People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

Focusing On What Really Matters When you don’t have enough time, what’s the first thing that gets cut from your schedule? Now, of course, the answer is “it depends.” But I asked this question recently on LinkedIn and got a flood of responses. The most common category was self-care: exercising, sleeping, even eating. Two other big categories were time with others and time to think. Maybe you can relate to these. Left to my own devices, I sure can. But when you think about it, you would never design your life that way, right? Each of those represents areas that are critical to our success. And I’m not just talking about success with our projects or at work. If we’re not taking care of ourselves, taking time to think and reflect, and investing in others, it impacts nearly every dimension of life. And it can lead us to hitting a birthday and wondering, how did I get here? If that sounds like a depressing start to this episode, I have good news. I’m joined today by the author of one of my favorite new books. Cassie Holmes joins us to discuss her book Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most. What I expected to be just another time management guide turns out to be a book on happiness that I consider a must-read. Learn more about Cassie and her book at CassieMHolmes.com/.   For more episodes related to focusing on what matters most, check out these episodes: Episode 174, with Amy Blankson about her book The Future of Happiness. Episode 136, with Michele Geilen about her book Broadcasting Happiness. Episode 309, with Ashley Whillans about her book Time Smart. These authors are not just writers--they are researchers who make their work accessible and actionable to us all. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Emotionalism by Alexander Nakarada Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5867-emotionalism License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: Music: Road Trip by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9761-road-trip License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frank.schroeter.52

Stop Drowning At Work Have you ever heard someone say they are drowning at work? Maybe you feel like that even right now as you start this episode. If a sink is broken and water is overflowing, there are at least two options: you can mop faster or you can fix the sink. Using that as a metaphor for work, many of us are trying to mop faster. Today, we’re going to talk about how to fix the sink. I’m excited to introduce you to Nick Sonnenberg, author of a new book, Come Up for Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work. The single biggest benefit of Nick's book is he doesn’t just talk about the problem. Or provide vague generalities about how to address them. He gets into detailed recommendations with specific tools and loads of case studies and examples to help you and your team come up for air. He’s already helping me and my team and I can’t wait for you to be introduced to his ideas. Learn more about Nick and his company at GetLeverage.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: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Cry by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10346-cry License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de Music: Happy Summertime by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9096-happy-summertime License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Permission to Offend Is it possible to be too nice? We have a vigorous discussion around this question in our Essentials of Project Management workshop. There’s almost always a resounding response of “Yes! It is possible to be too nice.” That discussion is based on an idea we covered in episode 320 with Greg Githins. Greg says, "Leadership is a practice of kindness, but it’s not always a practice of niceness.” Hmmm... We're going to build on that idea in this episode. I’m joined by Rachel Luna. She’s the author of a new book entitled Permission to Offend: The Compassionate Guide for Living Unfiltered and Unafraid. Are there times when you feel like you should be speaking up but are afraid to do so? Or when you worry perhaps too much about what other people think? Have you found yourself confounded about why someone reacted the way they did? Stay with us because Rachel will share some insights that you can start putting to work immediately. Learn more about Rachel and her work at RachelLuna.biz. Also, for more on this topic, check out episode 371 with Amanda Ripley and her book High Conflict. It's a great follow-up to this discussion.   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Tarantino 1 by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9573-tarantino-1 License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Road Trip by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9761-road-trip License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Building Your Brand Without Being Pushy What comes to mind when you think of personal branding? Some feel that personal branding is superficial. Or inauthentic. Instead of focusing on our brand, we should focus on developing expertise. Doing good work. And that good work will stand on its own. In this episode, we’re taking this topic of personal branding head-on, and I’m joined by one of the most influential voices on the subject. Catherine Kaputa is recognized as one of the top 30 Global Branding Gurus and the author of five books on the topic. Today’s discussion focuses on ideas in her new book, The New Brand You: How to Wow in the New World of Work. By the time we’re done with this discussion, you’ll see how personal branding applies to you, whether you’re a student preparing for the workplace, someone trying to change industries, or someone feeling like you’re just not getting the opportunities or promotions you deserve. Learn more about Catherine and her work at SelfBrand.com.   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program, Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Bouncy Gypsy Beats by John Bartmann Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3189-bouncy-gypsy-beats License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: End Titles (Romeos Erbe) by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3149-end-titles-romeos-erbe License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Navigating Parenting As a dad of 5 kids, I think back to when we had our first child. Those early days were a blur for both my wife and me. And as more kids came along, and then we adopted two more when our oldest three were teenagers, we have lived through the challenges and joys of the project known as parenting. We’re talking about parenting today because it brings some unique challenges to us as leaders. How can we navigate parenting in a way that aligns with who we are and what is meaningful to us? And how can we, as leaders, support parents on our teams in a way that reinforces that we value their commitments and responsibilities at work and home? I’m excited to welcome a new friend to the podcast. Julie Foubert’s life project is to support individuals, future and young parents, perinatal professionals, and organizations to evolve toward a more fulfilled and enlightened parenthood. And her passion for leadership and project management informs how she goes about this. Learn more about Julie and her work at be-the-change.fr/. And contact Julie at julie@be-the-change.fr.   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: A Picnic With My Family by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6644-a-picnic-with-my-family License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Love Beyond Gravity [Original] by German Tretyakov Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9803-love-beyond-gravity-original License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Winners Never Quit? It's an overused cliche that winners never quit, and quitters never win. The only problem with that, of course, is that it oversimplifies the reality of the world we live and lead in. So much of what we do as leaders of projects and teams is to make decisions. And could it be our inability to quit a project, a vendor, a tool, or a team member--could it be that even our career is being hindered because we’re persisting instead of quitting? In this episode, I'm joined by one of my favorite voices on decision-making. Annie Duke is the author of a new book entitled Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away. You may know of Annie because of her previous books on decision-making, such as Thinking In Bets. In this episode, we’re going to discuss something that wasn’t elaborated on in her earlier books. We’re going to talk about quitting--and, assuming you keep listening--you don’t quit--you’re going to walk away with some practical ideas that you can start using this week. Learn more about Annie and her book at AnnieDuke.com/.   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: The Gigantic Epic Day After Tomorrow by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/413-the-gigantic-epic-day-after-tomorrow License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: Music: Road Trip by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9761-road-trip License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frank.schroeter.52 “Rudy (4/8) Movie CLIP - Fortune's Truth (1993) HD” On YouTube at YouTube.com/watch?v=Qoh3YkxuwVo “Jerry Maguire (2/8) Movie CLIP - Who's Coming With Me? (1996) HD” On YouTube at YouTube.com/watch?v=6ZZI6-zh0GM

Help for Getting Out of High Conflict When you think of the word conflict, what comes to mind? I ask because I’ve had the opportunity to pose that question to groups around the world. How would you respond? What I hear most often is words like Stress. Arguments. Tension. Avoid! Rarely do I hear Opportunity. Or disagreement. I’m excited to welcome Amanda Ripley to the podcast. Amanda is the author of one of my favorite books from this last year. It’s entitled High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out. It's not just a book about the brain. It's a book that introduces you to your brain. For those of us responsible for leading teams and projects, learning how to avoid the traps of high conflict--and how to get out of them if we’re there--is critical to our success. And in a world of increased political and social polarization, we have a real opportunity to be a force for good instead of just adding fuel to the fire. I consider this book a must-read and I look forward to your feedback after you listen to the episode! Learn more about Amanda and her book at AmandaRipley.com/. For more insights related to this episode, check out: Episode 284 for my conversation with Peter Boghossian about his book How Have Impossible Conversations Episode 276 for my conversation with Buster Benson about his book Why Are We Yelling?   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: The Inner Conflict by The New Geometry YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoeccLie1DU License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: RetroFuture Clean by Kevin MacLeod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWjCZ60gxfI License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Everybody Loves Raymond Uses Active Listening - from Parent Effectiveness Training available on YouTube at YouTube.com/watch?v=4VOubVB4CTU

Hi! Meet Your Brain Have you ever looked at how someone made a decision and wondered, “What were they thinking?” For me, it’s not just even watching other people. Sometimes I reflect on how I felt about something or a decision and wonder, “Huh… I wonder what was going on there?” Chantel Prat is one of today’s most important researchers and voices in the field of neuroscience. And she’s the author of a fascinating and entertaining new book entitled The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours. It's not just a book about the brain. It's a book that introduces you to your brain. If you’ve ever wondered how the brain works but instantly found your eyes rolling back because the material was too boring, you’ll want to get a copy of this book. Chantel is as funny as she is brilliant--I’m looking forward to sharing today’s discussion with you. Learn more about Chantel and her book at ChantelPrat.com/. For more insights related to this episode, check out: Episode 188 for my conversation with Dr. John Medina about his Brain Rulesbooks   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Crime Time by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9136-crime-time License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frank.schroeter.52 Music: Everybody Up by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9244-everybody-up License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.sascha-ende.de Young Frankenstein Abby Normal available on YouTube at YouTube.com/watch?v=C9Pw0xX4DXI

Influence and Manipulation Where's the line between influence and manipulation? Well, I’ll save the answer for when you hear from today’s guest. Andres Lares is the Managing Partner at the Shapiro Negotiation Institute and author of a book entitled Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions. In this episode, Andres talks about the difference between influence and manipulation, and how to persuade in an ethical way. He explains why persuasion doesn’t just start with logic--or emotion. Rather, it’s with building credibility, and Andres shares some ideas on what that means and how to do it. Along the way, you’ll learn about Borrowed Credibility, Belief Biases, salary negotiating, and more. It’s a discussion that I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you. Learn more about Andres and his book at ShapiroNegotiations.com/. For more insights related to this episode, check out: Episode 157 for my conversation with Dr. Robert Cialdini about his books on influence Episode 194 for my conversation with Tim David about his book on influence Episode 347 for my conversation with Zoe Chance about her book Influence is Your Superpower   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Crime Time by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9136-crime-time License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frank.schroeter.52 Music: Lofi Chill Hip-Hop by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6347-lofi-chill-hip-hop License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod

Leadership Lessons Over the years of hosting the People and Projects Podcast, we’ve heard from authors from all kinds of backgrounds. I enjoy bringing you insights from researchers and professors and authors from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. But I particularly enjoy talking with people who have been in the trenches--they’ve had to lead in daunting situations, and they have the stories--and the scars--that come from being in the arena. In this episode, you’re going to hear from someone just like that. Jim Wetrich has led teams on three continents for more than 40 years. Jim, who also goes by the name Big Red, has put his top lessons about leading into a new book entitled Stifled: Where Good Leaders Go Wrong. In this episode, Big Red talks about how failing fast is easy to say--and important--but can also be difficult emotionally. He talks about why self-awareness is critical for leaders--and why we probably struggle with it more than we realize. We talk about hypocritical leaders and what we can do to make sure we don’t come off that way to our teams. Big Red shares how he manages the tension between getting his hands dirty but not micromanaging. Before we’re done, we’ll talk about the importance of staying positive, office politics, and more. I can’t wait to share this discussion with you. Learn more about Big Red and his book at JimWetrich.com/.   Do You Have a High School or College Age Student in Your Family? If so, check out our e-learning program entitled Getting Stuff Done: Project Management for Students. It provides practical skills to reduce the stress of their school work and help jumpstart their career. Learn more and get access at https://i-leadonline.com/GettingStuffDone. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills   The following music was used for this episode: Music: Inspiring Advertising by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5515-inspiring-advertising License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.orchestralis.net/ Music: Pop Cinematic Credits by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5586-pop-cinematic-credits License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://www.orchestralis.net/