People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

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 or ask for help?" "Invest in a new product or milk the existing cash cow another year?" Whether you're leading teams or projects, we're often faced with what seems like unpleasant trade-offs. It's not a matter of which option is the best. Sometimes it feels like we need to figure out which option is the least evil! Success with a project, team or even organization can come down to how effectively we lead when we're seemingly stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.   To help us navigate these situations I turned to Dr. Roger L. Martin. Roger has been named one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world and is the author of two thought-provoking books, entitled The Opposable Mind and The Design of Business. Want to be a better problem solver or improve your ability to innovate? This episode is for you! To learn more about Roger L. Martin and to get links to his articles, books, and blog, visit http://rogerlmartin.com.   Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

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 Harvard Business Review blog at http://blogs.hbr.org/kotter/.   You know, if you were a premium subscriber to the People and Projects Podcast, you could now listen to some special coaching advice that I share after each interview with my guests. Each premium episode is designed to help you improve your ability to lead and deliver by taking the next step in applying the learning from our standard podcast episodes.   Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

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 give us insight on this topic, you could argue one of the best people in the world to talk to is Professor John Kotter. John's most recent book is entitled Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down and is a great follow-on to his classic books on change. I had the opportunity to spend some extended time talking with John earlier this year and look forward to sharing that discussion with you over the course of two episodes.   For our premium subscribers, your extra coaching podcast episode will come out with the second cast. In this first cast, John and I focus on the topic of change. Enjoy the interview! To learn more about John's organization, check out http://www.kotterinternational.com/. You can follow John's Harvard Business Review blog at http://blogs.hbr.org/kotter/. By the way, my two favorite (and highly recommended) John Kotter books on change include: Leading Change The Heart of Change   Join me in our next cast when John tells us more about how to avoid letting our ideas get shot down. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

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 customer service and quality come to mind. People at Disney know how to be great on the job. They are patient with demanding customers and seemingly cool under the heat of the Florida sun.   What does it take to be great on the job? As it turns out, there's a book by that name out this week by Jodi Glickman. I had the opportunity to catch up with Jodi recently and look forward to sharing that interview about her book with you this week. Learn more about Jodi's organization at http://greatonthejob.com. You can also find her HBR posts at http://blogs.hbr.org/glickman.   Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

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 Risk in Projects. Also, you may want to check out Dr. Hillson's newest book The Failure Files: Perspectives on Failure.   Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

  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 something bad could happen." But then there's flip side as well, where we leap from the platform exclaiming, "I hope the bungee cord is attached!" Whether at work or in life, there are an endless number of things we could worry about, and I know plenty of leaders that admit they are good worriers! It's been said that one of the best antidotes for anxiety is action, and a way to move your team and project from worrying to action is risk management. To talk about this issue I went to one of the clearest and most prolific voices on the topic, Dr. David Hillson. I've split my discussion with David into two episodes and look forward to sharing this first portion with you in this episode. You can learn more about David Hillson at his website http://www.risk-doctor.com. You'll find helpful articles and links related to risk management. In the second portion of this interview, David recommends a couple specific books, including Exploiting Future Uncertainty and Managing Risk in Projects. Also, you may want to check out Dr. Hillson's newest book The Failure Files: Perspectives on Failure. Join me in the next episode where Dr. David Hillson and I talk about how to take the next step with risk management in your organization. Note: for my premium subscribers, your additional coaching episode will be published with the second portion of the interview. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

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 you can claim in each cycle, from 15 to 30. Make your life easier and save some money. Earn free PDU's while you listen to each episode of The People and Projects Podcast. Follow this link to find out exactly how to claim your PDUs for this podcast: http://www.peopleandprojectspodcast.com/index.php/resources-for-project-managers/earn-30-free-pdus.html By the way, here are a couple additional ideas for getting free or low cost PDU's: If you work as a project manager at least 6 months out of the year, you can claim 5 Category F PDU's each calendar year. If you volunteer with your PMI chapter or donate project management services for a community or charitable group, you can claim up Category E PDU's. You can get Category D PDU's for presenting at a conference or meeting on the topic of project management. You certainly can take classroom or e-learning courses as well. Our new Essentials of Project Management e-learning workshop is rated at 14 PDU's. Finally, you may recall an interview I had with Cornelius Fichtner regarding his PDU Podcast. Though these last two options aren't free, they are still a great value for the investment. There are countless ways to get your required PDU's. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Download episode 48

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 pontificate theory. But every once in a while you come across one that is a breath of fresh air, where the author says it how it is instead of how it should be. An example of one of those books is the latest from Professor Henry Mintzberg, entitled Management? It's Not What You Think! It's a thought-provoking, at times irreverent look at this craft we call management. To give you a taste of what you'll find in this new book, I'm excited to share a recent discussion I had with Henry in this episode. Learn more about Henry at http://www.mintzberg.com and http://www.coachingourselves.com.   I am so excited to be rolling out our new Leadership Fast Track Program! Can you think of someone in your area who is a high-performing manager that the organization wants to continue to pour into? Or someone who knows the business or technical aspects of their job but could use some help developing their people skills? Or maybe it's someone who is not currently in a management role but is seen as a future leader? If that applies to you or someone you know, you have to check out the Leadership Fast Track Program! This innovative program provides workshops, leadership assessments, and one-on-one executive coaching with me. And it's all designed to minimize your time away from your work. There's an early bird discount for those who sign up before May 1, 2011. Go to http://www.i-leadonline.com/LeadershipFastTrack-2011.asp to download a free brochure.   Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!  

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 Influence People--and Deliver Quality Software". Go to http://www.sqe.com/go?SE11Kaufman and use the code AKSE and save up to $400 on registrations prior to March 4, 2011. Come join me at STAREAST! I look forward to seeing you there! So, let me ask you.... Are you a student of your profession? Conferences are a great way to invest in your learning--it's one way to remain a student. But how else do you make sure you continue to learn? Listening to this podcast is a clear way to keep growing, and each month we have more premium subscribers who get additional content that supplements these episodes with more personalized coaching. For this episode I wanted to focus on those who are in project management roles or who aspire to be there someday. There are many great resources for being a student of project management. And one of my favorite resources is pmStudent (http://learn.pmstudent.com/dap/a/?a=113). I recently had the opportunity to connect with Josh Nankivel from pmStudent and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode. Make sure to check out pmStudent at http://learn.pmstudent.com/dap/a/?a=113. Josh also mentioned the following sites: http://www.cottagepm.com/blog/ http://www.steppingintopm.com/ http://www.project-management-podcast.com/ http://quantmleap.com/blog/ Quick note: This month we're rolling out a new product to help those who are or aspire to be project managers. Our "Essentials of Project Management" workshop is now available in an e-learning format. This engaging new offering simplifies your ability to get expert insights in a stress-free, convenient format. And this month we're offering a special coupon code to get 50% of the normal price for the learning. Just go to http://bit.ly/EssentialsOfPM  and use the coupon code ESSENTIALS-50. This offer is good until the end of March 2011. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Download the episode

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 decision. For our upcoming Leadership Fast Track program, we're going to do one-on-coaching and workshops using collaborative technologies, allowing you to participate regardless of where you call home. My small company allows me to make fast decisions to offer solutions like that, to turn on a dime, so to speak, if desired. Yet being small--as in a small number of employees--doesn't always work that way. In today's interview, I'll tell the story of a small company that doesn't act small. You may work for yourself, for a small company, or for a huge multinational organization. I'm convinced that your ability to act like a small company is more about how you look at things than it is about the number of employees. And that's just one of the themes of my friend and colleague Phil Simon, who recently released his latest book entitled The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses Is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies. You may recall Phil from my interview with him in August of 2009 regarding his book Why New Systems Fail: An Insider's Guide to Successful IT Projects. For years I've found Phil's insights to be fresh, on target, and actionable. I had the opportunity to catch up with Phil recently about his new book and look forward to sharing that interview in this episode. For my premium subscribers, make sure to check out your premium feed for some additional coaching related my discussion with Phil. You can learn more about Phil at http://www.TheNewSmall.com and http://www.PhilSimonSystems.com. Tweet about this interview and @philsimon might just pick you for a free copy of his book!   As a listener to The People and Projects Podcast, you are already comfortable with using technologies like this for your personal development. If you are in a leadership role--or desire to grow into one--I want to give you a heads-up about our Leadership Fast Track program, which will be kicking off in the 2nd quarter of this year. The Leadership Fast Track program is designed to help accelerate your ability to lead and deliver. You'll participate in a series of practical workshops that I will personally facilitate. The program also includes leadership assessments and personal coaching from me. The program is all designed for maximum impact, and using collaborative technologies, allows you to access the learning with minimal impact on your schedule. Want to learn more? Go to http://www.i-leadonline.com/leadershipfasttrack-2011.asp to join our early-bird notification list and you'll be among the first to get updates about the program.   Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!