People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

One of the great challenges of business is how to go from idea to delivery. It's easy to talk about ideas but turning those into a finished product requires much more than talk. It can be daunting to deliver. There's the risk of failure. There's the fear of unknowns--of surprises that can create obstacles to success. Going from idea to delivery is truly challenging! Ultimately project management i...

Ever get a crazy idea and decide to act on it? Too often I just sit on the idea instead of taking action. In late May I had a crazy idea: to produce a Father's Day Rap with some friends. Though Father's Day is in the rear view mirror, I thought I'd share yours truly making a fool of myself trying to lay down some rap tunes. After all, it's good to be humbled, isn't it? {youtube}IOwWlw5zPcc{/youtub...

Ever get a crazy idea and decide to act on it? Too often I just sit on the idea instead of taking action. In late May I had a crazy idea: to produce a Father's Day Rap with some friends. Though Father's Day is in the rear view mirror, I thought I'd share yours truly making a fool of myself trying to lay down some rap tunes. After all, it's good to be humbled, isn't it? {youtube}IOwWlw5zPcc{/youtub...

Thank you for joining us for this special premium edition of The People and Projects Podcast. Whether we're trying to change ourselves, our teams, or others around us, there's nothing particularly easy about it. Oh, there are models that are helpful and then there's basic common sense, but when all of this flies into the face of reality, making lasting change is truly challenging. I don't know if...

So let me ask you a question: How strong is your willpower? When you want to make a change, how successful are you at not only making it but also sustaining it? Whether at work or outside, whether personally or with a group of people, learning how to effectively change is critical. And it needs to start with us individually. One of my favorite books of the year just came out. It's entitled Change...

I recorded this episode on the road this week, while in Las Vegas speaking at the Agile Development Practices and Better Software Conference. I greatly enjoy talking with people from many different companies about the challenges they face on their projects and teams. Here's a recurring them I hear from leaders who are responsible for delivering projects... "Should we ship or delay?" "Keep trying o...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Professor John Kotter. If you haven't listened to the first part of this interview, make sure to check that episode out! Our focus in this cast is on John's most recent book entitled Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down . To learn more about John's organization, check out http://www.kotterinternational.com/ . You can follow John's Ha...

When was the last time you wanted to make a change at work? Maybe it was an approach on a project or something bigger, like wanting to introduce a new way of doing projects, such as using principles from agile project management. Chances are you faced some resistance to your proposed changes. Yet one of our key responsibilities is to lead change, even when our ideas are getting shot down. Well, to...

Last week I facilitated a tutorial and delivered a new keynote to over 800 people at the STAREAST conference in Orlando. It had been a while since our family had visited Florida so I had the opportunity to bring my wife and three children along, which was great! Between speaking engagements, we had the opportunity to spend time at Disney and if you've spent any time at a Disney park, chances are c...

In our last episode I began a discussion with Dr. David Hillson from the U.K. regarding risks and risk attitudes. In this episode, David and I continue that conversation with a focus on how we can help our organizations take the next step in implementing risk management practices. David recommended a couple of specific books in this discussion, including Exploiting Future Uncertainty and Managing...

  What comes to mind when you think of the term "risk"? In our workshops and keynotes regarding project management, the topic of risk inevitably is talked about, and in those discussions it's clear that one's views and attitudes about risk significantly impact how a project is managed. A problem with risk is when we lose perspective on it. For example, "I won't get out of bed today because somethi...

If you're a PMP, you know that getting your 60 PDU's every three years is a requirement. Now it's actually not that difficult to get your 60, especially if you don't wait until the last month to get them! Did you know that you can rack up free PDU's just listening to The People and Projects Podcast ? And the great news is that PMI has recently increased the number of Self-Directed Learning PDU's y...

If you've ever sat through one of my workshops or keynotes on leadership or project management, you've likely clued to the fact that I have a rather low tolerance for the purely academic. By that I mean ideas, models, and theories that sound great on a whiteboard but are seemingly impossible to be practically applied in the real world. When it comes to management, it's easy to find books that pont...

Hey, quick note: This episode is sponsored by the STAREAST 2011 Conference . STAREAST is the premier gathering place for software testers, developers, and managers to interact and learn how to improve software-testing practices. This year's line-up features over 100 learning and networking opportunities. Come join me for a new keynote at STAREAST this year . It's entitled "How to Win Friends and I...

I have to tell you: I love running a small company. Two years ago I was interviewed by Coach Ian Scott , my friend, and colleague from the UK, for his very popular podcast on iTunes. After the interview I decided, "Hey, I could do that!" And within days, the People and Projects Podcast was birthed, with this being our 44th episode. Being the owner of a small company, it was easy to make that decis...

Hopefully, you've already had a chance to listen to the first part of my interview with Tony Schwartz . In this second part, Tony talks about the concept of pulsing and gets very transparent about his struggle to implement these ideas. Enjoy Part 2 of my discussion with Tony Schwartz, author of Be Excellent at Anything (NOTE: This book used to be entitled  The Way We're Working Isn't Working ). I...

Let me take a guess... You don't have time to listen to this podcast episode. Oh, you're listening to it, but perhaps you're driving or trying to do e-mail--hopefully not both--while you do it! We're so busy, and the overall toll on us and our productivity can be overwhelming, which made me think of Tony Schwartz's book Be Excellent at Anything (NOTE: This book used entitled The Way We're Working...

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I love when a new year comes around! I love the opportunity to look and consider the previous year: accomplishments, challenges, blessings, mistakes, and lessons. It's an opportunity to take a renewed look at the year ahead and set goals. Yet there's the problem with New Year's resolutions . Ask the average person--and I do in this video podcast with som...

In case you missed it in our last episode, I have a special Christmas gift for all my podcast listeners . You've heard me talk about Premium Subscriptions in recent months, and many have joined. But perhaps you've been holding out . Well here's my Christmas gift to you . Become an annual premium subscriber before January 1, 2011 and my gift to you is a free license of our new e-learning offering e...

We're now at that time of year when there are often many social gatherings, whether with family, friends, or work associates. Do you look forward to these times of family gatherings and holiday parties? Or do you dread them? Or how about this: What do you think of when I say the term "networking"? If your first response was TCP/IP or Ethernet, you have even more work than I expected! But kidding a...

We're now at that time of year when there are often many social gatherings, whether with family, friends, or work associates . Do you look forward to these times of family gatherings and holiday parties? Or do you dread them? Or how about this: What do you think of when I say the term "networking"? If your first response was TCP/IP or Ethernet, you have even more work than I expected! But kidding...

I have the true privilege of helping professionals from hundreds of companies develop their ability to lead people and deliver projects. A common question I hear from leaders as they progress higher in their organizations has to do with their boss. In effect, they're asking, "How do I manage the person who is supposed to be managing me?" A clear lesson as you grow in responsibility is that managin...

Hello! Welcome to the 10th month of this 10th year in this century! In this episode, I'm sharing insights from a book I've recently read: 10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and with Your Family , by Suzy Welch. The title sounds more like a subject for an Oprah audience than project managers and leaders! However, I think you'll find the ideas in the book helpful with...

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 significantl...

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 a...