PMI award winner touts the virtues of ‘team players’
Alisher Kabildjanov, 2016 PMI Award winner
Although Alisher Kabildjanov’s combination of intellect, creativity and work ethic make him a deserving choice for Red River College’s joint award with the Project Management Institute (PMI) for outstanding student work, he’s quick to shine the spotlight on others when talking about his experience in RRC’s Project Management program.
“If I had to pick just one highlight from the program, I’d say it was the teamwork,” says Alisher. “The relationship between the teams who were working on projects, they were the best part. It’s how I realized that project management is not about your unique skills at the end of the day – it’s your team’s strengths and [your] ability to work with teams.”
When Alisher arrived in Winnipeg 12 years ago, he’d already spent years working with teams. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in English philosophy from Karshi State University, he embraced the “uncertainty and risk, but also the unique results” of projects for both the United Nations Development Program and the European Union’s Technical Assistance Program in project management and business analyst roles.
With that considerable international experience under his belt, why did he register for Project Management in 2011?
“The value you gain from a recognized program is being introduced to best practices,” Alisher says. “Now I can reference collections of different tools and techniques that are reviewed by hundreds of thousands of professionals, best practices I was not aware of before.”
Now the project manager responsible for overall strategy and methodology at the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association, the young father of one is excited about the potential of information technology to inform his employer’s plans. He’s so passionate on the subject, he’s heading back to school for computer science courses at RRC, while also considering a Master’s degree – all with the goal of improving others’ lives.
When he accepted his award and $1,000 cheque in mid-April at PMI’s annual spring conference, Alisher’s brief speech also focused on others – specifically the potential RRC’s Project Management program has to change local perception of major projects.
“In Winnipeg there are still too many high-profile projects in the media for the wrong reasons. I believe this program is well positioned to prepare project leaders now and in the future to change that. It’s very much needed.”