People And Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

There's some newly published, compelling research that has now found that--are you ready--many meetings are a waste of time! Oh, I know you might find that shocking! More likely, you might be shocked that research time had to be invested to figure that out. But in today's episode, you're going to hear from Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg who not only researches things like meetings, he's a great voice to help us make them better. Links to Resources For Steven's contact information, check out his website at http://belkcollege.uncc.edu/directory/steven-g-rogelberg. Here are some links to additional resources mentioned in the interview: Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business The Science and Fiction of Meetings (MIT Sloan Management Review) The Meeting (NOTE: watch out for the price!) Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Total Duration 29:31 Download episode 72

When I first started as an executive coach, I felt like I had to have all the answers. One of the benefits of getting older is that we realize that it’s impossible to have all the answers. In fact, the people I respect the most are less about the answers they provide and more about the questions they ask. That mindset is one of many reasons why I appreciate Rob Kaplan’s book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential. In this premium episode, I'm going to share some additional thoughts to help us personally apply this learning. Thank you for being a premium subscriber to The People and Projects Podcast! Total Duration 9:32 Download the premium episode

Another Day in the Salt Mine! One of the many things I love about my job is that I get to intersect with hundreds of organizations. As I walked into the office of one of my large financial services customers recently, I took a moment to watch the body language of the people as they walked through the doors to start their day. I've learned you can tell a lot about a company by watching the employees. Do you want to know what I saw? In words it might sound like this: "Well, it's another day. I'm going to be working on another project. Hopefully, it will be successful so I can get another promotion (which sounds a lot better than looking for another job!)."   Engaging Our Teams For those who lead teams or departments or even companies, you know there are people who walk into your organization each day that just aren't as engaged as they could be. What can we do as leaders of people and projects to more effectively engage our teams? In this episode, I interview author and Harvard business professor Robert Steven

There's a big appetite these days for advice for introverts. Lisa Petrilli's e-book shares some helpful insights. I trust you found the interview with Lisa was helpful, whether you consider yourself an introvert or if you lead a team that has one or more members. In this premium episode, I'm going to share some additional thoughts to help us personally apply this learning. Check your Premium Feed for the People Styles material that I mention in this cast. Let me know what questions you have. Thank you for being a premium subscriber to The People and Projects Podcast!  

People Don't Listen To Me Some years back I was sitting across the table from a coaching client. We were talking about what she thought was her inability to influence as effectively as she wished. In her soft-spoken manner, she said, "I just feel like people don't listen to me." I have to admit that the mischievous side of me wanted to say, "Um, what was that you said?" Now, of course, I didn't say that, but let me ask you this... Since she is quiet it's rather obvious she's an introvert, right? And it's probably fair to say that introversion is likely to hold her back from climbing the ladder, wouldn't you say? Well, how about this? The coaching client was a C-level executive in a highly successful organization. Though she very well may be an introvert, making that assessment so quickly without learning more is an easy mistake to make.   Can Introverts Be Effective Project Managers? Can introverts be effective project managers and leaders? In this episode, we talk about that with Lisa Petrilli, author of The

Total Duration 24:39 Download episode 69 In this episode I continue my interview with Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals and Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. If you happened to miss the first part of the interview, I definitely invite you to check that out as well. In this episode Heidi shares insights on the difference between Be Good and Get Better Goals. Also, she addresses some myths regarding willpower, visualization, and positive thinking: topics that are often miserably mishandled in popular self-help books. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the evidence-based insights that Heidi brings to these topics. I highly recommend your next steps include getting a copy of her Harvard Business Review e-book single entitled Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. It's a very quick read and enormously practical. It's under $4 on Amazon in a Kindle format (and if you don't have a Kindle, you can download one on your computer or other device to read

I trust you enjoyed the discussion with Heidi. She's a fresh voice on this topic of reaching our goals and I love the fact that she backs up her insights with research from multiple studies. In this premium episode, I share some additional thoughts to help us personally apply this learning. Check your Premium Feed for the Goal Planning Worksheet that I've included. It's based on lessons from Heidi's work as well as the Change Anything book from Kerry Patterson. Use it as a guide to develop better goals this year. Let me know what questions you have. If you would like the Microsoft Word version of the document instead of the PDF, I invite you to request it by e-mail. Also, once you've filled out the form, I invite you to pass your plans by me for any questions or comments. It would be my pleasure to help you! Thank you for being a premium subscriber to The People and Projects Podcast. Please let me know what questions you have and if there's anything I can do to help you lead and deliver. Thank you for joinin

Total Duration 25:04 Download episode 68   Additional Episode My interview with Heidi is split between two episodes. Make sure to listen to the second portion where we cover additional practical insights to help us reach our goals this year. For my premium subscribers, you're extra coaching episode will be published along with the second half of the interview. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

It's clear to most of us that employee engagement has been steadily dropping for years. We've talked about it before on this podcast, and it's a real concern. I don't know about you, but personally, I find the terms inner work life, nourishers, and toxins kind of touchy-feely. But despite the terminology, I have found the evidence-based insights in The Progress Principle are worthy of our attention and application. In this premium episode, I'd like to share some additional coaching based on my discussion with co-author Steve Kramer to help you apply the learning. So let's start with this: it certainly makes sense that people are going to be more productive, creative, and committed when they feel good overall as well as feel good about the people they work with and the organization they work at. But I wonder if we, as leaders and managers, think about this as often as we need to? I think it's easy to assume people are just glad to have a job these days. If they like us and the organization, that's frosting on

The Gift That Keeps on Giving This is a season when giving gifts takes center stage for most of us. Many of us have the gift of some time off before a new year begins. And when that new year gets into full swing, what is one of the biggest gifts you can give those you lead? I'll give you a hint: it doesn't require shiny wrapping or a pretty bow. One of the best gifts to those we lead is the gift of Respect. Encouragement. Clear goals. Autonomy. The resources they need. Creating environments where people love to work is a gift that keeps on giving. And my gift to you this Christmas is an interview with the co-author of one of the most respected business books of 2011. The book is entitled The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, and the author is Steven Kramer. I actually gave a copy of The Progress Principle as a Christmas gift to a close friend, and I recommend you get yourself a copy as well. Learn more about the book at their website http://www.progressp

How strategically are you using LinkedIn these days? Or other social networking sites? From my interactions with people around the world I get widely varying answers. I know many of you are actively engaged with LinkedIn and even Facebook. Yet I run into many people who effectively tell me, "I know, I know.... I really need to be taking this more seriously but I just haven't carved out time." I trust the interview with Wayne Breitbarth provided an idea or two that can help you take the next step in leveraging LinkedIn for your benefit. Also, make sure you join me for the free LinkedIn webinar on Tuesday, December 20. I'd love to have you in the discussion. Click the Register Now button or use this link: https://i-lead.pgimeet.com/attendee/RegisterLogin.aspx?hubconfID=1192095&qtID=1&act=reg Based on my discussion with Wayne, here are some points I want to further stress with my premium subscribers: First, how do you position LinkedIn and other social networking sites in your own mind? Traditionally I

In this episode I'm going to share a conversation I had recently with Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search. Wayne is my favorite expert on LinkedIn and I know you'll enjoy his insights. You can learn more about Wayne and his book at http://www.powerformula.net/. I strongly recommend you sign-up for Wayne's free newsletter with tips and tricks. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

So let me ask you.... How are you letting the current economic uncertainty impact you? These are challenging times. As much as I'd love to believe we're rising out of the mire, there's enough ambiguity and lack of national leadership from both political parties that there's plenty of reason to be concerned. That concern can make it even more difficult to lead those on your team who perhaps share even greater concerns. Leading in times of pressure is what Justin Menkes book is all about. In this premium episode I want to highlight some points from the interview with Justin about you can better navigate these challenging times. Perspective. In my book entitled Navigating the Winds of Change: Staying on Course in Business & in Life, I share how perspective is one of the key ways to thrive during times of high change. Certainly perspective is important these days, so here's a start: Let's not forget that it's been really bad before. Though it sounds rather cliché-like right now, there's wisdom in the saying

In this episode, I talk with Justin Menkes, author of Better Under Pressure: How Great Leaders Bring Out the Best in Themselves and Others. Let's learn together from Justin as we talk about leading under pressure. You can learn more about Justin and his book at http://www.BetterUnderPressure.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! P.S. Here's an entertaining and informative video on how stress impacts how the brain works, from Dr. John Medina. Enjoy! {youtube}S6Xq7CMOH1k{/youtube}

Maybe it's because I'm now in my second decade of running my business. Or it could be that our kids are getting older. But whatever the reason, it becomes more apparent to me each year that a key responsibility for us as leaders is to use our time well. For some time now I've enjoyed Peter's writing and have personally instituted many ideas from his new book. In this premium episode I want to highlight some points from the interview with Peter about how we can better manage our time and attention. It's not about getting everything done. It's about getting the most important things done. Peter referred to this in the interview. It's not about keeping things from falling through the cracks. In fact, he said there are some things we need to push through the cracks! I actually had a coaching client who once told me that she didn't feel comfortable going home at night until she had all her to-do's completed. I told her to buy a cot because you'll never be able to get everything done! It's OK to not have your to-d

Total Duration 27:37 Download episode 64 One of my favorite writers and voices on the topic of productivity is Peter Bregman. Peter recently released his newest book entitled 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Peter recently and look forward to sharing that discussion with you in this episode. You can learn more about Peter at his website http://www.PeterBregman.com. Quick note: I'm always encouraged to hear from listeners and received this recently from Cheryl, who said, "I've been listening to your informative and inspiring podcasts and have found value in each one. I like your passion and sincerity. I benefit from the coaching delivered through your discussions with your engaging guests regarding leadership attitudes, skills and practices. I love that you call it the People and Projects podcast. My personal #1 rule is to take care of the people, and your podcasts cover the many dimensions of pursuing that objecti

Credibility. It's the foundation of leadership. If we don't have it, we can't lead--it's as simple as that. I trust you enjoyed the discussion with Jim Kouzes. In this premium episode I want to highlight some points from the interview about credibility. Let's start with their definition of leadership. It seems that every one of my leadership expert guests has some slight variation to the definition, and most of these variations have some subtle benefits so let's review what Jim said. Leadership is a relationship between those who willingly follow and those who aspire to lead. What are some key words in that definition? Relationship: it's personal, it's between individuals. As with all relationships, it has to be nurtured to be valued. Willingly follow. That's an interesting way of saying it! It's not just that they follow but that they willingly follow. You ultimately can't force your team to follow you. They have to want to. And aspiration to lead. Chances are that if you're in a leadership role, you aspire

Total Duration 20:58 Download episode 63 In our last episode I started a conversation with Jim Kouzes about their newly revised book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. We continue that conversation in this episode, where I ask Jim for insights such as "How do you keep your credibility when being asked to support a decision you don't agree with?" You can learn more about Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner online at http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Total Duration 21:06 Download episode 62 I'm recording this episode on the road this week, delivering a keynote on leadership at a Project Management Institute Professional Development Day. Since I have leadership on the brain today, let me ask you: Think of one of the best leaders you've ever had the privilege of working with.... What was it about that person that made them such an effective leader? Though the details of your answer could be different from what others might say, chances are we would all agree that the best leader that came to mind for us shared one thing in common: credibility. Credibility is fundamental to being a leader, and in this cast I'm excited to share the first of two episodes from a conversation with Jim Kouzes. Jim, along with his co-author Barry Posner, are some of the foremost researchers and voices on leadership, including works such as their best-selling book The Leadership Challenge. In these next two episodes, I talk with Jim about their newly updated book Credibility: H

Total Duration 7:11 Download the premium episode (NOTE: This Premium Episode is being included in our free podcast stream this week. It gives you a sense of the extra coaching that is available each episode for our premium subscribers. Learn more about becoming a Premium Subscriber at http://bit.ly/PremiumSubscribe). There are many things I love about hosting this podcast. One of them is the opportunity to interact with the experts we interview. You probably notice that I normally include some behind the scenes cuts at the end of interviews to try and give a sense of who these people are. Most are very gracious. There's something about Michael Roberto that truly stands out though. He has great energy, a quick wit, and is everything I would have wanted in a college business professor. In this premium episode I want to highlight some points from the interview with Michael to help you put the learning into action. First, filtering isn't bad, right? We need it for efficiency. People say we need to over-communic