People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

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!

Hopefully, you've already had a chance to listen to the first part of my interview with Tony Schwartz. In this second part, Tony talks about the concept of pulsing and gets very transparent about his struggle to implement these ideas. Enjoy Part 2 of my discussion with Tony Schwartz, author of Be Excellent at Anything (NOTE: This book used to be entitled The Way We're Working Isn't Working). I wholeheartedly recommend you get a copy of Tony's book. It's a great way to take the next step in making a radical difference in your own performance as well as that of your team. Also, make sure to check out his websites (https://www.TheEnergyProject.com and https://www.TakeBackYourLunch.com). Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Let me take a guess... You don't have time to listen to this podcast episode. Oh, you're listening to it, but perhaps you're driving or trying to do e-mail--hopefully not both--while you do it! We're so busy, and the overall toll on us and our productivity can be overwhelming, which made me think of Tony Schwartz's book Be Excellent at Anything (NOTE: This book used entitled The Way We're Working Isn't Working). Tony is a gifted writer and speaker and an expert in helping us perform at our best. I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with Tony and have divided the interview into two podcast episodes. So, I invite you to turn off your handheld, shut down any distractions, and enjoy learning from one of the freshest voices out there on performance and productivity, Tony Schwartz. You can learn more about Tony at The Energy Project (http://www.theenergyproject.com). Also, learn more about Take Back Your Lunch at http://www.TakeBackYourLunch.com. Make sure to check out the second part of my interview with Tony for additional insights on improving your performance. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I love when a new year comes around! I love the opportunity to look and consider the previous year: accomplishments, challenges, blessings, mistakes, and lessons. It's an opportunity to take a renewed look at the year ahead and set goals. Yet there's the problem with New Year's resolutions. Ask the average person--and I do in this video podcast with some "man on the streets" interviews--and they'll tell you resolutions don't work. Or at least they don't last. In this brief video podcast I share some key lessons to help project managers and leaders set better goals, just in time for the new year! NOTE: In this episode I mentioned Stickk.com. Make sure to check them out! Also, you can listen to my interview with the CEO of Stickk.com in this previous episode of The People and Projects Podcast. Here's to a very prosperous and successful year ahead for you! Thank you for subscribing to The People and Projects Podcast! {youtube}pOeKJa8EQb8{/youtube} Download the video episode

In case you missed it in our last episode, I have a special Christmas gift for all my podcast listeners. You've heard me talk about Premium Subscriptions in recent months, and many have joined. But perhaps you've been holding out. Well here's my Christmas gift to you. Become an annual premium subscriber before January 1, 2011 and my gift to you is a free license of our new e-learning offering entitled "The Dirty Little Secret of Business". This program, which normally sells for $97, is yours for free when you become a premium subscriber by the end of this year. Throughout the year premium subscribers get:* discounts on products* automatic entry into drawings* free participation in webinars* additional materials with episodes, and * the opportunity to participate live on my interviews with experts. I'd love to have you join the growing number of premium subscribers to The People and Projects Podcast! Here's where you can learn more: http://bit.ly/PremiumSubscribe. Thanks! From all of us who help produce each podcast episode, we wish you and those you love a very Merry Christmas! Download the episode

We're now at that time of year when there are often many social gatherings, whether with family, friends, or work associates. Do you look forward to these times of family gatherings and holiday parties? Or do you dread them? Or how about this: What do you think of when I say the term "networking"? If your first response was TCP/IP or Ethernet, you have even more work than I expected! But kidding aside, when you think of networking in terms of developing relationships, what comes to mind? Frankly, for many years I knew I should be networking more but I tended to see it as a rather sleazy endeavor--an activity that people did just to get stuff from other people. Yet in a struggling and unpredictable economy, there are more reasons than ever to actively develop relationships. The problem is that most relationship-building books seem to be written for extroverts. But what about the rest of us? Well, to arm you for the holiday season and to help you come up with a relationship-building strategy for the year ahead I'm excited to introduce you to Devora Zack, author of a recently published book entitled Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed and the Underconnected. Learn more about Devora and Only Connect Consulting at http://www.onlyconnectconsulting.com. Devora has graciously made two copies of her book available for listeners to The People and Projects Podcast. If you are one of our growing number of Premium Subscribers, you are automatically entered into the drawing. If you're not a Premium Subscriber yet, please send me an e-mail at show@peopleandprojectspodcast.com to enter the drawing. I'll pick two winners on December 31, 2010. And here's a special offer. As I mentioned in the interview I have a keynote entitled The Dirty Little Secret of Business. Despite the provocative title, the dirty little secret of business is that it's all done on relationships. This session gets top ratings when delivered at conferences and company meetings, and it's now available in an e-learning format. Though normally sold for $97 USD, listeners to The People and Projects Podcast can access it for only $49 USD. Go to http://bit.ly/eDirtyLittleSecret before January 15, 2011 and use a coupon code of DIRTY-SECRET. Whether for yourself or as a gift to a friend or co-worker, The Dirty Little Secret of Business can be a powerful way to develop a practical strategy to building relationships. And here's one last idea for you! I'm going to give this e-learning offering to all my Premium Subscribers for free! If you join my growing number of premium subscribers before the end of December 2010, you'll also get The Dirty Little Secret of Business e-learning for free. Go to http://bit.ly/PremiumSubscribe to join. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

We're now at that time of year when there are often many social gatherings, whether with family, friends, or work associates. Do you look forward to these times of family gatherings and holiday parties? Or do you dread them? Or how about this: What do you think of when I say the term "networking"? If your first response was TCP/IP or Ethernet, you have even more work than I expected! But kidding aside, when you think of networking in terms of developing relationships, what comes to mind? Frankly, for many years I knew I should be networking more but I tended to see it as a rather sleazy endeavor--an activity that people did just to get stuff from other people. Yet in a struggling and unpredictable economy, there are more reasons than ever to actively develop relationships. The problem is that most relationship-building books seem to be written for extroverts. But what about the rest of us? Well, to arm you for the holiday season and to help you come up with a relationship building strategy for the year ahead I'm excited to introduce you to Devora Zack, author of a recently published book entitled Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed and the Underconnected. Learn more about Devora and Only Connect Consulting at http://www.onlyconnectconsulting.com. Devora has graciously made two copies of her book available for listeners to The People and Projects Podcast. If you are one of our growing number of Premium Subscribers, you are automatically entered into the drawing. If you're not a Premium Subscriber yet, please send me an e-mail at show@peopleandprojectspodcast.com to enter the drawing. I'll pick two winners on December 31, 2010. And here's a special offer. As I mentioned in the interview I have a keynote entitled The Dirty Little Secret of Business. Despite the provocative title, the dirty little secret of business is that it's all done on relationships. This session gets top ratings when delivered at conferences and company meetings, and it's now available in an e-learning format. Though normally sold for $97 USD, listeners to The People and Projects Podcast can access it for only $49 USD. Go to http://bit.ly/eDirtyLittleSecret before January 15, 2011 and use a coupon code of DIRTY-SECRET. Whether for yourself or as a gift to a friend or co-worker, The Dirty Little Secret of Business can be a powerful way to develop a practical strategy to building relationships. And here's one last idea for you! I'm going to give this e-learning offering to all my Premium Subscribers for free! If you join my growing number of premium subscribers before the end of December 2010, you'll also get The Dirty Little Secret of Business e-learning for free. Go to http://bit.ly/PremiumSubscribe to join. Thank you for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Total Duration: 26:19 Download episode 39

I have the true privilege of helping professionals from hundreds of companies develop their ability to lead people and deliver projects. A common question I hear from leaders as they progress higher in their organizations has to do with their boss. In effect, they're asking, "How do I manage the person who is supposed to be managing me?" A clear lesson as you grow in responsibility is that managing is not just something you do with your subordinates--what a terrible word that is! Rather, to be effective you also have to lead and serve peers, stakeholders, and yes, bosses. Managing up is an important part of your ability to successfully deliver. But how do you go about doing that? For this episode I'm bringing back Bruce Tulgan who was a guest on our show last year (click here to listen to that episode). Bruce recently published Its Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work. I had the opportunity to speak with Bruce recently and look forward to sharing that interview in this episode. Learn more about Bruce and his organization at http://www.rainmakerthinking.com. I also recommend you get a copy of his book Its Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work. While you're at it, check out another one of Bruce's books It's Okay to Be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need. You'll find both helpful in the development of your management skills. In recent episodes I've been telling you about our growing list of Premium Subscribers. I want to invite you to join! You'll get additional materials with each episode to help you and those around you get even more value out of the topic we talk about. You'll not only be automatically enrolled in freebies, you'll also have the opportunity to actually participate in upcoming interviews with experts. Sometimes as a year ends there's a little extra training budget that needs to be spent. Whether that's true or not, how about investing in your learning for the year ahead? Click here for details and join as a Premium Subscriber. Thanks for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Download the episode

Hello! Welcome to the 10th month of this 10th year in this century! In this episode, I'm sharing insights from a book I've recently read: 10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and with Your Family, by Suzy Welch. The title sounds more like a subject for an Oprah audience than project managers and leaders! However, I think you'll find the ideas in the book helpful with your projects, with your team, and in your personal life. Let me know what questions you have after listening to the cast. And be sure to share the ideas from 10-10-10 with your team. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills

If you've followed this podcast or attended one of my keynotes on project management or leadership, you've likely caught onto my bias that the biggest successes, the biggest joys, the biggest failures, and the biggest stresses often come down to the same thing: people. Project management is ultimately people management. Success with people management--and thus project management--can significantly depend on our effectiveness in areas such as communication, influence, and building relationships. One of the freshest voices on the people side of project management is consultant Dave Po-Chedley, PMP, author of Client Relationship Management: How to Turn Client Relationships into a Competitive Advantage. I had the opportunity to catch up with Dave recently and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode. I invite you to learn more about Dave and the work of Cambridge Consulting (http://www.cambridgeconsult.com and http://www.pminsight.us). I want to let you know that Dave has graciously made two copies of his book Client Relationship Management available to our listeners. If you are a Premium Subscriber you are automatically entered into the drawing. If you're not a Premium Subscriber, send me an e-mail with "Book Drawing" as the subject. Two of our listeners will get Dave's book sent to them for free. One last thing: I received a message from a listener that I wanted to share with you: Hi Andy, I attended your 1-day tutorial at Better Software in June. That session was worth the price of the whole trip. Great, transformative stuff! I have since changed my listening habits in the car: I listen to management podcasts now. I decided to propose the Outlaw Team idea to my boss who leads an entire division in my company. He liked the idea and had me present it to his weekly leadership meeting. All the VPs liked the idea, with some suggestions. I then suggested action items to move it forward. My boss volunteered me to carry the ball. Yikes! Now I have to try and be the Andy Kaufman of our company. Nah. I'll just be me and see where we get. Never thought I'd go from eager student to mentoring others in leadership skills. Thanks for your great work! Charlie Well, congratulations to Charlie for taking action on the learning! Charlie also became a Premium Subscriber to this podcast. Are you a Charlie-kind-of-person, one who has a passion for developing themselves and those around them? If so, I recommend you join Charlie as a Premium Subscriber to The People and Projects Podcast! It's a great deal and provides you with additional tools for self and team development. Visit our website for details, including a discount available on the Annual Subscription. Thanks for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week! Download the episode