I'm Doug Noullett
I am a successful professional and well-respected highly organized leader with a strong and proven track record of delivering results. I have extensive experience and success in all aspects of project delivery. My project experience is supported by strong and effective leadership developed through military experience and training, adjusted and used with great effect in industry.
I consider myself a well-grounded Canadian and am proud of my roots in our resource-based industries. I grew up on a farm, worked in a sawmill, and worked in the oil patch – all before I was 18. I spent nearly 17 years in Canada’s Navy and held command of two minor war vessels. I spent five years with a large international consulting firm, and spent nearly 15 years with Talisman Energy Inc and Repsol Oil and Gas Canada after Repsol acquired Talisman. I have lived in five provinces and have visited every province and territory in our great country. I have traveled extensively for work and pleasure, and am deeply grateful for the many and varied opportunities and experiences I have enjoyed.
I often say I learned everything I need to know about project management on the farm. When I was 16 my dad and I struck a deal – I would provide all the labour to run our small family farm, he would provide the equipment and expertise, and we would split all costs and revenue 50/50. Farming for those few short years was a foundational experience. The “trial-by-fire” project management experience I gained from my dad – a WWII veteran with a grade 8 education, a heart of gold and a work ethic I have never seen matched - has been priceless. Here are the big concepts that have stayed with me all this time.
- Selecting the right crop (concept) is really important. Pick the wrong crops and profits will be limited no matter what happens after.
- Negotiate with a win/win approach – because they are your neighbours.
- Manage risks and pursue opportunities with equal determination. Farming is fraught with risk so you had better get after the opportunities whenever you can.
- Hard work matters. It just does, and you learn that quickly on a farm.
- Bad stuff happens – get over it. A squirrel stored grain in the exhaust pipe of our combine. We had to replace the engine right in the middle of harvest. Didn’t see that coming!
My guiding principle for project delivery is that projects deliver the most value when the right concept is selected and then implemented as promised by a motivated and capable project team. All three elements must be present for organizations to realize the most value from their projects.
With that principle in mind, and after working with my senior career coach, and doing a lot of work to understand what I want to do at this point in my career, it became clear to me the roles I have really enjoyed were those were I was able to coach/mentor and advise project teams using my extensive project delivery experience and strong leadership. It was particularly rewarding to see the teams adopt and adapt the things I showed them as their own and use them with success.
Combining that positive experience, with my passion for project governance I have incorporated Lead Mark Project Delivery. A lead mark is a point by which you set and maintain your course, and it provides the perfect symbol to represent the delivery of project governance services. I have developed the services in three streams using a building-block design where clients can engage Lead Mark Project Delivery to deliver any one piece, or group of them where they see value.