People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

Are there shortcuts? It's a rare week that goes by without seeing a post here on LinkedIn reminding us that success is a game of grit and grind, hard work and perseverance, and all of that is true. But are there shortcuts? In this brief video, I share a lesson told to me by a workshop participant today. It calls back to lessons we've hit in previous episodes with guests such as Shane Snow , Marc E...

Hey, you know that conflict you have going on? It's a pain, right? Sucking the life out of you, perhaps? I spoke with a group of leaders today at a Chicago company that I love. One idea during our discussion? When faced with conflict, keep a laser focus on this one principle: don't make the conflict worse. Try to resolve it. Try to make it better. But don't make it worse. In this brief video, I sh...

Is it possible for someone in a leadership position to nearly destroy a company in less than 2 years? Yep. The leader at one of my clients eventually got walked out, but not before leaving the company stripped of some of their best people (and leaving the remaining employees shell-shocked from the experience). In this short video, I share some lessons for us to wrestle with as leaders. That leader...

The Case for Generalists Have you heard someone referred to as a jack of all trades, master of none ? It's typically not meant as a compliment--it's that they tend to know about a lot of things, but none of those things deeply. And the implication is that we often value specialization--the one who is the deep expert. That's the person to be. Expertise is good and can certainly pay off. But today's...

I flew out to Baltimore Thursday night to deliver an early Friday morning keynote. As it turns out, there was a mixup with company contracted to take me to the venue. In this brief episode, I share a quick lesson about how the owner of the limo company responded to the screw up, and there's a lesson for all of us when you and I inevitably make our next mistake. Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to he...

We are surrounded by people who are discouraged. In this under 3-minute video, I share a lesson I learned recently about encouragement and discouragement. Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What do you think about this idea? What's an example of how you try to encourage people? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning la...

Check out LiquidPlanner This episode of The People and Projects Podcast is sponsored by LiquidPlanner . LiquidPlanner gives teams a better way to plan and execute work. What most impresses me about LiquidPlanner is its predictive, resource-based scheduling technology. It accounts for priorities, resources, and uncertainty, allowing teams to focus on the right work at the right time and make inform...

"You're not thinking far enough down the road." One of the best bosses I ever hated to work used to say that me and my peers. A lot. And the boss was right. Which is why they were one of my best bosses! We're too easily focused on the short-term at the cost of the long-term. In this 2.5 minute video, I share a lesson I learned this week from my friend Austin. It's advice worth heeding, whether you...

Video doorbells give an interesting look at the age-old question: "Who are you when no one is watching?" In this brief video, I talk about a key lesson about leadership: we cast a longer shadow than we often realize. Let Me Hear From You! Hey, this isn't just about free PDUs, right? Let's start a discussion! I'd love to hear from you! What are some things you've seen people do differently when the...

Good work should stand on its own. It should. But it doesn't always, right? In a world that is filled with distractions, how do you make sure your good work gets 'seen'? In this brief video, I share some ideas for your consideration. Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! You're not just here for free PDUs, right? Let's learn together! What are some mistakes you've seen people make tryin...

How do you win the hearts of your clients? Win the hearts of your team members. That was the core message of a keynote I delivered this morning to a group of business owners. The idea is straightforward--and so easily missed. We get focused on the customer or client, and that's a good thing. But does it make sense to you that if you win the hearts of your team, they'll do a better job of taking ca...

A Giant in our Field It's one thing to make a difference in the short term. It's one thing to be on top for a moment. In today's culture, we cheer for the winner—the one who makes the big splash or wins the big game. In business, it's one thing to show up on, say, Jim Collins' list of Built to Last companies in 1994. It's a whole different thing to still be exemplary decades later. Back in episode...

Lies About Work? There are ideas about leadership and management that you and I have learned over the years that sound reasonable. We do them all the time. Surely they must work, right? For example, having competency models to identify what makes, let's say, an effective project manager or team leader. Using 360-degree feedback instruments to understand our strengths. That strengths are things we'...

Our Culture Series Continues Your company culture? Yeah, it probably has some problems, right? And our guest Mike Rognlien has a message for you and for me. If your company culture sucks, it's at least in part because you're part of it. And since you're part of it, it's at least partly your responsibility to help make it better. Mike is the author of a book entitled This Is Now Your Company: A Cul...

Could it be that you are one Yes away from a significant opportunity? 25 years ago today, I had every reason to say No to an opportunity. There was almost no reason to say Yes. And yet that one Yes has provided a career path that I can't imagine being more fulfilling. If you don't have a compelling reason to say No to the next opportunity that comes your way, consider a Yes. You never know where i...

We Would Never Design Work Like This "What is keeping you from doing the best work of your life?" That's a question we're going to tackle in this episode. It's critical because the way we're doing work--at most organizations--is keeping us from doing our best work. We're joined in episode 249 by Aaron Dignan, author of a new book entitled Brave New Work . I put this book in the "must read" categor...

I know. I know. What I talk about in this video episode will sound crazy at first. But the next time you face a ranting stakeholder, I share one thing to avoid and one thing to try. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Goulston in episode 143 for these ideas. There are definitely more things to keep in mind than just these things when we face difficult people and situations. But if nothing else, these ideas...

Have a decision to make, whether on your projects, about your team, maybe outside of work? There are some predictable reasons why we don't make better decisions. I'm giving a keynote today in Anaheim, California on the topic, and in this video I share a couple ideas from the session. In the video, I mention two books that I recommend you get on your reading list when they come out: Aaron Dignan's...

The Science of Meetings We too easily tolerate bad meetings. We begin to settle. We eventually resign ourselves to the fact that meetings are a necessary evil that will never change. We don't drift towards good meetings. To the contrary, it's like entropy. On its own, we drift to dysfunction and waste. Part of our role as leaders is to steward our own time and the time of those we lead, and if we...

Do Your Meetings Suck? When you think of meetings, what thoughts come to mind? Words like productivity, efficiency, and great use of time isn't what I normally hear. But if you look over your last week, you've likely spent a significant amount of your time in meetings so in the next couple full-length episodes, we're going to be talking about how we gather to help you and your teams maximize that...

How do you deal with endings ? This was a week of endings for me. We moved my dad into assisted living. He's excited about the change. For anyone who has had to go through this with an unwilling parent, I can only imagine how much more trying that is. But endings are not easy, right? He moved out of the house he built. He lived in it for over 50 years. It's the home we grew up in, soon to be refur...

I was never a proponent of throwing one of our young kids into the deep end and saying, "OK, swim!" But could it be that the best way to learn how to lead is to, well, have to lead? We continue our series of short videos to share something that I've recently taught or learned, and in this episode, I share an important lesson learned from our discussion with Marc Effron back in episode 226 regardin...

How to Create Better Outcomes This Year One of the most powerful ideas I've learned in the last year is the relationship between habits and outcomes. If you're not happy with your outcomes—look to your habits. Outcomes are lagging measures of your habits. Change your habits and you will, eventually, change your outcomes. In this episode, we talk with the guy I learned that idea from. James Clear i...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Though the Christmas songs may say that, your experience as we end the year may not exactly line up with the sentiment. In this short video, I share a lesson that I've learned in the last couple of weeks when it comes to disappointment. Let Me Hear From You! What do you think about this idea of disappointment being a function of what we put our hope in?...

Speaking Up When It's Risky How do you speak truth to power? In episode 236 we talked with Harvard's Amy Edmondson , who made the evidence-based case for how important it is to foster psychologically safe environments for those we lead. But most of us don't work in such environments. What do we do then? How do you speak truth to power when it's not a psychologically safe environment? In this video...