People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

The Crisis of Loneliness One of my least favorite phrases over the last couple of years is the term Social distancing. I understand the idea and I worked to be diligent about keeping others safe. But that’s physical distancing--and that had its place. Social distancing, on the other hand, has been arguably devastating. My guest today says that, without even realizing it, we are subtly turning our backs on humanity every day. Steven Van Cohen joins us today to talk about his new book entitled Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In. It’s a book about the crisis of loneliness and in today’s discussion, Steven talks about the difference between loneliness and solitude. He shares some of the biggest contributors to modern-day loneliness and how we, as leaders, can strive to foster more belonging on our teams. Steven includes ways to help us more easily spot lonely workers and invest in connection. It's a conversation I can't wait to share with you. Learn more about Steven, his co-author, and their book at LessLonely.com.   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Helium Is In High Demand by Tim Kulig Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9168-helium-is-in-high-demand License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Long Way by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8245-long-way License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license The Beatles – Eleanor Rigby (From “Yellow Submarine”) on YouTube at Youtube.com/watch?v=HuS5NuXRb5Y

The Dirty Little Secret of Business For years I’ve been telling coaching clients that the dirty little secret of business is that everything comes down to relationships. I know: It’s not dirty. It’s certainly not little. And I suppose it’s not a secret--you know relationships are important. But the statistics about relationships are not encouraging and it’s not just because of social distancing during COVID. Maybe it’s just that we’re busy. Or maybe it’s that what we think we know about relationships is wrong. Eric Barker joins us again, this time to talk about his new book entitled Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong. In this episode, Eric talks about why the fundamental core of relationships is the stories we tell ourselves. He explains why we stink at reading people--despite thinking we’re awesome at it. Before we’re done with this episode, you’ll know what costly signals are and why it’s important to know about Negative Sentiment Override. Eric will even share some insights on conflict, that can be applied in love relationships as well as at work. Learn more about Eric and his book at https://bakadesuyo.com/. Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   BusmansHoliday by Lilo Sound Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7398-busmansholiday License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Love by Ketsa Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7581-love License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Friendship Scenes from Movies on YouTube at Youtube.com/watch?v=b4ld-p0jSvI

A How-To Guide for Psychological Safety Fear is something that can impact us as individuals for sure, and it spreads to teams and organizations. In this episode, we’re going to take this topic of fear head-on to help empower us as leaders to deal with it. My guest today is Mark Minukas, co-author of a book entitled Unfear: Transform Your Organization to Create Breakthrough Performance and Employee Well-Being. In this episode, Mark talks about what unfear means--and doesn’t mean. He shares some of the less effective approaches we might be tempted to take when it comes to fear—and why they don’t work. Mark explains why the story we create about fear matters more than the fear itself. And he gives us some ideas on how we can start dealing better with fear ourselves so we can start to help our team as well. It’s a conversation I’m looking forward to sharing with you. Learn more about Mark and his book at UnfearBook.com.   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Romantic Contemplative Nature by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8033-romantic-contemplative-nature License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Everybody Up by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9244-everybody-up License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license FDR Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself 1933 Inaugural Address on YouTube at Youtube.com/watch?v=nHFTtz3uucY

Rehumanizing the Workplace A couple of years after COVID first hit, I can think of so many examples of how we’re becoming less human at work. It’s not just due to automation or outsourcing or remote work. Whether it’s because of social media, political polarization, or a host of other factors, I feel like there’s increasing pressure to not speak up. To not be yourself. To blend in. To not rock the boat. In a way, to be less human. I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Rosie Ward, co-author of a book entitled ReHumanizing the Workplace. In this episode, Rosie talks about how the disruptions we’re experiencing today don’t just go away once COVID is a distant memory. She talks about authenticity and why it’s critically important to humanizing the workplace, yet why it’s a struggle for us. It’s a conversation I’m looking forward to sharing with you. Learn more about Dr. Rosie Ward and her book at DrRosieWard.com/About.   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Boost My Business by Horst Hoffmann Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9170-boost-my-business License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Crime Time by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9136-crime-time License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license HAL 9000s interview on YouTube at Youtube.com/watch?v=BDha7nj4s10

Staying Focused One of the biggest challenges we face in day-to-day living is staying focused. There are so many things vying for our attention. In fact, right now, even as you’re listening to this episode, you’re probably doing something else, right? Like driving, working out, going for a walk, maybe even going through email. To help fight back against those challenges, I’m excited to introduce you to Erik Qualman, author of a book entitled The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less. Learn more about Erik and his book at Equalman.com/The-Focus-Project/. For more content on this topic, check out: Episode 242 with James Clear about his book Atomic Habits Episode 309 with Ashley Whilans about her book Time Smart Episode 140 with Cal Newport about his book Deep Work   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   We Have Fun by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9161-we-have-fun- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Energetic Upbeat by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6033-energetic-upbeat License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Psychological Safety on Project Teams It is likely not a new idea to you that there are so many benefits to our projects and our teams when we foster a culture of psychological safety. The idea of psychological safety is straightforward. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Because of that, I’m always on the lookout for resources that can help us make progress in developing trusting relationships with teams and organizations. In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to LaTonya Wilkins, author of a book entitled Leading Below the Surface: How to Build Real (and Psychologically Safe) Relationships with People Who Are Different from You. In this episode, LaTonya will talk about her notion of a below-the-surface leader and how that’s different from being a surface leader. She’ll talk about the Terrible Three and how they can get in the way of us seeking to be a below-the-surface leader. Before we’re done today, you’ll understand how bridging and micro-habits can help us on this journey. And LaTonya will share some ideas about how to be a below-the-surface leader when you’re working in a culture that is far more comfortable at the surface level. Learn more about LaTonya and her book at LaTonyaWilkins.com.   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Urban Beauty by chilledmusic Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8439-urban-beauty- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Another Good Day by chilledmusic Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8397-another-good-day- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scrappy Project Management Too much project management education--including what you find on bookshelves at stores--is dry. Seemingly impractical and irrelevant. I'm constantly on the lookout for people who are practical and inspiring voices in helping us get better at leading teams and delivering projects. In this episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Kimberly Wiefling, author of Scrappy Project Management. In today's discussion, Kimberly will help us understand what it means to be scrappy--and why it's important. We'll talk about some of the predictable and avoidable pitfalls that plague our projects. You'll learn what her Project Success Scorecard is and how it can help you and your team. Kimberly will share insights on dealing with risks and assumptions AND why she recommends you never say No, even to the most ridiculous demands. Kimberly is as fun as she is brilliant. Learn more about her work at Wiefling.com. For more content related to today's episodes, check out: Episode 274 with J. Scott about his book The Irreverent Guide to Project Management Episode 336 with Clint Padgett about his book How Teams Triumph   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Technical Project Management   Workout by Brian Holtz Music Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8600-workout License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Disco of the '70s by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8298-disco-of-the-70-s License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hiring: Your Most Important Responsibility It could be argued that there is nothing more important than hiring outstanding people. But the sad fact is we generally stink at hiring people. For a host of reasons, we often end up hiring what our guest in this episode calls the 90-Day Wonder—someone who, after 90 days, makes us wonder, “Why in the world did we hire this person?” How do we avoid that? Well, today I’m excited to introduce you to Lou Adler. Lou is the author of a book entitled Hire With Your Head: Using Performance-Based Hiring To Build Outstanding Diverse Teams. The 4th edition of this classic book has recently been published and it’s filled with ideas that have been perfected over the years. In this episode, Lou shares some of the biggest myths and mistakes that we make in the hiring process. He explains what Win-Win Hiring is and why it’s critical to the hiring process. Lou explains the difference between a great candidate and a great hire—they’re not the same. And he explains what a performance profile is and why you need to have that before you write out a job description to fill. And beyond all the advice about hiring, Lou shares insights to help you if YOU are looking for a job. It’s a conversation I’m looking forward to sharing with you. Learn more about Lou and his book at LouAdlerGroup.com. Also, if you're in the job market, consider checking out Lou's book The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired. His course Win-Win Hiring™ for Job Seekers – Getting Ready to Be Interviewed is available for $5 USD--highly recommended!   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Jazzi 3 by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8069-jazzi-3 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Long Way by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8245-long-way License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license The Internship: The Big Interview on YouTube at Youtube.com/watch?v=ewek-6TudOM

Communicating With Difficult Personalities One of the biggest complaints people have when working on projects is related to communication. Often people feel out of the loop or they just don’t understand what is being written or said. It’s been suggested that up to 90% of what we do when we’re leading projects is communicating. And I think it’s fair to say, we all would benefit from leveling up our ability to clearly, and effectively communicate with our teams, colleagues, and management. In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Tina Kuhn. Tina is the author of a book entitled The Manager’s Communication Toolkit: Tools and Techniques for Leading Difficult Personalities. In today’s discussion, Tina will share why those of us who lead teams and projects are tempted to default to email or other less-rich mediums—and why that causes problems. Tina will share some insights on how to communicate more effectively in your next Zoom or Teams meeting. She’ll help us see that effective communication is not just adjusting to the personality, but also to the situation and relationship. Tina will introduce a few of the difficult behavior types we face and share some advice on how to communicate with them. And we’ll wrap up with some thoughts about dealing with conflict. It’s a conversation I’m looking forward to sharing with you. Learn more about Tina and her book at TinaKuhnCommunication. For more episodes on communication, check out these two episodes with Dr. Nick Morgan: Episode 237 regarding his book Can You Hear Me? which offers helpful insights on communicating in virtual settings Episode 112 regarding his book Power Cues, which provides intriguing insights on how body language and voice impact communication   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Tutorial 2 by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8072-funky-corporation License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Endless Summer by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8933-endless-summer License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Cool Hand Luke - Failure to Communicate on YouTube at YouTube.com/watch?v=V2f-MZ2HRHQ

Thursday Is The New Friday If you ask someone about how things are going at work, what’s a typical response? What I most often hear is “Busy! We are busy!” Ask someone how they’re feeling, and many people will say, “Fine.” But if they get more transparent, what they’ll often say is, “I’m tired.” Busy and exhausted. Can you relate to that? In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Joe Sanok. Joe is the author of a book entitled Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want. Does that subtitle sound like overselling? Or at least something that sounds nice but isn’t practical? Well, Joe is here to challenge that suspicion. Learn more about Joe and his book at JoeSanok.com.   Join our Global LEAD52 Community Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? LEAD52 is your 5-minute weekly pass to leadership intelligence. You get 52 weeks of learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Join us at https://GetLEAD52.com. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership   Strain by Mikael Hellman Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9002-strain License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Positive Sentimental Uplifting Piano by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8764-positive-sentimental-uplifting-piano License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Just Chilling by Mikael Hellman Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6294-just-chilling License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license