People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

On a regular basis, we invite listeners of The People and Projects Podcast to gather for a follow-up webinar. These webinars allow us to go into more detail on the content from one or more previous episodes. This video episode is a replay of our follow-up webinar on Power Cues  and Invisibles . Please join us for future webinars! {youtube}ZZ6niyySlfg{/youtube} Total Duration 55:19 Download episode...

The 'Me Monster' We live in an age of relentless self-promotion. Some people in the workplace remind me of comedian Brian Regan's sketch entitled I Walked On The Moon (see below). Ever worked with the 'Me Monster?' Whether we realize it or not, we might actually be on the way to becoming one of those 'Me Monsters' as we struggle to stand out in the noise of those who are trying to out do each othe...

What They're Really Thinking In this episode, Dr. Nick Morgan shares how we often get in the way of our own communication. There are two conversations: the content and the non-verbals. Want to improve your ability to lead and deliver? Learn to harness the power of the non-verbals, when getting your message out and when listening to others. Nick Morgan returns to our podcast to talk about his new b...

Pulling Back the Curtain on Management Consultants Our guest in this episode is Karen Phelan, author of an entertaining book entitled I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company: When Management Consultants Are the Problem, Not the Solution . Karen pulls back the curtain on an industry from the perspective of an insider. This book is a fun read that, in truth, goes beyond just management consultants. It looks...

Total Duration 34:23 Download episode 110 Why Do We Share What We Share? We are constantly sharing. It could be social media status update. An uploaded picture. A recommendation about a restaurant. A praise or criticism about an organization. This applies in the workplace as well. We relate how a meeting went. How a leader handled a situation (or not). We spread some buzz about a new project relea...

Laugh While Learning I love to laugh. Whether it's a podcast episode, a keynote presentation, or an e-learning workshop, I like to keep it light-hearted. I've just found that it's easier to learn when we're enjoying the experience. Yet though I share the name of the famous, albeit dead, comedian Andy Kaufman, I'm not really that funny! I have to work at it. And because of that, there are times whe...

"Feedback is a Gift?" Our guest for this episode is Doug Stone. Doug and his co-author Sheila Heen teach negotiation and conflict negotiation at Harvard Law School and they've written a terrific new book entitled Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well . They were also co-authors of a previous best-seller entitled Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters...

Introducing Steven P. Cohen In this episode, you'll hear from Steven P. Cohen. Steve's latest book is entitled The Practical Negotiator: How to Argue Your Point, Plead Your Case, and Prevail in Any Situation . It's not your typical business book, actually. It's more of a Q&A format, covering a wide range of topics, related to work and to home, from a guy who knows his stuff about negotiation. You'...

Total Duration 37:35 Download episode 106 Happy New Year! I love new things! I love the start of a new project. Working with a new team or new client. Trying out a new tool or a new gadget. I love new.... It's a chance to start over, to learn from the past and apply it to the future. As we fire up another year, it's a great time to look for a fresh start . To consider what we'll do differently. An...

I Hear You! In this cast I talk with Donny Ebenstein, who just published I Hear You: Repair Communication Breakdowns, Negotiate Successfully, and Build Consensus . . . in Three Simple Steps . This is a must-read book for anyone leading projects and teams. We inevitably get stuck with the impossible team member, boss, or stakeholder. Progress on the project requires us to get past stuck . Learn mor...

Total Duration 20:25 Download episode 104 A Disposition of Gratitude One of my favorite holidays in the United States is Thanksgiving . Many other countries have a similar sort of day, but whether or not your country celebrates the holiday is not the main point here today. The bigger deal is the idea. Being thankful. Having a disposition of gratitude. That's what we're talking about in today's cas...

The Year Without Pants Scott Berkun has written one of my favorite books in recent months. Despite the provocative title, The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and The Future of Work offers some refreshing insights into the world of work that all of us can benefit from. In this episode, you'll hear Scott's insights about the workplace of today and the future of work. Learn more about Scott at http...

How to Succeed In Business Without Even Trying That makes for the name of a funny movie but success in business is not quite that simple. If you're familiar with the play or movie , the main character reads a book and jets from the window washer to the top of his organization through manipulative techniques that make for fun business satire. But success in business is not a matter of tricks. In th...

Introducing Mike Durbin, PMP We continue our In the Trenches series with this discussion with Mike Durbin, PMP. Mike shares insights and lessons he's learned in his years of leading teams and delivering projects.   Get PDUs or Contact Hours For Less! Want to get 35 PDUs or contact hours for a great price? Check out our PMP®Exam Prep e-learning at http://courses.i-leadonline.com/bundles/pm-certific...

The Project Named You A key project management lesson is that we need to define success. What does success look like for a project? That's a question we need to ask far more often than we do. Getting clarity on objectives can make an enormous difference when it comes to delivering our projects successfully. Well, how about applying that lesson to our lives? Our guest for this episode is G. Richard...

Don't Take Yes for an Answer! Yes men. Yes women. People who say Yes. Leaders who only want people to say Yes. There are countless decisions required to deliver projects and lead teams. We make the job significantly more difficult if we fall into the trap of surrounding ourselves with Yes people. Or shooting the messenger who brings bad news. Or any of the dozens of cognitive biases that can cloud...

Insights from Nancy Duarte If you don't particularly enjoy giving presentations, I understand. Though 1994 was a near-death experience for me, 19 years later I make a living doing it. There's hope for us all and Nancy Duarte is a great leader for us all to learn from. In this episode, Nancy shares ideas from her recent book HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations . Thank you for joining me for this...

Does Your Work Suck? So how would you describe your excitement level about your job? Would you say, "It's awesome Andy! I love my job!" Or would you be more on the side of... "Work Sucks."   Insights from Jody Thompson In this episode you'll hear from Jody Thompson, co-author of Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution and Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It: A Results-Only G...

Finger Tapping and Cookie Crumbs In this premium episode, I follow-up on some points from my interview with Paul Weber. You'll learn about: Elizabeth Newton's finger tapping experiment How cookies flushed out some bossy characteristics Click here to watch an interview with Bob Sutton that goes into the bossy issue more. Also, here's the HBR article with Bob. Thank you for joining me for this premi...

Introducing Paul Weber, PMP We continue our In the Trenches series with this discussion with Paul Weber, PMP. Paul shares insights and lessons he's learned in his years of leading teams and delivering projects. To learn more about Paul and to contact him about the free EVM and PERT calculators mentioned in this episode, go to http://www.pmpguy44.com .   Join our Facebook Page I invite you to stop...

Adapt. Deliver. Fast. If you are in the business of delivering projects, especially in the area of software development, you have certainly heard about agile project management. A good sign that the influence of agile continues to grow is when the Project Management Institute created the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner credential (PMI-ACP®) in 2012. If you are actively involved with agile in any...

What Does It Take To Motivate Your Team? One of the common concerns I hear from those who lead projects and teams has to do with motivation. What does it take? An inspirational speech (see the video below!)? Money? Time? All the above, depending on the person?   Motivating Project Teams In this episode I talk with Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins.. They are the authors of a book just rele...

Can I Ask You a Favor? So let's say someone asks you for help. For a favor, let's say. What's your first reaction? Is it, "Sure! No problem! I'd love to help!" Perhaps most of us would like to think that's how we respond. Could your response vary, based on the situation? Let's modify the scenario. Let's say this person who is asking for help seems, in your mind, to have very little potential to he...

Introducing Kiron Bondale, PMP We continue our In the Trenches series of episodes, with this interview with Kiron Bondale, PMP. Kiron runs the Project Management Office at Agricorp . Make sure to check out Kiron's insightful blog at http://kbondale.wordpress.com . Kiron has graciously offered to share a risk register template with listeners of The People and Projects Podcast. Click the icon below...

So, how do you feel when each of the following occurs? You come across a typo in a project document. You receive an e-mail that is pages and pages long. Someone hits Reply All and there are hundreds of people on copy. You're stuck in a meeting listening to a presenter who has mastered every business cliche in the book! Yuck. We're living in a business climate where writing skills matter so much bu...