| [www.therontaylorgroup.com] | |
Ronald W. "Ron" Taylor is an American author, speaker, consultant and musician. He is known for his expertise in leadership and project management. He has been married to his wife, Yvonne, since 1989 and has a son Chris, who is a civil engineer.
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Ron Taylor was born in Washington, DC and moved to California at the age of six. He attended Somis Elementary School and then Adolfo Camarillo High School, where he was accepted into the prestigious California Scholarship Federation. After graduation, he attended Ventura College (then Ventura Junior College) for a year and moved with his family to Lexington, Kentucky. He paid for his education at the University of Kentucky by working for the U.S. Post Office, earning first an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and then an MBA.[1]
After receiving his MBA, Taylor began teaching at the University of Kentucky, where he was nominated Best Teacher of the Year.[2] He then accepted a position at the U.S. Bureau of the Census. During his career, he received numerous awards for outstanding service, chaired both the Management and Economics curricula at the International Programs Center, and was a member of the Bureau's Project Management Board of Directors.
In 2002, Taylor founded The Ron Taylor Group which provides consulting services and training in leadership, project management, knowledge management, and mentoring.[3] The Ron Taylor Group is a Registered Educational Provider[4] with the Project Management Institute, a worldwide non-profit membership association for project management professionals. The company's clients include government agencies, universities, and a wide range of corporations.[5]
Taylor is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has been active in the Washington Chapter of the Project Management Institute for many years. He served as the chapter's president in 2007 and 2008. The Washington DC Chapter is the largest PMI chapter in the world, with over 9,000 members. During his term the chapter was named PMI Chapter of the Year and Taylor was named PMI's Component Leader of the Year.[6] He is also an adjunct professor of project management at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia,[7] an adjunct professor in the Executive MBA Program at Virginia Tech University, and a member of the Tower Club.
In addition to his other credentials, Taylor has also been certified a Master Certified Knowledge Manager (MCKM) by the International Knowledge Institute.[8][9] Drawing on this expertise, along with his years of experience in project management and his consulting work with a broad range of clients, Taylor is a well-known guest speaker at seminars and conferences hosted by corporations, non-profit groups, and universities. He uses stories, analogies, and humorous examples to share both project management "best practices" and leadership lessons that can work in any type of organization.[10] He is represented by the Washington Speakers' Bureau.
Taylor is an international correspondent for PMForum, the co-author of The 77 Deadly Sins of Project Management[11] and the author of Five Easy Ways to Manage Knowledge, and Nurture Trust.[12] He has contributed to books and articles on leadership and project management.[13] Taylor's latest book, Leadership: Stories, Lessons, and Uncommon Sense, was released in May, 2011. In the book, he stresses the importance of building a foundational leadership philosophy, a "to be" list, in addition to the traditional "to do" list, and an appreciation of both the responsibility and privilege that leaders bear. Taylor describes his leadership philosophy as consisting of three principles: (1) look for people who are doing something right, not wrong, (2) look for more leaders, not more followers, and (3) look for substance over style. On June 30, 2011 Taylor was interviewed by Lisa DiMonte of MyLegal.com and explained these principles in detail.[14]
Author Bonnie Biafore interviewed Taylor for her book, Successful Project Management: Applying Best Practices and Real World Techniques with Microsoft Project, [15] released in April, 2011 and he is quoted in a June, 2011 article in Smart CEO. [16]
"You need to do the best job you can, even if it's not your bliss."' [17]
"Leadership has more to do with behavior than position."
"Trust is fundamental - you can do a lot with it and very little without it."
"Trying to be all things to all people is like trying to stay dry by dancing between raindrops."
"Do you want to settle for impressing people, or do you want to inspire them?"
"Brag about others, not yourself."
Taylor is a musician and has played trumpet with Becca and the Buzzards since 2005.[18] He is a sponsor and board member of the National Trumpet Competition, held annually at George Mason University.[19]