The Everyday PM: Project Management Principles for Your Everyday Life

John Dyer is an author, coach, and trainer with 36 years of experience in the field of improving processes. His published book, “The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership” examines the four leadership styles required to move an organization’s culture to one of trust, collaboration, and teamwork. John started his career with General Electric and then worked for Ingersoll-Rand before starting his own consulting company. He has had the opportunity to study with leaders in the continuous improvement field such as Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Brian Joiner, and Stephen Covey. The first line in the book “The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership” is: “Perhaps everything we know about how to manage people is wrong.” We have decades of bad management practices to overcome if we have any hope of implementing and sustaining team-based improvements such as Lean and Six Sigma. The first step to make improvement happen is to first admit that there is a problem (and then identify and fix the root cause). In many cases, that problem begins with the organization’s managers. But what is the root cause of why good people continue to use the old management ways? “The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership” explores the answers to this and many other questions on leadership by sharing the story of Jim Brown (a new executive who wants to do the right thing but inherits a staff who refuse to change) and Frank Smith (an executive in the same company who will do anything to make himself look good in order to get ahead). The narrative is based on actual events (for example, the author was the one who was given a stick to unjam parts on a machine in order to make sure the production numbers were met and almost lost his finger in the process). Each chapter concludes with a description of how to take the lessons learned from the story portion and apply them to help an organization change, produce “enthusiastic productivity,” and achieve excellence. Here's a preview of the questions we cover in this week's episode of The Everyday PM Podcast: What about your professional journey has led you to become a champion for continuous improvement and operational excellence? What was it about Dr. Deming's work that motivated you to take his seminars? What inspired you to write the book from the perspective of two fictitious but very real characters who represent the old and new normal of leadership? Enjoyed this new-themed episode with John? Want to learn more about how he works with several organizations to assist in the implementation of team-based, improvement initiatives? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow John and me on LinkedIn for more. Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm Learn more about John Dyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dyer-75a646/ Purchase The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership: https://www.amazon.com/Fa%C3%A7ade-Excellence-Defining-Normal-Leadership/dp/0367145332

Tomorrow is the big day. You'll be pitching the scope of a new project to the executive leadership team for approval. For some, this moment can be nerve-racking. Others shine. Whatever position you take on public speaking, it's best to take the time to prepare. And by prepare, that doesn't just mean practice your script. It means understanding who your audience is, from their motivations to their ticks. It is also a time to think deeper about what questions or concerns your audience may have about your material. Taking the time to do your due diligence is just one tip of many that Dr. Cheryl Wood presents to The Everday PM audience.    Dr. Cheryl Wood is an international motivational speaker, best-selling author, and master speaker development coach for women. She is committed to empowering and equipping women with the tools to courageously share their unique voice, their story, and their subject matter expertise. Wood provides specialized speaker training for both corporate and entrepreneurial women who are ready to articulate their message in a manner that is clear, concise, compelling, and captivating. Whether the message is being shared in a Boardroom, a Conference Room, or a Media Room, Wood believes that every message has the power to create a shift in people's thoughts and perspectives and, therefore, should be done with intention and strategy.   Here's a preview of the questions we cover in this week's episode of The Everyday PM Podcast:  - You’re a mother, you're a businesswoman, how did you get to where you are today?  - You have found yourself in crowded auditorium rooms speaking at conferences. How do you plan for this? How do you keep your composure?  - What are the top 5 elements of an unforgettable speech?  - Any advice on how people can practice presenting well?   Enjoyed this new-themed episode with Dr. Wood? Want to learn more about how she is empowering and equipping women with the tools to courageously share their unique voice? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Dr. Wood and me on LinkedIn for more.   Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea   Watch: https://youtu.be/1iVMAHEk6eI Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm   Learn more about Dr. Cheryl Wood: https://www.cherylempowers.com/   Purchase Dr. Wood's Book - Success Tips for Speakers: 50 Tips to Jump-Start Your Speaking Career:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1532363648/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_DUweEbS4KAEAS    ***  Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP | https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/ Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries.    Dr. Cheryl Wood  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylempowers/ International Motivational Speaker, Best Selling Author, & Executive Speaker Development Coach Dr. Cheryl Wood is an international motivational speaker, best-selling author, and master speaker development coach for women. Wood believes that every message has the power to create a shift in people's thoughts and perspectives and, therefore, should be done with intention and strategy.

You may remember Greg from previous episodes of The Everyday PM Podcast, where we discussed topics like PM basics and post-mortems. However, did you know that Greg is currently the Vice President of ProjectHub.com? ProjectHub is a sophisticated, user-friendly project and task management solution for organizations seeking to automate and optimize business processes - and make their teams run better, faster, and leaner.    All day-to-day business consists of projects and work tasks. But ProjectHub's mission goes far beyond the scope of "project management." Their solution is built to help high-performance companies of all sizes and structures - from fast-growing enterprises to small and mid-sized businesses - create and implement project and process optimization solutions both overseers and end-users find engaging and actionable.    We are back with Greg to learn more about his professional journey and how he got involved in ProjectHub. Here's a preview of the questions we cover in this week's episode of The Everyday PM Podcast:  - How did you go about building your own project management knowledge?  - What sets ProjectHub apart from the other PM management systems?  - Tell us about ProjectHub's features that will help bring clarity to complexity  If you are interested in trying out ProjectHub, sign up via their website for a free trial: https://www.projecthub.com/    Enjoyed this new-themed episode with Greg? Want to learn more about Greg's experience and how ProjectHub.com project management software can help eliminate complexity from your project? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Greg and me on LinkedIn for more.   Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea  Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm   ***  Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/ | Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. | Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries.    Greg Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-christensen-7b97648/ | Vice President of ProjectHub.com | Greg Christensen is a CMMS expert, business consultant, and mentor with 2 build-outs resulting in successful exits. Nearly 2 decades in the CMMS space, extensive facilities, maintenance, and building management experience, lead to a focus on project management. “I have a passion for working with people delivering successful outcomes using a client-centric approach to problem-solving. I find mentorship to be rewarding, in all of its various forms, and love building long-lasting relationships in constant pursuit of the elusive win-win."

Jason Sweeting, also known as "J the Trader," is not only a bond trader, mentor, and entrepreneur. Through our conversation, you'll quickly discover that he is also an everyday PM. His journey involves countless hours of working hard and studying the bond trading market. "A bond is a unit of debt issued by a company or government. It pays an annual fixed interest rate or coupon rate, which depends on the credit rating of the issuer and the time to maturity. But some entities are offering variable or floating interest rates as well." Not only has Jason found success in his craft, but he also shares what he knows about the market with his students at Jason Sweeting Trading Academy, so that he can watch them obtain financial freedom.    Jason talks to us about his business, teachings, and much more on this week's installment of The Everyday PM Podcast.    Here's a sneak peek at what we cover:  - Investing in yourself and your business  - Seeing project management as a service   - Servant leadership  - Teaching people to dream again through mentorship   Enjoyed this conversation with Jason? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Jason and me on LinkedIn for more.   Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea   Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm   Learn About Jason: https://www.iamjthetrader.com/   Find J the Trader on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jthetrader  ***  Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:   Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/ Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, consumer goods, tech, and healthcare industries.     Jason "J the Trader" Sweeting - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-sweeting-3642201bb/ Owner at Jason Sweeting Trading Academy He has no magic powers. He's a guy that got serious about trading. He worked hard and studied the market for countless thousands of hours. The knowledge that he has shared has helped himself and others gain control of their financial life. His market proficiencies include the 30-year bond market and the S&P500 futures.

Spider-Man: No Way Home crushed it at the Box Office, making a whopping $609.9 million domestically through New Year's weekend and over $1 billion globally (The Hollywood Reporter, 2022). With a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating, the film has quickly become something to be marveled at (no pun intended). While many are in awe of the film's many surprises, I find myself reveling in the subtle project management-related lessons scattered throughout the film. Let's take a look at the project management principles that Spider-Man: No Way Home can teach us.    Enjoyed this podcast episode? Want to continue the conversation?  Make sure to follow me on LinkedIn and visit TheEverydayPM.com for more content like this.   Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm  ***   Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/ Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc.  Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, consumer goods, tech, and healthcare industries.

One of my favorite questions to ask fellow project managers is "Did you plan to be a PM or did you stumble into it?" So, imagine my surprise when I heard the term Accidental PM for the first time. It just fits. Not only does Accidental PM perfectly capture how many of us "stumbled upon" the role, but it is also the title of author Ray W. Frohnhoefer's bestselling book, Accidental Project Manager: Zero to Hero in 7 Days. Ray wrote this book with the intent of helping project managers quickly learn the essential skills they need to start or refresh their careers.    He is also the author of Accidental Agile Project Manager: Zero to Hero in 7 Iterations, and Risk Assessment Framework: Successfully Navigating Uncertainty. Ray has provided organizations with key materials for project managers to learn and grow. With over 35 years of experience managing projects, programs, and portfolios in multiple industries, Ray utilizes his writing and teaching to train and mentor project management students from around the world via online and in-class courses. He works with educational institutions such as UC San Diego Extension and California Southern University. Recent corporate clients have included Breg, Cymer, San Diego County Water Authority, and the US Navy. His personal mission is to help individuals and organizations improve their practices of project, program, and portfolio management through many of his educational and consulting engagements which focus on accidental, new, and aspiring project managers.   Ray talks to us about his bestselling book, teachings, and much more on this week's installment of The Everyday PM Podcast.    Here's a sneak peek at what we cover:  - His inspiration for writing Accidental Project Manager   - How he came up with the title  - Ray's professional journey including if he himself is an accidental PM   - PROJECT as an acronym and how Ray thoughtfully structured the book to help project managers learn and retain the information    Enjoyed this conversation with Ray? Want to learn more about the essential skills needed to start or refresh your project management career? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Ray and me on LinkedIn for more.   Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea   Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm   Learn About Ray: https://rayfrohnhoefer.com/   Buy the Book: https://rayfrohnhoefer.com/books/    ***  Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:   Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, consumer goods, tech, and healthcare industries.    Ray W. Frohnhoefer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayf123/Author, Educator, Speaker, and Managing Partner of PPC Group, LLC. Author of Accidental Project Manager: Zero to Hero in 7 Days and project manager for over 30 years. Ray leads a dual career, with more than half of his more than 15 years as a trainer and educator spent designing and delivering project-oriented, experiential online courses based on 21st-century learning principles. In 2014, Ray founded PPC Group, LLC to offer publications, training, and consulting with a focus on aspiring, new, and accidental project managers.

Coffee chats, water cooler talk, quick huddles... As project managers, we thrive on these happenstance meetings as an opportunity to information gather. While I recommend these types of syncs are not utilized for decision-making, we can leverage this time as a chance to discuss pressing matters in a much more comfortable setting.    We are back for the second installment of Project Management Coffee Chat with Greg Christensen, Vice President of ProjectHub.com, who reached out to me with some follow-up questions about project management. To truly mimic the constraints of a coffee chat, I once again set a timer for 20 minutes, since we all know coffee breaks should not take any longer than that! Here's a preview of the questions we cover in this week's episode of The Everyday PM Podcast:   - What are pre- and post-mortems?  - What are the top five post-mortem outcomes that we must always document?  - Are hidden stakeholders more common to specific sectors or project types?   - What are some common, yet preventable, blind spots in project management?   - When and why does it make sense to save a project versus scrapping it?   Do you have any questions you'd like to bring to the Project Management Coffee House? Feel free to reach out to me and we'll find time to take a break together.  Enjoyed this new-themed episode with Greg? Want to learn more about Greg's experience and how ProjectHub.com project management software can help eliminate complexity from your project? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Greg and me on LinkedIn for more.   *** Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:   Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/ Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. | Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries.    Greg Christensen  https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-christensen-7b97648/ Vice President of ProjectHub.com | Greg Christensen is a CMMS expert, business consultant, and mentor with 2 build-outs resulting in successful exits. Nearly 2 decades in the CMMS space, extensive facilities, maintenance, and building management experience, lead to a focus on project management.“I have a passion for working with people delivering successful outcomes using a client-centric approach to problem-solving.  I find mentorship to be rewarding, in all of its various forms, and love building long-lasting relationships in constant pursuit of the elusive win-win."

Teal brings over twenty-five years of clinical, operational, business, and technical expertise in healthcare. She is a Registered Nurse (RN), a Six Sigma Green Belt, is Program and Portfolio Management Mastery certified, is Project Management Professional (PMP) certified. Teal has a Bachelor of Science and Nursing (BSN) degree, a Master of Computer Resources and Information Management degree, and is distinguished as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). She obtained her teaching certificate from Colorado Technical University, where she translated her healthcare experience in the classroom as Adjunct Faculty instructing undergraduate and graduate-level students in healthcare, IT, and project management. Her former roles include Vice President of the corporate Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) and Director of IT Project Management Office (PMO) for one of Colorado’s largest healthcare organizations. Utilizing that education/experience triad, she continues to lead multiple multi-million-dollar, high complexity, high visibility healthcare IT projects across the United States. Most of which are large-scale hospital construction projects where she excels at managing liaisons at the executive to unit coordinator levels. Teal is passionate about healthcare leadership and digital technology transformation. Teal's illustrious career is something to be proud of and admired by others. How exactly did she get to where she is today? Teal talks to us about crafting a career roadmap and much more on this week's installment of The Everyday PM Podcast. Here's a sneak peek at what we cover: How to craft your Career Roadmap? What considerations did you make before pursuing your certifications? What drove you to be an IT PM versus a non-tech PM? How to request or position yourself for the projects that will help you grow Advice on how to build your professional network Enjoyed this conversation with Teal? Want to learn more about building your own roadmap to a career in project management? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Teal and me on LinkedIn for more. Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm *** Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn: Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, consumer goods, tech, and healthcare industries. Teal Heath, FACHE Principal at Equinox HIT Experienced Healthcare Executive / Vice President with 25+ years of clinical, operational, business, and technical expertise. Executive-level consultation, leadership, relationship building, visioning, and decision making. Strong working knowledge of healthcare IT and healthcare construction. Special affinity working in complex, highly metricized, geographically dispersed environments where regulatory / business acumen and ability to lead change is required.

George Pitagorsky is a globally recognized project and process management thought leader who integrates mindfulness and process thinking into his work to improve individual and team performance. He assesses, consults, coaches, and teaches to enable optimal performance. He has spoken at global conferences and for companies such as Microsoft and Nokia. He has more than fifty years of experience in project, program, process, and product management as an entrepreneur, consultant to major corporations, and CIO for a multibillion-dollar organization. George has studied and practiced Yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation for over forty years while living and working in the material world. He teaches meditation techniques and “wisdom” thinking for use in all aspects of daily life. George publishes Breakthrough Newsletter and has authored four books, The Zen Approach to Project Management, Managing Conflict in Projects, Managing Expectations: A Mindful Approach to Achieving Optimal Performance, and How to be Happy Even When You Are Sad, Mad or Scared. According to Daniel Goleman, George’s book, The Zen Approach to Project Management, is “the Zen that's been missing in all too many of today's business books, and George Pitagorsky is the master we've needed.” It is also the first book I purchased as a project manager that truly resonated with me as I learn and grow as a project manager. The reason why it continues to resonate with me is that it couples the idea of emotional intelligence and working with different types of people with this idea that we can work from our center to balance expectations and performance. I amongst my peers have always been known to be calm under pressure and reasonable, which is why this book helped me tap further into this concept and really own it. Here's a sneak peek at what we cover: - George's journey to becoming a project manager - The synergy between yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation with project management - How mindful awareness and process thinking (a Zen approach) enhance performance by enabling resilience, stress management, effective communications, and more - Everyday meditation or practice you can use in your everyday lives Enjoyed this conversation with George? Want to learn more about taking a mindful and self-aware approach to project management? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow George and me on LinkedIn for more. Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm LINKS:  https://self-awareliving.com/ - Learn about George and his teachings! https://self-awareliving.com/books-written-by-george - Buy his books! Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn: Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/) | Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. | Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries. George Pitagorsky (https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgepitagorsky/)| Coaching CIOs, CEOs, and Their Teams on Mindfully Impacting the Bottomline | Master facilitator, change agent, coach, meditation teacher, and consultant with more than 40 years of experience working with individuals interested in applying mindfulness and open-minded systems and process thinking in daily life. He is a proponent of Servant Leadership.

Going OFF SCRIPT doesn’t come naturally to most organizational leaders. We want to control the narrative, ensure ideal outcomes, script the conversations, manage the problems, predict the future, and win (negotiations, new business, market share, and more). But what if good leaders could become better leaders by doing the opposite — by letting go of the control, by going “off script” in their conversations and negotiations, by being present instead of rushing to the future, and by collaborating in authentic, empathetic ways?  If your organization is like most, the old way of communicating and managing isn’t working for you. Status quo is coming up short. It’s time to master the art of business improvisation (“improv”)!   Returning to the podcast is renowned speaker, bestselling business author, Accidental Accountant, leadership expert, and improv virtuoso Peter Margaritis to chat about his new book, Off Script: Mastering the Art of Business Improv. In what is his third book on effective workplace communication, Peter invites managers, directors, founders, vice presidents, and chief executives to redefine leadership and teamwork. And he teaches you the techniques he’s taught employees at world-class brands like White Castle Systems, Cardinal Health, Target, Oklahoma State University, and Marriott.  "Business improv is about letting go of your own agenda to listen intently — to be empathetic and open-minded in the present moment — so you can truly connect with colleagues and other stakeholders to generate optimal results."   In business and in life, we tend to respond to others with “No, because ...” or “Yes, but ...” These dismissive and controlling tendencies lead to impasses, arguments, and ultimately failures. But when we learn to respond to others with “Yes, and ...” — acknowledging what we’ve heard and building upon it — we arrive more quickly at agreement and at breakthrough solutions for challenging problems. “Yes, and ...” is one of several improv techniques you’ll learn from Peter Margaritis’s Off Script! — a book that will help you build bridges, generate good ideas, adapt to any situation, nurture teams, and keep your anxiety at bay.   Here's a sneak peek at what we cover: The importance of "preparation" in improv The case for "improv" in improving organizational cultures Practical advice based on real-life scenarios Making sure your virtual meetings and presentations don't suck  Enjoyed this conversation with Peter? Want to learn more about business improv? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below! Make sure to follow Peter and I on LinkedIn for more.  Subscribe: youtube.com/anncampea  Listen: https://anchor.fm/theeverydaypm   LINKS:  https://petermargaritis.com/ - Learn about Peter! https://offscriptimprov.com/ - Buy the book!   *** Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  Ann Campea, MSPM, MPH, PMP - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncampea/Worldwide Readiness Program Manager at Apple, Inc. Program/Project management professional with 10 years of experience in product development, physical retail launches, health care, and tech industries.    Peter Margaritis, CSP, C.P.A. - https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermargaritis/Certified Virtual Presenter, Keynote Speaker, Improv Virtuoso, Author, Podcaster, Educator, and Humorist Peter is a licensed, non-practicing, CPA in Ohio. Peter has worked for companies such as Price Waterhouse, Victoria’s Secret Catalogue (not as a model), and Ohio Dominican University. Peter has earned the highest credential of a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) from the National Speakers Association.