Point Taken: Communicating Effectively with Different Audiences w/ Tatiana Kolovou and Brenda Bailey Hughes

Many different audiences make up a project team, from the project sponsor and customer to numerous stakeholders, to various teams that take on the work in the work breakdown structure. These audiences often need different information, prefer different communication methods and frequencies, and come with unique perspectives and idiosyncrasies.

Settling Into Your Role as a New Project Manager w/ Anna Anderson

Starting a new Project Manager role comes with a lot to navigate, new teams, new expectations, and the pressure to lead early. Anna Anderson and I discuss; what to focus on in your first 30–90 days, how to build credibility as a new PM, managing stakeholders and expectations early, common missteps and how to avoid them. This session is ideal for first-time PMs, career

Success Tips for Migrating Away from Project Online w/ Ira Brown

As Project Online approaches retirement, organizations face important decisions about the future of their project and portfolio management tools. This podcast explored several paths for transitioning away from Project Online, discussing options such as Project Server Subscription Edition, Planner Premium, Smartsheet, and also the use of standalone Microsoft Project.

Improve Performance: Strategies for Micro-Managers and the Micro-managed w/ Julie Robinson

In this broadcast, Julie Robinson and I talked about how to improve performance by reducing or eliminating micro-management. Whether you’re a manager aiming to lead more effectively or a team member feeling stifled by excessive oversight, this conversation is for you. If you’re a manager, you’ll gain insight into the why of this behavior and what you can do to become a more empowering leader. Team members will discover strategies for regaining autonomy.

Next Level Performance through Positive Reframing w/ Jason MacKenzie

A day in the life of a project manager can seem like an endless parade of problems, which can turn almost anyone into a pessimist. Reframing problems into opportunities and a sincere search for solutions can significantly improve performance: yours, your team’s, and your projects’. Jason MacKenzie and I talked about how positive reframing can improve communication and results at all levels. This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s about working together on changes to get better results.

Boost Your Performance as a PM with Sales Skills w/ Dean Karrel

Great project managers and salespeople have a lot in common – the most important being the goal of satisfying the customers’ needs. In this Office Hours, Dean Karrel and Bonnie Biafore discussed what project managers and salespeople both need to do in their jobs. They also explored how the skills you might consider “pure sales” can help you be a better project manager.

Introverts Can Make Great Project Managers w/ Anna Lung’aho Anderson

Many people believe you need to be an extrovert to be successful as a project manager. But introverts bring valuable strengths like strategic thinking, deep listening, thoughtful communication, and more. Bonnie Biafore and Anna Lung’aho Anderson both get questions from people who are scared of project management because they’re introverts. Here we talked about how introverted project managers can leverage their strengths, overcome their challenges, and at the same time develop confidence in leadership, stakeholder engagement, and other people skills.

How to Coach Your Project Sponsor w/ Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez

The project sponsor plays a big part in the success of the project. And yet, very few executives understand their role as project sponsor. In this Office Hours, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez joined me to talk about what makes a great project sponsor and what you can do to ensure that your sponsor lives up to their title.

Microsoft Project Management Products: What’s New, Changed, or the Same w/ Cindy M. Lewis

Microsoft project management products come and go, change names, and introduce or retire features, which can be confusing and a bit nerve-wracking. Cindy M. Lewis and I answered your questions about Microsoft’s project management tools: what’s changing, what’s new, and what’s staying the same.

Survival Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss w/ Dana Brownlee

We’ve all had at least one – a boss that makes our jobs challenging if not impossible. They come in several forms, each with their unique challenges, such as the clueless chameleon, the MIA boss, the meddlesome micromanager, the wishful thinker, and more. Dana Brownlee joined me to talk about the different types of difficult bosses, how to identify which one we’re dealing with and what we can do to work with them successfully.

What’s wrong with project management these days? w/ Bob McGannon

Several aspects of project management don’t get much attention from management, project managers, and project teams. In turn, project management software sometimes ignores those areas as well. Bob McGannon and Bonnie Biafore discussed these topics, so you don’t skip important duties. And they talked about what to do if your software doesn’t cover them.

PMs and BAs: We need to talk…about AI…and how it’s impacting our roles! w/ Angela Wick

Everyone’s talking about AI these days. But is anyone listening? The focus is usually on how AI can make people more productive. Productivity boils down to doing the same old stuff faster. Our teammates and stakeholders use AI too! Angela and Bonnie explored the benefits of focusing on using AI to make deliverables more valuable to the people we work with and also how our roles impact our stakeholders who use AI!

Navigating Conversations: Friction is Inevitable, Conflict Isn’t w/ Hilary Blair

Challenging conversations can be daunting, but they don’t have to leave you feeling defeated, discouraged, or isolated. With the right tools and a strategic mindset, these conversations can become opportunities for growth, stakeholder engagement, and better project progress. Friction, involving different points of view, is important and expected in teams and relationships. It’s necessary for a healthy culture. On the other hand, conflict is not. Developing skills to navigate friction leads to success in both company culture and business results.

From Conflict to Courage w/ Marlene Chism

Marlene Chism is an expert in conflict, anger management, working with difficult people, and having difficult conversations – things most of us want to avoid. Despite the tough topics, she’s a truly lovely person. In this LinkedIn Learning Office Hours, we dug into some of the concepts she teaches for dealing with conflict. We spent the rest of the session providing practical advice for dealing with conflict and other difficult situations.

First Steps for Moving into a Career in Project Management w/ Anna Anderson

Anna Lung’aho Anderson and I get so many questions from people who want to transition into a career in project management. In this LinkedIn Learning Office Hours, we dug deep into the work YOU have to do to move into project management. Yes, it does require some effort on your part. We talked about how to figure out if project management is a good fit for you; learning project management hard skills and terminology; how to update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and approach to networking; and finally, how to research companies you apply to so you have a better chance of getting their attention.

How to Provide Project Updates to Executives w/ Tiffany Uman

Your leadership team is not out to get you. That said, communicating with them effectively is essential, especially when providing pertinent project updates to drive the business forward. In this Office Hours, Tiffany Uman and I took a deep dive into the key DOs and DON’Ts for presenting updates to your leadership team with confidence and getting the buy-in you need.

Your Unanswered Questions About Careers in Project Management w/ Chris Croft

Questions about careers in project management? Will I like being a project manager? What skills do I need? What about education? How do I get experience? Are certifications worth it and what do I need to do to earn them? What are the possible career paths? Chris Croft and Bonnie Biafore co-authored the course How to Launch a Career in Project Management to answer all these questions – and many more. For this Office Hours event, we wanted to answer any questions you had from the course.

Do You Need Project Management Certifications, and If So, Which Ones? w/ Chris Croft

One of the most frequent questions Chris Croft and I get is “Do I need project management certification?” quickly followed by “Which certification or certifications should I get?” Everyone’s journey is different, just like Chris and I took very different paths. So, we explored whether project management certifications are valuable, what else you can do to make yourself stand out, and finally, which certifications to look at if you decide you need them.

Gen AI: The Project Manager’s Edge w/ Christina Charenkova, Doug Rose, and Dave Birss

AI is transforming project management in several ways, such as taking over the creation of highly complex and realistic schedules through analysis of all available data. As a project manager, you may wonder how to harness generative AI applications in your work and how to implement them successfully. By automating routine tasks, creating schedules, and generating insightful reports, Gen AI can save project managers significant time, reduce the chance of human error, and allow them to focus on more strategic tasks that require human judgment and creativity. Plus, Gen AI will lead to work being done by smaller no-code/low-code teams.

Great Meetings Build Great Teams w/ Jim Stewart and Rich Malzman

Lots of people hate meetings, usually because they attend too many of them, the meetings are run poorly, and don’t seem to accomplish anything. But projects require good communication and meetings are necessary. Although great meetings won’t guarantee project success, poorly run meetings could lead to project problems. In this Office Hours broadcast, I talked with Jim Stewart, PMP and Rich Malzman, PMP about how to keep your necessary meetings from becoming necessary evils.

Better Relationships – Better Results w/ Todd Dewett

Project success is driven to a large extent by healthy relationships within your project teams, which is why a lot of people skills go into project management. In this Office Hours, Todd Dewitt joined me to talk about how to build better relationships – by learning to overcome our own fears and also by building rapport with others through empathy and mutual respect.

The Worst Mistakes PMs Make with Risk w/ Bob McGannon

Effective risk management is crucial to project success. Unfortunately, many project managers fall into traps when developing risk responses. Developing good risk responses increases the effectiveness of your risk management. In this Office Hours, Bob McGannon and Bonnie Biafore discussed ways to think more methodically about drafting risk descriptions and responses.

Project Baselines: Basics and Best Practices w/ Ira Brown

Once management approves a project, the project manager baselines the project. What is a baseline? What do you capture in a baseline? What happens when you create a baseline in Project? What are best practices for making baselines more helpful to managing projects effectively? In this interactive Office Hours presentation, Bonnie Biafore and Ira Brown shared best practices at all stages of baselining.

Overcoming Obstacles for Global and Remote Project Teams w/ Sam Yankelevitch

Working remotely is a reality today: it’s increasingly important to pay attention to the quality of our interactions with our distant colleagues. Language, culture, and distance influence the way we work together with stakeholders on our projects. We can either leave these factors to chance, or we can learn to leverage them to improve our project outcomes.

Chris Croft’s new book: The Quickstart Guide to Project Management w/ Chris Croft

If you’re looking for a great book to expand your project management knowledge, Chris Croft has written the ultimate Project Management book: The Quickstart Guide to Project Management (and it’s one of a series.) In this Office Hours broadcast, Chris talked about several things that make this project management book unique, as well as why he wrote it and what his writing process was like.

Project Management Entrepreneurship Part 2: Skills and Tools w/ Seyi Kukoyi, John Riopel, and Oliver Yarbrough

Have you thought about going out on your own as a project manager, instead of being an employee? Seyi Kukoyi, PMP, and Bonnie Biafore, PMP, provided guidance for that journey in the course Become a Project Management Entrepreneur (https://lnkd.in/dizRjeVa). By popular request, in this follow-on LinkedIn Office Hours event, Seyi, Bonnie, John Riopel and Oliver Yarbrough discussed the skills and tools you need to be a PM entrepreneur.

Prerequisites for a Project Management Entrepreneur w/ Oliver Yarbrough and John Riopel

Have you thought about going out on your own as a project manager, instead of being an employee? Seyi Kukoyi, PMP, and Bonnie Biafore, PMP, provide guidance for that journey in the course Become a Project Management Entrepreneur. But being your own boss isn’t for everyone. In this LinkedIn Office Hours event, Seyi and Bonnie welcomed John Riopel and Oliver Yarbrough to a panel discussion about what you need to know before diving into the deep end of the PM entrepreneur pool. We will cover: how to tell if you’re cut out for entrepreneurship; the difference between being a contractor and a business owner; skills and tools you need to be a PM Entrepreneur, and steps to take before you quit your job.

Embracing an Entrepreneurial Mindset in an AI-Driven World w/ Oliver Yarbrough

Yesterday’s future is today’s reality. In order to fully take advantage of that reality, professionals need to think entrepreneurially while leveraging the latest technological advancements such as AI. In this Office Hours session, Oliver Yarbrough and Bonnie Biafore discussed how you can grow your career by – Harnessing an entrepreneurial mindset, Leveraging AI to deliver successful projects, Adjusting your outlook and approach to delivering value and so much more. The world is changing. Ask yourself, “How will I adapt to these changes, so I can advance?”

Managing Dependencies in Hybrid Projects w/ John Riopel

Hybrid projects that use more than one project management approach are becoming more common. In this LinkedIn Office Hours session, Bonnie Biafore and fellow LinkedIn author John Riopel talked about how to manage dependencies between traditional and agile parts of projects as well as how to ensure that communication and meetings keep the entire hybrid team heading in the right direction.

Leadership is Job One for Project Managers w/ Eric Verzuh

What’s the most important job of the project manager? Bestselling PM author Eric Verzuh says it’s leadership! Project managers are much more than project management process wonks. The good ones help stakeholders and organizations make decisions that lead to achieving organizational goals. That syncs up well with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) 7th Edition. In this LinkedIn Office Hours session, Eric Verzuh and Bonnie Biafore talked about how shifting your focus to project leadership has a direct impact on project value.

Project Scheduling Best Practices – Rescheduled w/ Ira

The quality of your project schedule is a big driver toward successful project results. When you follow scheduling best practices, your schedule is easier to evaluate, track, and manage. In this LinkedIn Office Hours session, Ira Brown and Bonnie Biafore talked about these best practices, answered your scheduling questions, and demonstrated tools you can use to evaluate your schedule quality.

Communication Tips for Challenging Situations w/ Tatiana Kolovou

Remote work looks like it’s here to stay and that means effective communication is more important than ever. Bonnie Biafore and Tatiana Kolovou, professor in the Indiana University Kelly School of Business, talked about how to apply communication theory to everyday situations.

Playing with Applied Improv for Business w/ Izzy Gesell

How to Promote Yourself Without Breaking a Sweat w/ Joyce Feustel

Social media is a key marketing tool whether you’re looking for a new job, promoting your business, or becoming an influencer. Joyce Feustel, the Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, and Bonnie Biafore provide tips on making your social media presence shine.

Yes and: One small change for stronger leadership w/ Izzy Gesell

“Yes and” is one technique that improvisers use to build on the gifts their scene partners offer. One small change — replacing “yes but” with “yes and” when interacting with people — can make you a more effective leader. Izzy Gesell and Bonnie Biafore discussed why and how this small change works, and provide tips for making this behavior second nature.

Building a Project Risk Culture in Your Organization w/ Bob McGannon

Someone asked about how an organization can transition from no risk management to embracing a project risk culture. Bob McGannon and Bonnie Biafore discussed how to accomplish that transition, including the variables that affect the organization’s route, where to start, and what skills a project leader must possess to act as the guide.

Tips for Obtaining Your PMP Certification w/ Chris Croft and Amy

Chris Croft and Bonnie Biafore worked through the steps to getting a PMP certification. They discussed the benefits of the PMP (and CAPM), the education and experience required and how to fulfill those requirements, and how to document them. We also covered how to apply for the certification, and study for and take the exam. Finally, we talked about the requirements for maintaining your certification.

Trends in Stakeholder Engagement w/ Natasha Kasimtseva

Natasha Kasimtseva and Bonnie Biafore talked about where stakeholder engagement practices are heading, including expanding stakeholder community, management vs co-creation and partnership, stakeholder diversity, communication technology, and stakeholders in agile environments.

Better Business Results with Intelligent Disobedience w/ Bob McGannon

Obeying all the rules rarely delivers breakthrough results. Breaking the rules without good reason doesn’t work either. Bonnie Biafore and Bob McGannon talked about how to achieve better results through intelligent disobedience — knowing when and how to break, bend, or invent new rules.

Tips for Leading without Formal Authority w/ Elizabeth Lortado

Elizabeth Lotardo and Bonnie Biafore, PMP, MCTS talked tips for leading without formal authority — something project managers do every day.

Balancing Act: Project Manager and Team Member w/ Bob McGannon

Bob McGannon and Bonnie Biafore talked about how project managers balance their duties as project managers with responsibility for deliverables as project team members.