People And Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

If you've followed this podcast or attended one of my keynotes on project management or leadership, you've likely caught onto my bias that the biggest successes, the biggest joys, the biggest failures, and the biggest stresses often come down to the same thing: people. Project management is ultimately people management. Success with people management--and thus project management--can significantly depend on our effectiveness in areas such as communication, influence, and building relationships. One of the freshest voices on the people side of project management is consultant Dave Po-Chedley, PMP, author of Client Relationship Management: How to Turn Client Relationships into a Competitive Advantage. I had the opportunity to catch up with Dave recently and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode. I invite you to learn more about Dave and the work of Cambridge Consulting (http://www.cambridgeconsult.com and http://www.pminsight.us). I want to let you know that Dave has graciously made tw

In recent episodes I’ve mentioned that we will be launching Premium Subscriptions of The People and Projects Podcast. Well, we have lift-off! In this cast I want to give you a brief overview of our vision for the Premium Subscription as well as tell you about a special offer that is available for a limited time. So let’s talk vision.... The best leaders I've had the opportunity to work with had at least this in common: They actively invest in their own personal development And they intentionally develop the people around them. Yet there is this little problem of time and money.... Developing yourself and those around you takes time, and time is one of the few things even more scarce than money in many organizations today. Taking people out of their day-to-day for a 5-day workshop just isn't an option for many organizations. And training isn't cheap. Yet not investing in yourself and your team isn't a sustainable option. What if you didn't have to send your people to training. Rather, the training came to yo

I can easily recall the days before I became a manager. I started my career as a software developer, which by nature of how software gets created, usually meant work being done in teams. When my team leader or manager would mess up in some way, I would occasionally think, when I finally get to lead a team, I'm going to do things differently! How hard can this be? Then I became a manager! It was then that I truly realized that it's one thing to talk about leading teams--it's a whole different deal when you have to be the leader and your team members aren't necessarily as motivated as you want them to be, or priorities change, or your senior management seems dim-witted, and you feel overwhelmed. The truth is that leading teams well is difficult work, often under-estimated by those who haven't had to hold the reins. One of my favorite experts on this topic is Harvard professor J. Richard Hackman. In this cast I look forward to sharing a recent discussion I had with Dr. Hackman based on his book Leading Teams: Se

It's so easy to get into a rut. Whether it's on a personal basis, a project team, or even an organization, it's easy to keep doing things the way we've always done them. Actually, the brain kind of likes it when we go on auto-pilot. This allows the brain to focus on the more important matters before us, like the stare your boss is giving you when you're trying to reply to a message on your Blackberry during her staff meeting! Each year we learn more about how the brain works and how we can use that knowledge to better meet the challenges we face. In this episode I interview Madeleine Van Hecke and Brad Kolar, co-authors of the book The Brain Advantage: Become a More Effective Business Leader Using the Latest Brain Research. Make sure to check out the website for their book at www.TheBrainAdvantage.com. You can get your copy of Madeleine's book Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things on Amazon. It's a great read! One way to snap out of the old way of doing things is to bring new thinking into your organi

I'm in Las Vegas this week, speaking to leaders from hundreds of companies from around the world. Las Vegas is certainly an intriguing place on many levels. It's an economy that thrives on tourism and in order to keep those tourists happy and coming back, organizations out here need reliable, skilled, engaged workers. The truth is, the need for engaged, motivated employees isn't just a Las Vegas issue. I've long felt that the most dangerous employee was not the one who has left the company. It's the one who has left the company but they haven't left the company! It's the people who are just checking in and checking out, day after day, taking up space and leaving a huge amount of productivity on the table. Whether you lead a team of software developers, salespeople, accountants, or doctors, much of our organizational success comes down to how engaged and motivated our front line employees truly are. I'm staying at a very nice, well-known hotel in Vegas. To be honest, I'm not impressed with the front line servi

What comes to mind when you think of empathy? Do you think of someone who is highly sensitive and compassionate--maybe even too much? Or does that description sound more like sympathy, where empathy isn't quite as emotional? Empathy remains a hot topic in leadership. It's difficult to lead people without some measure of empathy in your approach. Yet I've observed from plenty of executive coaching clients that there's some opportunity to better understand what empathy is--and isn't as we seek to deliver projects and lead teams. One of the freshest voices on empathy today is Dev Patnaik, CEO of Jump Associates. Dev recently authored the book Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy. I had the opportunity to talk with Dev and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this cast. Make sure to get a copy of Dev's book Wired to Care. And check out the book's website (wiredtocare.com) and Dev's organization Jump Associates. Before we wrap this up, I want to give you a heads-u

So when it comes right down to it... what can you do to better ensure that you successfully deliver the projects you're managing?  It's a question I love working with our clients on, and it's a question that is directly addressed in Clint Padgett's book The Project Success Method: A Proven Approach for Achieving Superior Project Performance in as Little as 5 Days. I had the opportunity to talk with Clint recently and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode. To learn more about Clint and his organization, I invite you to check them out at projectsuccess.com. Do you have an upcoming company meeting or retreat? We have keynote presentations that can inspire and motivate your teams to successfully deliver the projects and lead their teams. Contact us at 866-884-5323 to learn more. I invite you to join me next time when I talk with Dev Patnaik, author of an intriguing book on innovation and leadership entitled Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy. Thanks

It's one thing to know there's a model for influencing without authority. But how do we implement that model, as leaders and project managers? That's what we tackle in this second part of my interview with Dr. Allan Cohen, author of Influence Without Authority. {loadposition content_amazonInfluenceWithoutAuthority}I recommend you check out the accompanying website for Dr. Cohen's book, which you can find at www.influencewithoutauthority.com. Are you interested in learning how to develop your influence skills? How about your team's ability to influence? Give us a call to learn how we can help you become more influential, even in situations you don't have authority. Please join me in the next episode when I’m joined by Clint Padgett, President and CEO of Project Success Inc, and author of The Project Success Method: A Proven Approach for Achieving Superior Project Performance in as Little as 5 Days. Thanks for joining us for this episode! Have a great week! Duration 19:37 Download episode 28

One of my leadership heroes is Ken Blanchard, who is on record of saying, "The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” I wholeheartedly agree with Ken, that developing your influence skills is critical to success in today’s business environment, especially when a growing number of project managers and other leaders have an increasing amount of responsibility but not necessarily a corresponding amount of authority to go with it. {loadposition content_amazonInfluenceWithoutAuthority}Many listening to this cast are in positions where they have to influence without authority and to help us improve our skills in that area I got in touch with the author of one my favorite books on the topic, Dr Allan Cohen, who wrote Influence Without Authority. In this cast we walk through the influence model that Allan developed with Stanford professor Dr. David Bradford. In the follow-up cast I have Allan walk through a couple specific scenarios relevant to our audience, to apply the model in practical w

In our last episode I started an interview with Dr. Ed Schein, Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus at MIT and author of fourteen business books, including The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. Make sure to listen to that episode if you happened to miss it. {loadposition content_amazonHelping}In this second part of the interview, we turn our attention to Ed's seminal yet highly practical book entitled Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help. Ever wonder why some people find it difficult to ask for help, even when they are "spinning their wheels" with the project tasks? Or why some people just won't take you up on offers to help, even when it's desperately needed? In this interview Ed helps us understand the surprisingly complex dynamics around giving and receiving help. I strongly recommend you get a copy of Ed's books we discuss in these two episodes. I invite you to join me next time when I interview Dr. Allen Cohen, author of the acclaimed book Influence Without Authority. Part of the compl

It happens regularly... my phone rings, I pick it up, and on the other end I'm talking with someone who's inquiring about bringing us in to deliver a keynote for a company event or training for their organization.{loadposition content_amazonCorpCulture} My first response is not whether I'm available on the dates they're looking for. My first questions are designed to help me understand the problems they're trying to solve. Once I have a good sense of the issues they want to address, I inevitably ask a critical, open-ended question: "Tell me about the culture of your organization?" How would you respond to that question? How would you describe your company's culture? Or the culture of your team? How about the project culture at your company--how things get done? This is what I've found: understanding organizational culture is critical to being able to deliver projects and lead teams. If I don't have a decent idea of the culture I'm walking into for a keynote, workshop, or coaching session, I flat out won't be

Here's the situation... you're responsible for delivering a project. Your boss comes in today and announces that senior management has decided that you must deliver your project 4 weeks earlier than originally planned.You know that the project is already carrying a lot of risk, and cutting 4 more weeks seems completely unrealistic, at least from your perspective. Yet it also appears, from your perspective, that speaking up or pushing back could be job risking. They aren't looking for your input--they're looking for you to deliver on the demand.Sound familiar?Whether you are a project manager or responsible for leading a team, we are regularly faced with situations that require us to influence others. Yet here's my observation: influence skills are one of the most under-trained areas for many people today. It's almost as if we think influence training is for salespeople or lawyers or "those people over in procurement."{loadposition content_amazonYes}We all can benefit from developing our influence skills. One

Download the episode I got a call this morning from a former coaching client. Two years ago when I was working with Jerry he expressed interest in writing a book, which I enthusiastically encouraged he pursue. Two years later hes made significant progress and now had questions about the publishing process. In roughly 20 minutes I happily downloaded lessons that were learned since I published my first book 8 years ago.{loadposition content_amazonGotYourBack}Why do I share this story? What if Jerry hadn't surrounded himself with someone who cared enough to help him out? I don't want to over-state the value of my advice for certainly there are plenty of websites and services that have information that could help him achieve his goal. Yet there's something even more powerful about having close access to a circle of people you trust, who you know care about your success, and are eager to help you achieve it.Jerry has that in me. Who do you have in your inner circle or your "Go To Group" (a term I introduc

Download the episode As you start this new year, let me ask you a personal question: How satisfied are you with your financial situation? Though it doesn't seem like a question for a podcast on leadership and project management, here's what I've found: there are seemingly endless resources available on the internet to learn more about managing your finances. Yet I find that many of my coaching clients--once I get to know them well enough--confess that financial stress is something they deal with, particularly in this economy.Since work/life balance is an important objective for all who desire to lead people and projects, I wanted to invest a cast on the topic of our personal finances. The start of a year is often a great time to reboot old habits to start fresh with new ones.When it comes to financial advice I turn to my friend, author, and personal finance expert Matt Bell. I had the opportunity to talk with Matt recently and look forward to sharing the interview with you in this cast. To learn more

Accountability.It's an easy word to say, but when it comes to practicing it, whether on a personal level or across an organization, it's often not practiced (or practiced well). A recurring theme I hear from project managers and leaders is that their organization struggles with accountability.John G. Miller is my "go to" person when it comes to the topic of personal accountability. John's book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life has sold nearly a million copies since it hit the streets some years back. This week John is releasing a new book about how to make your organization exceptional.As you start this new year looking to raise the bar with your teams, I share in this episode a recent discussion I had with John about QBQ! and his new book entitled, Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional., especially if you like books where each chapter is 5 pages or less! Check out John's websites at www.qbq.com/, www.outstandingorganization.com

Download the episode Happy New Year! Thank you for joining us for this special New Year's episode of The People and Projects Podcast!Quick note: You can now receive notices of new podcast episodes via e-mail, allowing you to listen to them more conveniently and in a timely manner. Sign up here!How many times have you set a new years resolution only to have it hit head-on into the wall of reality of daily living? My experience? New Year's resolutions often don't last the day, much less the end of January!There are all kinds of resolutions you might consider, personally and professionally. On a professional level, for project managers that have not yet gotten certified, why not make this the year that you get that done? It's so easy to put it off. For others, there might be some habits you want to improve such as getting more sleep or going out on a date with a loved one more often.If you are a project manager and haven't yet pursued certification, click here to learn more about PMP certification.There

I have the real privilege of helping organizations around the world improve their ability to deliver projects and lead teams. In 2008 we added a PMP Exam Prep offering to our mix to help project managers who want to get their Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.I have to say this while I can because it's only a matter of time before I won't be able to! So far, every one of our students who have attended our workshops and taken the PMP certification exam have passed! Now obviously I can't take too much credit for this track record because anyone who wants to pass the PMP exam must have a fair amount of experience to even apply. In addition, there's plenty of study required. That said, it's totally passable and we can help you.If you are a project manager and haven't yet pursued certification, I strongly recommend you consider making it a goal for the coming year. Click here to learn more about PMP certification.Now of course PMP certification is an obvious option

I have the real privilege of helping organizations around the world improve their ability to deliver projects and lead teams. In 2008 we added a PMP Exam Prep offering to our mix to help project managers who want to get their Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.I have to say this while I can because it's only a matter of time before I won't be able to! So far, every one of our students who have attended our workshops and taken the PMP certification exam have passed! Now obviously I can't take too much credit for this track record because anyone who wants to pass the PMP exam must have a fair amount of experience to even apply. In addition, there's plenty of study required. That said, it's totally passable and we can help you.If you are a project manager and haven't yet pursued certification, I strongly recommend you consider making it a goal for the coming year. Click here to learn more about PMP certification.Now of course PMP certification is an obvious option

My middle son Zachary celebrates his 13th birthday later this month. Just this last week I was talking to a friend of his about the upcoming milestone. This friend, who is a couple years younger than Z, remarked, "Man, it seems like we just celebrated his birthday! Has another year gone by so quickly?"Ever get that feeling, especially as we get close to the end of another year? How did this year go by so fast?I had the opportunity to catch up with a close friend over a cup of coffee recently. He remarked that when he looked at the vice president level above him at his company, all he saw was more work, more stress, and less time with his family. Interestingly, he related "Most people at our company look up one level and say, 'You couldn't pay me enough to take that job! Life is too short!'"Maybe you can relate. Either you're already experiencing that frantic pace or you look at the next level and agree that the price on your life isn't worth pursuing a promotion.Certainly this reality hurts companies. They ar

Download the episode Thanksgiving is, indeed, one of my favorite holidays. Though celebrated this week in the States, many other countries have a similar holiday with essentially the same purpose: give us a chance to reflect on what we're thankful for.The People and Projects Podcast is all about helping you to deliver projects and lead teams. So, it's worth asking: how important is being thankful to helping you lead and deliver?It's critical. In fact, let's test that out for a second....Think back through bosses you've worked for in the past. Or consider teachers you've had over the years, and perhaps even your parents. Out of that list, who jumps out as someone who was stingy, so to speak, with their gratitude towards you? Whether in word or action, they just didn't dish out appreciation very often.Can you think of someone? Many people can. What consequences come to mind that resulted from that lack of gratitude?Some two years ago I was talking with a CEO about how I like to send Thank You cards to