People And Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

Sustainable Pace There are so many ideas in agile project management that I appreciate, and one of my favorites is the principle of sustainable pace. The idea of sustainable pace is that whatever effort we’re putting into our projects, we should be able to sustain it for the long haul. This agile principle acknowledges that our ability to deliver value is harmed when we’re not maintaining a sustainable pace. Now we all would nod our heads that sustainable pace is a good idea, but in practice, many work cultures are far from it. In fact, in conversation after conversation I hear executive coaching clients and audience members talk about dealing with the other extreme—long hours, working on weekends, and high levels of stress. The problem is serious and to mark this special occasion of episode 200, we are joined by Stanford Business School professor Jeffrey Pfeffer. Jeff is the author of Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance--And What We Can Do About It. If yo

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. As we celebrate episode 199, I talk about some lessons based on a New York Times Opinion piece. There's so much to love about convenience. Yet where can convenience creep into our lives as leaders, in a way that actually hinders us? You can read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/opinion/sunday/tyranny-convenience.html. Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {vimeo}https://vimeo.com/264345927{/vimeo} Total Duration 11:36 Download episode 1

Leadership Lessons I'll bet you recently walked by a beautifully landscaped area—maybe it was someone's home, or on a college or corporate campus. You walked by that beautiful area and perhaps you told yourself, "Wow. That's stunning." But here's something I bet you didn't say to yourself: "Wow. That's stunning! This place must have an amazing program to develop outstanding leaders!" I bring this up because beautiful landscaping doesn't just happen. And today you'll hear about leadership lessons from someone whose teams have won national championships when it comes to the most beautiful college campuses. Jeff McManus is the author of Growing Weeders into Leaders, a little book packed with leadership lessons that apply to all of us. Learn more about Jeff and his work at http://jeffmcmanusspeaking.com/.   Let's Stay In Touch! I hear from listeners almost every day, and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite! Also, if you know

'When To' Instead of Just 'How To' We are faced with all kinds of decisions that require us to figure out what to do. The world is filled with books that tell us How to do things, but here's a thought.... Could it be that When To is just as important--maybe even more important--than How to? That's the premise of a new book from my guest today, Daniel Pink. Dan joined us back in episode 88, and he's back to talk about his new book entitled When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Learn more about Dan and his work at http://www.danpink.com/.   Let's Stay In Touch! I hear from listeners almost every day, and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite! Also, let your head of sales know about us! I'd love to help their sales teams to improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/GreatSalesPros. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! CARPE DIEM

Learn How to Learn Learning to learn is what experts call the ultimate survival tool, one of the most important talents of the modern era, the skill that precedes all other skills. The idea is that once you know how to learn, you can learn almost anything. And in today's world of constant disruption and automation, if you and I are not learning, it's only a matter of time before our current skills lose relevance. The best person I know to help us learn how to learn is Ulrich Boser, author of a great new book entitled Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything. Learn more about Ulrich and his work at http://ulrichboser.com/.   For Your Administrative Assistant! If you have an administrative assistant, here's an idea for how you can invest in them! Our Effective Administrative Assistant Webinar Series starts up soon. Learn more at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/Admin Thank you for joining me for this episode of The Peopl

The Lost Art of Conversation George Bernard Shaw once said "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." As leaders of teams and projects, that's a serious problem since so much of our success depends on our ability to communicate effectively with those around us. For all the wonders of technology, one of the unintended consequences is we're getting worse at the art of conversation. There are plenty of studies to back this up, but I think the point is intuitive to us all—-there's more talking, for sure, yet perhaps less true conversation than ever. To help us become better at conversing with even the most difficult stakeholder, we're joined in this episode by Celeste Headlee to talk about her new book We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter. It's related to her famous TED Talk, which I've included below.   For Your Administrative Assistant! If you have an administrative assistant, here's an idea for how you can invest in them! Our Effective Administrativ

Influencing Skills for Leaders For those of us responsible for leading teams and projects, there are a core set of skills we need to develop. We need to manage our time. Deal with conflict. Develop relationships across the organization. We need to think strategically and learn to deal with change. Oh yeah, and develop confidence as we do all of that! All of these are true. But one area that I see over and over that most of us need to develop has to do with our ability to influence. Regardless of your level in the organization, project managers and leaders are constantly faced with situations where we need to influence team members, bosses, customers, and other stakeholders. And more often than not, we have to do that influencing without authority. To help bolster your ability to influence without being a jerk, I’m joined today by Tim David to talk about his new book TRUE Influence: The Magic of Human Connection. It's packed with practical lessons to help you further develop your influencing skills.   For Your

Everything Comes Down to Relationships It's the dirty little secret of business. Your career will be boosted or restrained by how well you build and maintain relationships. In this episode, FranklinCovey's Chief People Officer Todd Davis joins us to talk about his new book Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work. It's packed with practical lessons that can help you in the year ahead. What questions do you have after listening to Todd? Contact me at show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com.  Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER by Cannonball Adderley and Milt Jackson available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2GijKsS A BETTER TOMORROW by Lee Rosevere Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial License.

What Susanne Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I invite my friend and highly esteemed colleague Susanne Madsen to share lessons from her recent business trip to Italy. Learn more about Susanne at https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/ Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {vimeo}https://vimeo.com/247921667{/vimeo} Total Duration 4:03 Download episode 192 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share some thoughts during a bike ride about the tradeoffs between playing it safe by blending in and taking the risk of standing out. Let Me Hear From You! What's your take? Let me know how you've wrestled with the issue of blending in and standing out. What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {vimeo}https://vimeo.com/242814528{/vimeo} Total Duration 5:54 Download episode 191 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share some thoughts from two quotes that I came across this week. Where we focus makes all the difference, and there's a danger if we focus too much on ourselves instead of the customer. The second quote is related to getting support and buy-in. Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {vimeo}https://vimeo.com/242333640{/vimeo} Total Duration 4:03 Download episode 190 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

"Calm Down" Doesn't Work What is something in your near future that's causing you to feel nervous? For example: A certification exam that you'll be taking soon A presentation you need to make to your senior management A tough conversation with a team member of stakeholder An interview for a job you really want When you're faced with having to perform and the stakes are high, it's normal to start feeling nervous. But there's little evidence that just telling someone to "calm down" will provide any benefit. In fact, it might make it worse. So, what does work? HBR Senior Editor Dan McGinn has a new book that takes on this very topic. In Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed, Dan shares evidence-based insights on how you can overcome your pre-performance anxiety. What allows you to walk onto the stage or into the testing center or into that meeting room with the eye of the tiger? Dan shares his insights in this episode. During the recap of the interview, I mention the following

Hacking Your Brain Since the first Brain Rules book came out in 2009, I've been a big fan of Dr. John Medina. John is one of the clearest voices on how we can leverage our brain to achieve peak performance at work and beyond. John recently released the newest book in the Brain Rules franchise: Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy, and Sharp John's 10 principles that apply to all of us, regardless of age, include: Social Brain Your friendships Your happiness Thinking Brain Your stress Your memory Your mind Your mind: Alzheimer's Body and Brain Your food and exercise Your sleep Future Brain Your longevity Your retirement You'll find out what brain science says is the best age to retire. And regardless of your age, you'll find practical insights to help you thrive. Learn more about the Brain Rules books at http://brainrules.net/. Here are the other books in the Brain Rules family: Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work

The State of the PMO In this video episode, I invite Peter Taylor, Bill Dow, and Hussain Bandukwala to a roundtable discussion about project management offices (PMOs). We have a great interaction about the state of today's PMOs, how to start one and keep it relevant, how to market the PMO and get executive support, how agile is impacting the PMO, and predictions about the future. Here's where you can learn more about my guests: Peter Taylor: http://www.thelazyprojectmanager.com/peter-taylor. You can find Peter's books on Amazon here. Bill Dow: https://www.billdowpmp.com/. You can find Bill's book on Amazon here. Hussain Bandukwala: http://www.parwaazcc.com/. Let Me Hear From You! What's working with the PMO's you see these days? What's not working? What questions do you have from this episode? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Project

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share a lesson from a conversation with Howard Silver at a recent keynote at the PMI Chicagoland Symposium. Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {vimeo}https://vimeo.com/235813120{/vimeo} Total Duration 4:52 Download episode 186 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

A Must-Read Book You know that boss that's driving you crazy? Or that stakeholder? We all have them--people who most charitably could be referred to as challenges. If only we could get them to change, then we could deliver our project, or make progress as a team. If only we could change them.... You might not say it that way, but when we face obstacles in the form of people, we're apt to consider them the problem. But what if I told you there's a way to improve the likelihood of getting that other person to change? And it starts with you? In this episode we're talking with Mitch Warner from The Arbinger Institute about their book Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box. It's a must-read book that I look forward to introducing you to in this episode. Learn more about The Arbinger Institute at http://arbingerinstitute.com/. Also, here's where you can find the other books that Mitch mentions in the interview: The Anatomy of Peace. This is a continuation of the story that starts in Leadership and S

Overwhelm Does Not Have to Be Normal I'm regularly challenged by the Henry Cloud quote that "You get what you tolerate." Too often we tolerate overwhelm as normal. My guest in this episode is out to help you fix that. Steve Kahle is founder of Gray Wolf Workflow and he is on a mission to help you and your team get more done with less stress. Click here to learn more about Steve's Proactive Lane Boot Camp. You can participate anywhere in the world and I personally guarantee you will find it worth your investment. Also, check out: Steve's series of short videos at http://OneMinuteProductivity.com His free Workday Planning Guide at http://www.workdayplanningguide.com/    Additional Episodes If you would like more insights on managing your time more effectively, check out these episodes: Cal Newport regarding his book Deep Work: https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/144.  Elizabeth Grace Saunders regarding her book How to Invest Your Time Like Money: https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/137.  Kory Kogon regardi

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share lessons from finishing an MBA course and a 162 mile bike ride. Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning lately? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {youtube}https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LT1qatzfJU{/youtube} Total Duration 11:08 Download episode 183 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

Expert Insights From a Brilliant Project Manager One of the true joys I have in my role is the opportunity to meet and interact with people from all over the world. And when I have the opportunity to spend some time talking with people who have a passion for leading teams and delivering projects, it's particularly fun! One of my new friends in the last year is a brilliant project management thought leader from the UK: Dr. Mike Clayton. In this episode, Mike and I talk about subjects including: Stakeholder management, including how to keep stakeholders engaged. Influencing challenging stakeholders and team members. How organizational politics impact how we lead projects. How to manage risks on projects (and what aspect of risk management gets too little attention). Learn more about Mike and his online PM courses at http://www.onlinepmcourses.com/about/.   It's All About Relationships As Mike and I talk in this episode, a lot of success leading projects comes down to building relationships. Learn how to more

What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share lessons from a son moving out of the home and a book I'm reading for a future episode. Get a head start on the book Leadership and Self-Deception by clicking here. Let Me Hear From You! What lessons have you learned about ending well? How have you seen self-deception hold a leader back? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). What have you been learning? I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! {youtube}KvaGSzYXWrM{/youtube} Total Duration 6:56 Download episode 181 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.