
People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast
Welcome to the People and Projects Podcast, where we provide interviews and insights to help you lead people and deliver projects. Since 2009, this show is brought to you by speaker, author, and executive coach Andy Kaufman. If you're looking for insights on project management, leadership, and how AI influences both of those, you've come to the right place! And if you hold a project management certification, you can even earn free PDUs for listening!
Latest episodes

May 22, 2017 • 42min
PPP 178 | How to Find and Work With a Mentor, with Ken Blanchard
Have a Mentor--Common Wisdom Right? Talk to enough highly successful leaders and project managers and eventually you'll hear them mention the value that one or more mentors have provided over their career. It's obvious, right? Common wisdom, for sure. But why isn't it common practice? Ken Blanchard is one of my all-time leadership heroes and he joins us in this episode to talk about his new book One Minute Mentoring: How to Find and Work With a Mentor--And Why You'll Benefit from Being One, co-authored with Claire Diaz-Ortiz. In classic One Minute Manager style, this easy-to-read book provides a helpful guide for how you can develop a meangingful mentoring relationship. Learn more about Ken and his organization at http://www.kenblanchard.com/. Learn How to Lead Projects! Regardless of your title, you lead projects. Learn practical insights in our Essentials of Project Management e-learning course. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! TECH LIVE by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 License.

May 16, 2017 • 45min
PPP 177 | Why We Can't Look Away From Our Devices, with author Adam Alter
Do You Know Where Your Phone Is? Most leaders these days know the answer to that question. Of course we know where our mobile devices are! And if we didn't, we might be at risk of nomophobia! But the reason this question is easy is that too often, the device is in front of our face! And our addiction to tech is having a real impact on our ability to lead and connect with others. Adam Alter joins us to talk about his new book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. Adam provides a brilliantly written look at how our obsession with technology is controlling our lives more than we realize. And he offers tools and approaches we can use to take back our teams, families, and lives. Learn more about Adam at adamalterauthor.com/. The Dirty Little Secret of Business Project managers know that managing our stakeholders is critical to our project success. But how can we take time to develop relationships when we're slammed with an overwhelmed schedule? Check out our Dirty Little Secret of Business e-learning course. Learn practical skills to develop stakeholder relationships by visiting http://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/the-dirty-little-secret-of-business. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! TWO FINGER JOHNNY and MARTY GOTS A PLAN by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 License. I LOVE MY COMPUTER by BAD RELIGION available on YouTube TECHNOLOGIC by DAFT PUNK available on YouTube

May 4, 2017 • 3min
PPP 176 | (Video) Why Leaders Need to Get Lost! What I Learned This Week
What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week we discuss why someone telling you to "Get Lost!" might just be good advice! During this episode, I mention the following interviews: Cal Newport, regarding his book Deep Work, in episode 144 Amy Blankson, regarding her book The Future of Happiness, in episode 174 Let Me Hear From You! How do you get away, to get deeper thinking? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). What have you been learning? 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! {youtube}znF6UFDzan8{/youtube} Total Duration 3:23 Download episode 176 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

Apr 29, 2017 • 10min
PPP 175 | (Video) What Would You Advise a Friend to Do? Lessons for Project Managers to Make Better Decisions
What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week we discuss some key lessons from a keynote that Andy delivered a couple times this week regarding decision-making. Let Me Hear From You! What have you been learning about decision-making? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). What have you been learning? 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! {youtube}W1jiTKbgMjY{/youtube} Total Duration 9:50 Download episode 175 FUNKORAMA by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

Apr 19, 2017 • 49min
PPP 174 | 5 Strategies for Staying Productive and Happy in an Age of Shiny Objects, with author Amy Blankson
Is Tech Making Life Better or Worse? Tech is ruining our life. Or at least that's what plenty of people are suggesting. There's evidence showing that culturally we're more depressed and distracted than ever, and tech has at least some responsibility for that. Yet at the same time tech is providing rich opportunities to grow and learn. So which is it? Is tech making it more difficult to thrive? Or is it helping us thrive? According to Amy Blankson, the answer is both, depending on how you use it--today and in the future. Amy joins us to talk about her new book The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era. In Amy's research, she's found that ultimately the most balanced, satisfied, and happy individuals use five key strategies, not just to survive but also to actually thrive in the Digital Era: They stay grounded in the face of distraction. They use technology to know themselves on a deeper level. They know when and how to use technology to train their brains to reach their full potential. They structure their surroundings to create a habitat for happiness. They innovate consciously to enrich the world around them. I look forward to sharing Amy's insights with you in this episode. Learn more about Amy and her company at GoodThinkInc.com. The Dirty Little Secret of Business Project managers know that managing our stakeholders is critical to our project success. But how can we take time to develop relationships when we're slammed with an overwhelmed schedule? Check out our Dirty Little Secret of Business e-learning course. Learn practical skills to develop stakeholder relationships by visiting http://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/the-dirty-little-secret-of-business. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! RETROFUTURE CLEAN and LIFE OF RILEY by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 License.

Apr 9, 2017 • 43min
PPP 173 | Why Playing It Safe is Holding You Back, with Extreme You author Sarah Robb O'Hagan
What Could the Extreme Version of You Do? What if you didn't play it so safe? What could a more extreme version of you acccomplish? In this episode, Sarah Robb O'Hagan joins us to talk about her new book Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat. The provocative title gives you a sense of Sarah's style, and I trust this interview will spur you on to stop playing it so safe. Learn more about Sarah at https://extremeyou.com/. Invest In Your Administrative Assistant Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated by companies around the world each April, and I have an idea of how you can celebrate the admins who serve your area! Check out our Effective Administrative Assistant Webinar Series. It's a 5-week course that I've shared with admins around the world, and I would love to help the admin who serves your team. We help your admin grow in areas, such as influence, conflict management, time management, and even project management! Visit https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/Admin today to learn more and sign-up. Introduce a Video Episode! In this episode, I invite you to send me your favorite breakfast spot in your town (it will make more sense when you listen to the episode!). Also, I invite you to send me a video of you or you and your team introducing an upcoming video episode! Let's do this! Just email me an .mp4 file from your smartphone--no editing or high-production value required! Include your name, where you're from, and a welcome to the podcast. That's it! Email the file to show [AT] peopleandprojectspodcast [DOT] com. Thanks! Listener Survey I'm constantly looking for ways to improve the podcast. Would you be willing to take 2 minutes and share your thoughts? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey and help me know how I can help deliver exactly what you're looking for. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! {youtube}-s7j2s6bJaQ{/youtube} EXTREME DAYS by TobyMac available on http://amzn.to/2nX1Kef. PYRO FLOW by Kevin Macleod Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 License.

Apr 3, 2017 • 21min
PPP 172 | (Video) What You Need to Know About Critical Path
What's So Critical About Critical Path? If you're preparing for taking the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam, you need to know how to calculate critical path by hand. Beyond the exam, what's important is to truly understand how critical path can help you manage your project. Too often, critical path is a red line on a Gantt chart, with little attention paid to it. In this episode, I share a video from our project management e-learning course entitled The Essentials of Project Management. Here's what you need to know about critical path! Let Me Hear 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! {youtube}aMTDZiORNz0{/youtube} Total Duration 21:24 Download episode 172 ENTER THE PARTY by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

Mar 25, 2017 • 4min
PPP 171 | (Video) All the Good Stuff For Leaders Is On The Other Side of Fear
What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week we discuss a quote I heard from Michael Hyatt, that "all the good things in life are on the other side of fear". Let Me Hear From You! What examples can you think of that relate to Michael's quote? What have you been learning? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). What have you been learning? 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! {youtube}IQ3DV4oxUTA{/youtube} Total Duration 4:13 Download episode 171 COVERT AFFAIR by Kevin McLeod Licensed under an Attribution 3.0 License.

Mar 17, 2017 • 7min
PPP 170 | (Video) Ideas for When You Sense Your Confidence Slipping
What I Learned This Week We continue our series of short videos talking about an idea or observation that was learned this week. This week I share an experience about a workshop participant that was struggling with confidence. What Did You Learn This Week? Please e-mail me (show [AT] PeopleAndProjectsPodcast [DOT] com) or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). What have you been learning? 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! {youtube}kXp2gZibwHQ{/youtube} Total Duration 7:18 Download episode 170 GOOD VIBES OVERFLOW by Podington Bear Licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License..

Mar 8, 2017 • 1h 1min
PPP 169 | But What If They're Bingeing on NetFlix? How to Lead a Virtual Team, with Emily Luijbregts
Leading a Remote Team Increasingly project managers tell me they are responsible for a team that is not completely co-located. Whether it's just a few people who are remote or the entire team, thriving in a virtual environment is critical for you and me as we seek to lead and deliver in the years ahead. To help us further develop our ability to lead virtually, we're joined today by one of my favorite voices on the topic: Emily Luijbregts. You can contact Emily with follow-up questions at Emily [DOT] luijbregts [AT] gmail [DOT] com Invest In Your Administrative Assistant Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated by companies around the world each April, and I have an idea of how you can celebrate the admins who serve your area! Check out our Effective Administrative Assistant Webinar Series. It's a 5-week course that I've shared with admins around the world, and I would love to help the admin who serves your team. We help your admin grow in areas, such as influence, conflict management, time management, and even project management! Visit https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/Admin today to learn more and sign-up. Introduce a Video Episode! In this episode, I invite you to send me your favorite breakfast spot in your town (it will make more sense when you listen to the episode!). Also, I invite you to send me a video of you or you and your team introducing an upcoming video episode! Let's do this! Just email me an .mp4 file from your smartphone--no editing or high-production value required! Include your name, where you're from, and a welcome to the podcast. That's it! Email the file to show [AT] peopleandprojectspodcast [DOT] com. Thanks! Listener Survey I'm constantly looking for ways to improve the podcast. Would you be willing to take 2 minutes and share your thoughts? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/ListenerSurvey and help me know how I can help deliver exactly what you're looking for. Thanks! Related Episodes In this discussion with Emily, I mention the following episodes: Harvard teams expert J. Richard Hackman: Episode 33 Cultural intelligence expert Tom Verghese: Episode 146 Virtual teams expert Karen Sobel Lojeski: Episode 9 Author of Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It, Jody Thompson: Episode 97 Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! LONG DISTANCE CALL by Muddy Waters. CRYSTAL ECHOES by Sergey Cheremisinov Licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution License. BRIAN REGAN LIVE FROM RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL by Brian Regan available on Amazon.
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