People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

Is project management "the art of creating the illusion that any outcome is the result of a series of predetermined, deliberate acts when, in fact, it was dumb luck"? In Harold Kerzner's classic book on project management, he suggests that many companies run their projects with that mindset. In this 3-minute video, I share a lesson from a drone experiment and include a reference to the "leader attribution error"--something I learned when interviewing the late Harvard professor J. Richard Hackman back in episode 33. (earn some free PDUs by listening). Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What are your thoughts about the leader attribution error? Do leaders tend to get more credit than they deserve when things go well--and more blame than they deserve when things go poorly? What's the role of dumb luck when it comes to delivering projects? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 3:14 Download episode 265

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 Effron, Liz Wiseman, Eric Barker, and Whitney Johnson (check those out and earn some free PDUs by listening). Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What do you think about this idea that you grow faster by spending intentional time with those who are more experienced than you? What are some things you've done to accelerate your growth? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 2:41 Download episode 264

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 share a couple of ways we unwittingly make conflicts worse. Conflict is inevitable. We don't have to love it, but if we aspire to lead teams and projects, we need to learn to deal with it effectively. Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What are examples of how people make conflicts worse? What's one piece of advice you'd share with a new leader to help them better deal with conflict? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 1:54 Download episode 263

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 was blind to his impact, but could it be that--hopefully at a different level--we have our blind spots as well? Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What are examples you've seen of leaders not understanding the impact they have on their teams? What were the results? Further, what do you do as a leader to try to better understand the impact you have on others? What advice would you have for new leaders? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Check out the discussion on this post on LinkedIn here. Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 3:27 Download episode 262

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 guest makes a compelling argument for why generalists triumph in a specialized world. David Epstein is a New York Times bestselling author and has come out with what is for me one of the top books of this season. It’s entitled Range, and it’s a book that takes the whole 10,000 hours to develop expertise idea and blows it apart. I consider it a must-read book. You'll be glad you did. Learn more about David at his website https://www.davidepstein.com/the-range/. Some additional resources include: You can watch the debate between David and Malcolm Gladwell here. David mentions Herminia Ibarra during our discussion. You can catch our interview with Herminia in episode 130.   Let's Stay In Touch! I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite! Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks!   Project managers, you know the importance of organization and transparency when it comes to collaborating on a team. This episode is sponsored by Backlog, which is the perfect project management software to keep your projects organized from start to finish. Try Backlog for your team free for 30 days using the special URL Backlog.com/projects. Check them out! Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership FLUFFING A DUCK and CELEBRATION by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License. JACK OF ALL TRADES by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN available on YouTube

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 hear from you! What have you learned about how to respond when you make big mistakes? What's a situation where you saw a mistake handled well? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 3:23 Download episode 260

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 lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 2:44 Download episode 259

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 informed decisions. Over 2,000 technology, development, and manufacturing teams use their online project management solution to get more done. Learn more and request a free demo at PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/liquidplanner. Thanks!   Make the Ask As people who are responsible for leading teams and projects, we are often in the position of having to make an ask. Maybe it's an ask of a team member or a colleague in a different side of the business. Maybe we have an ask of our boss or sponsor. One of the differences I see between those who go from point A to point B faster is their willingness to make the ask. Life is filled with opportunities to ask, and because of that, we ought to be good at it, but do you know what I find? We often don’t make the ask. Why? Why have you been putting off asking for a raise? Why have you been dragging your feet about reaching out to a potential mentor? Why do we hold off on making the ask? In this episode, I share a recent discussion with Kari Mirabal, one of my favorite voices when it comes to networking and relationship-building. Kari has a new book coming out soon and there are practical ideas that can help you when it comes to relationship-building, for sure, but also with any time you have to make an ask. Here's how you can learn more about Kari: On the web: http://karimirabal.com TEDx talk: (click here) Kari's book: http://karimirabal.com/books/   Let's Stay In Touch! I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite! Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Leadership SPY GROOVE by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License. FEELIN GOOD by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License.

"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're a parent or a leader of teams. Let Me Hear From You! I'd love to hear from you! What's an example of where we too easily think about the next 20 minutes instead of the next 20 years? What do you think about this 20 years, not 20 minutes idea? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Talent Triangle: Leadership Total Duration 2:21 Download episode 257

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 they think people aren't watching? Or how they act differently when they know someone is? What do you think about this idea that leaders cast a longer shadow than we realize? Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you! Please give us feedback about The People and Projects Podcast! Take our Listener Survey at https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey. Thank you! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Total Duration 3:17 Download episode 256