People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast Andy Kaufman, PMP, PMI-ACP

Project Manager Burnout There is so much focus these days on getting more done with less. Delivering faster. Increasing efficiency. Being excellent at work while rocking it all well at home too, right? And though I’m all for staying focused and productive, here’s something I’ve observed. One consequence of trying to stay hyper-productive and being everything you can possibly be--or feel like you should be--can be increased stress. Less downtime. More hours. More caffeine. Less sleep. And all of that can lead to burnout.
So what can we do about that? Today I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Neha Sangwan. She’s the author of a new book entitled  Powered by Me: From Burned Out to Fully Charged at Work and in Life.
In this episode, you’ll get a better idea of what leads to burnout, beyond just the typical drivers that come to mind, such as physical exhaustion. Neha provides practical ideas and techniques to help us catch when we’re starting to drift towards burnout. It's a discussion I've been looking forward to sharing with you!
You can learn more about Neha and her work at NehaSangwan.com.
For more on this topic, check out:
Episodes 106 and 132, with Tom Rath about his books on these themes. Episode 395, with Josefine Campbell about her book on helping when you and your team are low on energy, and Episode 397, with Dr. Julia DiGangi about her book on emotions. Gift a Loved One a Head Start With Their Career Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because I want you to check out our new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether you are wondering about the next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
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: Summer Awakening by Frank Schroeter
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10912-summer-awakening
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Fashion Corporate by Frank Schroeter
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11233-fashion-corporate
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

When Emotions Are Rising On Your Project Let’s say you’re sitting in a meeting tomorrow for a project you are leading. You’re looking to get sign-off and, based on the pre-meetings you had with key stakeholders, the meeting should go smoothly.
But seemingly out of the blue, a key stakeholder speaks up and starts sharing objections. Right there in front of everyone, which includes your boss, by the way. Things are starting to derail and you can feel some anger starting to build up.
If we could see a thought bubble over you, you might be saying, “I can’t believe they’re sabotaging this! They didn’t bring any of this up when we talked about it before the meeting! They’re throwing me and my project under the bus!”
That’s a pivotal leadership moment right there.
Maybe for you, it’s a demanding boss. Or a deeply emotional situation outside of work. The critical issue is this: How do we respond? Does it help, or do we make it worse? How do we navigate the emotional rollercoaster of leading teams and projects—and families and friendships? Our ability to do that can make an enormous difference in our careers and life.
In this episode, we’re continuing a series of discussions on the topic of our emotions. And I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Julia Digangi. For many years, Julia has worked with individuals who have endured the worst traumas, from survivors of domestic abuse to combat veterans, and helped them transform their energy and rise to powerful new heights. Based on her experience, she has recently published a remarkably insightful new book Energy Rising: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power.
What I love about this book is that it gives a perspective on navigating the emotional challenges of our life in a way I’ve not seen in any other books. It’s deeply based in research and practice but it’s accessible to all of us, even if we don’t know our amygdala from our anterior cingulate cortex. Ha!
You can learn more about Julia and her work at DrJuliaDigangi.com/.
For more on this topic, check out:
Episode 394, with Joshua Freedman about his book on emotional intelligence. Episode 395, with Josefine Campbell about her book on helping when you and your team are low on energy, and Episode 396, with Thomas Curran about his book on perfectionism. Gift a Loved One a Head Start With Their Career Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because I want you to check out our new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether you are wondering about the next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
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: Underground Shadows by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/12024-underground-shadows
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Energetic & Drive Indie Rock by WinnieTheMoog
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10443-energetic-drive-indie-rock
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Stop Saying You're a Perfectionist There’s a classic question that is often asked somewhere during a job interview: “So, what’s your biggest weakness?” Perhaps you’ve been asked that somewhere along your career journey.
My favorite answer to that is from Michael Scott in the television show The Office: "I work too hard, I care too much, and sometimes I can be too invested in my job." Perfect, right?
Oh wait. Did I say Perfect? I did. Because in a sense, the answer that Michael gave there is what a lot of us admit to being one of our biggest weaknesses: we struggle with being a perfectionist. It’s like one of those flaws that, when you admit it, people will knowingly tilt their head, nod, and say, “Yeah, I understand. Me too.” It’s a socially accepted flaw that we might even think has some hidden advantages in driving us to higher performance.
But if you think that, you would be wrong--at least about the higher performance part. I know that because I read Thomas Curran’s new book The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough. It’s a book that will challenge your thinking about perfectionism and, if you let it, begin to free you from the ways that it might be hurting you, your mental health, your relationships, and your performance far more than you realize.
You can learn more about Thomas and his work at ThomCurran.com/.
For more on this topic, check out:
Episode 315, with Ethan Kross about his book Chatter. Gift a Loved One a Head Start With Their Career Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because I want you to check out our new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether you are wondering about the next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
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: On Point by Steven OBrien
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11694-on-point
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Synthiemania by Frank Schroeter
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11809-synthiemania
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Your Power Barometer There is so much focus these days on optimizing our time, right? And though I’m all for staying focused and productive, here’s something I’ve observed: one consequence of trying to stay hyper-productive can be increased stress. Less downtime. More hours. More caffeine. Less sleep. And all of that can lead to burnout.
A lot of us are leading lives and teams with batteries that are low on power. And that’s a losing proposition for all of us.
In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Josefine Campbell, who is taking this problem head on. She’s a top executive coach, former jujitsu champion, and now the author of a new book entitled Power Barometer: Manage Personal Energy for Business Success.
In this episode, you’ll learn about practical tools like the Energy Barometer and the Awareness Matrix. Josefine will explain how the opposite of professional is not personal—and why that matters. By the time we’re done, you’ll know how to detect if you’re starting to get hijacked and how to get out of it if you’re already there. And you’ll be in better shape to stay mentally agile, which is one of Josefine’s major messages in the book. I can’t wait to share this discussion with you.
NOTE: As of the time of this episode was published, Josefine's book was not available for sale. My understanding is there is a change in distribution partners. But you can learn more about Josefine and the book's resources at JosefineCampbell.com/.
For more on this topic, check out:
Episode 106, with Tom Rath about his book Eat Move Sleep. Just by the book name you can get a sense of what it's about. I highly recommend this episode! Episode 132, also with Tom, this time about his book Are You Fully Charged? Both of these books provide helpful insights aligned with this episode. BTW, we're thankful for being listed in the top 100 management podcasts on FeedSpot!
Gift a Loved One a Head Start With Their Career Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether you are wondering about the next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
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: E.C.H.O by Alexander Nakarada
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9762-echo
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Funny by Frank Schroeter
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11450-funny
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

What Is Emotional Intelligence, Really? You’ve heard of emotional intelligence, right? You know it’s important. But a lot of us haven’t had formal training on the topic--or maybe it’s been a while.
In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Joshua Freedman, author of the international best-selling book At the Heart of Leadership: How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. Plenty of books can give you an academic understanding of emotional intelligence. But Joshua’s book is immensely practical. It focuses on how to help us navigate situations, like that project meeting, because our lives are filled with situations where the stakes are high with our emotions. And Joshua is here to help us with that. I can’t wait to share this discussion with you!
Learn more about Joshua at JMFreedman.com/bio/.
For more episodes on this topic, check out:
Episode 148, with Daniel Shapiro about his book Negotiating the Nonnegotiable. It's a deeply insightful book that will help you navigate the emotional side of conflicts. I highly recommend this episode! Episode 108, with Doug Stone about his book Thanks for the Feedback, and Episode 185, with Mitch Warner from the Arbinger Institute about their book Leadership and Self-Deception.   Gift a Loved One a Head Start With Their Career Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether you are wondering about next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
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: Colossus by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10494-colossus
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Tropical Vibe by WinnieTheMoog
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10446-tropical-vibe
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Inspiring Women in Project Management Most days, you can find me working with a group of people, helping them learn how to improve their ability to lead and deliver. If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you may recall hearing me saying this previously--in our project management courses, the majority of participants are women. It’s characteristic of a trend we see week in and week out—project management is a rewarding and accessible career path for women to pursue.
Because of that, I like to highlight women who are inspiring role models, particularly when it comes to leading teams and delivering projects. And in this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to my friend and colleague Molly Beran, who fits that description perfectly.
Molly has not only spent extended time in the trenches, learning how to lead and deliver. Over the last couple of years, she’s also been a valued member of my speaking team. And she has expertly taught some of our biggest clients how to improve their ability to lead and deliver.
This episode is a conversation between friends who equally geek out about project management and leadership. I look forward to you hearing some of the lessons that Molly has learned about these topics--I know you’re going to enjoy this.
Learn more about Molly at ProjectsByMolly.com. Also, get your copy of (or give it as a gift) From Vision to Vows: Project Management Strategies for Weddings here.
  No Freaking Idea! Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?
My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!
I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertaity. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.
Whether it’s you who is wondering about next steps in your career or a son or daughter and you'd like to give them this as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!
Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!
Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
 
The following music was used for this episode:
Music: Brooklyn Nights by Tim Kulig
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11192-brooklyn-nights
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Quantum Sparks [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10996-quantum-sparks-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license