Project Management Happy Hour

PMs are accountable for project success. As such, we are keenly aware when things are failing! And because most PM’s are process and goal oriented, we can think of a lot of ways to improve an organization. But how do you propose a change in a way that gets support - instead of damnation? If you don’t do it right, pitching a change can sound a lot like giving a bunch of other people more work to do, or telling everyone else that they’ve been doing it ‘wrong’ for the last 10 years, and you as a fresh-faced PM is here to tell them how to do it right.  In this episode, we’re going to try to help you learn from our hard lessons learned and effectively pitch changes to help your organization succeed the way you know it can.  JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone followed all the processes we built? If everyone on our team followed the PMBOK or SCRUM methodologies perfectly every single time and every estimate we ever received was perfectly accurate?  Of course that doesn’t happen. But did you ever stop to think - why? Well, our guest today has. Dr. Josh Ramirez has combed the scientific literature on human behavior and combined that with his love of project management to help explain why people do the things they do - and don’t. Today he shares with us how to use human psychology to change the way we approach project delivery to account for the weird ways humans behave. OUR AMAZING GUEST DR. JOSH RAMIREZ Dr. Josh Ramirez is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management Building an organization (www.nbpmi.com) that is working on redesigning project management with behavioral, social, cognitive, and neuroscience, toward an emerging field of Behavioral Project Management. In addition, he is currently researching application of science to project management to build a foundation of project science under existing practices. The future of project management is in redesigning around the beings that predict and deliver projects: humans.  He is also co-author of NeuralPlan with Dr. Shari De Baets, and an adjunct professor of project management, with experience that includes business operations management, project management, and project controls, including work at several national laboratories and other projects throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex, as well as private sector project work.  Read more about Josh’s great contributions to PM here: The Institute for Neuro & Behavioral Project Management: https://www.nbpmi.com/  Behavioral PM Membership Site: behavioralpm.com (new membership site) https://www.behavioralpm.com/  Neural Plan: https://www.neural-plan.com/    JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

“I am in way over my head.”  “I have no business doing this job” “I am totally not worthy of this role” “There is no way I’m qualified to do this”  Have you ever told this to yourself? You may be infected with Imposter Syndrome! That’s OK - all highly capable people, especially project managers, find themselves with this affliction at one time or another - and again and again :-)  Not only can Imposter Syndrome take the fun and motivation out of your job, we see it holding many professionals back from their potential. So, get treatment today!  We were going to do an episode on Imposter syndrome, but then thought, are we really qualified to do that? Seems like it would take someone with much more experience than us to do it. :-) In this episode, Kate and Kim share their experience dealing with their own Imposter Syndrome, and share how we deal with it and over come it, and how we coach our mentees to shine in spite of self doubt. Get after it!    JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

The same way sports teams have coaches to help optimize their performance, organizations can engage PM coaches to help their project management team win.  In this episode, we are joined by Heather Gates, a PM coach who has worked to help develop project managers across many organizations. In this episode, Heather shares a few of her top coaching tips in some key areas: Self Awareness Communication  Time Management Stakeholder Management Cross functional Collaboration About our amazing guest, Heather Gates Heather Gates is an entrepreneur, consultant and certified project manager who values collaboration, productivity and service. As a former NCAA Kodak All-American in basketball and amateur beach volleyball player who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio USA, Heather has established a global reputation for being a diligent and thoughtful leader while advocating for effective project management amongst her peers, colleagues, project teams, and customers. Certified as a women's business enterprise (WBE) from WECONNECT International in its first year, Heather launched PM Rehab in 2020, now branded ConnectingPM, and has the mission to provide real-time project management learning experiences and support services that help companies retain existing project professionals and optimize traditional business functions. Using relatable scenarios, Heather sheds light on how individuals and businesses can quickly introduce effective and quality project management for their projects, teams and customers. If you are interested in getting coaching from Heather or would like to learn more about what she does, you can reach her and her team at https://connecting-pm.com  or via email at info@connecting-pm.com    JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

Did you ever watch the credits at the end of a movie and think, “wow, that’s a lot of people?” You’re right. Hundreds or thousands of people engaged to deliver a massive, multi-million dollar project that is a feature film. How do they do that?  Our guest today walks us through the project behind a feature film: how do they plan a movie? How do they get funding? Who is really the PM in charge of pulling this thing off? (hint: it’s not the director) This episode is a trial of a new format, “The Project Behind It” where we explore the projects behind the amazing every-day things around us. Like the format and want to see more? Let us know!  About our amazing guest, Eli Aultman Eli Aultman is a production and development executive in film and television and an award winning independent producer whose projects have premiered at festivals such as SXSW, TriBeCa, Slamdance, and XOXO.  Their credits include projects in both the Star Wars and Marvel universes. They are a cofounder of Doubletake Entertainment, which leverages strategic partnerships with foreign governing bodies and private equity to develop and finance cutting-edge location-based entertainment, audiovisual content, and interactive media, and they are currently working as a consultant in the emerging field of virtual production. They hold a Juris Doctor in Intellectual Property from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Macalester College. You can find out more about Eli via IMDb, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

We are joined again by one of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, Organizational Change Wizard. This time he shares 12 different methods for creating better alignment with your team and your stakeholders. In this first part of a 2 part episode, we share the first 6 of these hacks to help get two people on the same page.   7- Marathon Measures 8- Context and Contrast 9- Zoom 10- Top of Mind Not Top Priority 11- Progress Over Perfection 12- Time and Place   If you missed part 1, you can find it here. About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information.   And here are some links to some of Tim’s other amazing content: 8 Alignment Hacks That Enhance Change Management Today While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times. Why Change Management People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed. Taking Charge of Change Training Program Prosci’s Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people. Tim’s LinkedIn Profile Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going!   JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

We are joined again by one of our favorite guests, Tim Creasey, Organizational Change Wizard. This time he shares 12 different methods for creating better alignment with your team and your stakeholders. In this first part of a 2 part episode, we share the first 6 of these hacks to help get two people on the same page.   Pivot around Purpose “To What End?” To _____ By_____ statement Name it to tame it Matching Matters Solution Laps About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people-side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information. And here is some amazing content from Tim!  8 Alignment Hacks That Enhance Change Management Today While formal approaches to Change Management are a must for people-dependent projects and complex transformations, sometimes simple adjustments can help teams and colleagues remove roadblocks and enable rapid change during uncertain times. Why Change Management People are the common denominator for achieving project success and business outcomes and the research is clear: Initiatives with excellent change management are six times more likely to succeed. Taking Charge of Change Training Program Prosci's Taking Charge of Change 1-day program will help you get started on delivering change success through people. Tim's LinkedIn Profile Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and keep the change management conversation going! JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

The Ironman Triathlon. Without exaggeration, it is truly one of the most epic endurance events that a mortal human can participate in: 140.6 miles covered in a single day by swimming, biking and running.  As epic as it is to participate in an Ironman, it may be even more daunting to plan and manage one. 140+ miles of race course. 3 totally different disciplines (Swim, Bike, Run). As many as 2,000 - 3,000 participants. Literally tons of food and drink to get out across the course.  Thousands of volunteers. City permits, police, medics, media... By any measure, each and every Ironman event is an extraordinary project and major logistical feat, and one the Ironman group does extremely well. We are joined by Paul Huddle, Senior Regional Director for Ironman, who walks us through what's involved in planning and running an Ironman event. Whether you are a Project Manager, an Ironman athlete or just amazed by extraordinary endeavors, you are going to dig this episode!    About our amazing guest, Paul Huddle Paul Huddle is a Seasoned Event Operator with more than 20 years of experience in the fast-paced mass participation endurance sport industry. He is a Senior Regional Director for the Ironman Group, and is responsible for triathlons from sprints to the Ironman Championship, mountain biking, and running events - including the Rock & Roll marathons.  Paul is also the author of:  The Athlete Minded Traveler, Ironman - Start to Finish and Starting Out Triathlon JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.  

Project Managers are agents of change. Whether your project changes organizations, technologies, infrastructure or processes, the success of your project likely depends on *people* actually using your deliverables. But how much of your project is really focused on those people and helping them understand and make those changes?  Spoiler: Kate *totally* nerds out on this one :-) After we recorded this, Kate and Kim quoted Tim to just about everyone they met. Mic drops!  In this podcast we are joined by one of the most influential thought-leaders in Change Management today, Tim Creasey, the CIO of Prosci. Tim will take us through the 5 tenets of change management, and their corresponding plain language questions: We change for a reason Plain language question: Why are we changing?  Who has to do their job differently, and how?  Organizational change requires individual change How much of our outcomes depend on adoption and usage?  Organizational outcomes are the collective result of individual change What will we do to support adoption and usage?  Change Management is an enabling framework for managing the people side of change How will driving adoption and usage improve results?  We apply change management to realize the benefits and desired outcomes of change   About our amazing guest, Tim Creasey An author, researcher, change expert and human, Tim focuses on the people side of change with process, wit and vigor. Tim’s work forms the foundation of the world’s largest body of knowledge on change management. His role as Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci gives him unparalleled insight into change management challenges, trends and futures. Having spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, Tim is authentic, knowledgeable and unassumingly funny. He enables audiences with valuable data and actionable information. JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

You’re a PM and you have landed on a strange new world where you don’t know the industry, the organization the people or the subject matter. How do you get oriented enough to intelligently deliver a project? How do you succeed in this alien environment?  In this episode, Kate and Kim talk about how to approach getting up to speed when you are faced with leading a project in a new department, new company, new domain or totally new industry where you don’t know the subject matter.  In summary:  Get a head start where you can Stand on what you know Build trust then ask for help Fake it ‘til you make it   JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR! Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhapyhour and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.