PPP 276 | Why Are We Yelling? Author Buster Benson on How to Have Productive Disagreements

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Published: Tuesday, 24 December 2019 10:41

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 44:55

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Sometimes Christmas Isn't So Merry!

I'm publishing this episode at a time of year when there are often family gatherings, and in today's polarized, politically correct culture, there can easily be anxiety about someone--you know, that person--bringing up a controversial subject and things devolving into an argument.

Whether it's gatherings with friends and family or difficult stakeholders, we need to get better at having productive disagreements. Our guest today, Buster Benson, suggests it's the most important meta-skill to develop. Buster is the author of the new book Why Are We Yelling? The Art of Productive Disagreement. I consider it a must-read book and look forward to sharing this discussion with you.

Learn more about Buster and his book at https://busterbenson.com/.

Let's Stay In Touch!

I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite!

Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks!

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Music from https://filmmusic.io. "Krampus's Workshop" and "Christmas Rap" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

PPP 275 | Turning Stakeholders and Team Members Into Fans, with author David Meerman Scott

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Published: Wednesday, 18 December 2019 17:56

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 51:30

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Do Project Managers Need Fans?

So what are you a fan of? Hmmm. Maybe a sports team comes to mind. Or a musical artist. For example, I’m going through a Chance the Rapper phase right now—really enjoying his music. I’m a fan.

Maybe it’s a local restaurant or a celebrity or, ahem, a podcast host. Ha!

But when we think of fandom, we often think of someone famous, or a famous brand. But could it be that leaders of projects could get benefit from learning about how fandom works?

That’s the premise of today’s episode. We’re hearing from David Meerman Scott today about his book new Fanocracy. It’s a book that probably wouldn’t have otherwise come up on your radar screen since it would appear it’s directed more towards brand managers and marketers.

But how about this? What if you could turn your stakeholders into fans of what your team is creating? Further, what if your team members were walking billboards for your company and your products? The science around fandom might just be more relevant to you than initially apparent, which is why we’re talking with David today.

Learn more about David and his services at https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/.

Let's Stay In Touch!

I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite!

Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks!

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

RAY GUN - FASTERFASTERBRIGHTER by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License

1400 by Yung Kartz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License

PPP 274 | The Fearless and Irreverent Project Manager, with author J. Scott

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Published: Thursday, 28 November 2019 05:00

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 49:42

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Earlier this year we started using a time tracking solution called Hubstaff and, I have to tell you, it’s amazing. They now offer a project management app called Hubstaff Tasks. It utilizes the best parts of Agile to help you and your team get work done in a way that removes the hassle and just makes sense. Hubstaff Tasks utilizes Kanban boards like so many other PM tools out there but they’ve added extra features like automated workflows that let you move projects through the workflow and automatically assign tasks to whoever needs to work on them next, all with one click.

Hubstaff Tasks also has a Sprints feature that allows you to organize all your tasks into a true agile weekly Sprint. Oh, and here’s a new feature they just added where you can set daily Standups to cover the three golden questions in the agile world: “What did you work on today?”, “What will you work on tomorrow?”, “Have you run into any roadblocks?”

Hubstaff Tasks only launched this past June and there are already thousands of organizations already using it. And here’s the cool thing: since they’re still so new, anyone can start using Hubstaff Tasks today completely free, regardless of team size. Head over to hubstafftasks.com/projects to learn more. Thanks!

It's About Leadership

I often say in our project management workshops that they’re really leadership workshops cloaked as project management workshops. I say that because so much of our ability to successfully lead projects doesn’t come down to our ability to define and calculate the critical path. It isn’t just having a project charter. It’s more about how to facilitate and influence stakeholders to get an agreed-upon charter. It’s not about having the perfect risk register format. It’s about fostering a culture that allows risks to be talked about and dealt with.

My guest today is J. Scott, author of The Irreverent Guide to Project Management. J shares some helpful insights in this episode about how to lead and deliver.

Learn more about J and his company at https://120vc.com/who-we-are/.

Let's Stay In Touch!

I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite!

Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks!

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

LUXE by Jahazzar under a Attribution-ShareAlike License

NO PANTS FRIDAY by Lee Rosevere is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License

PPP 273 | Spy Skills for Project Managers, with former CIA spy Jason Hanson

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Published: Friday, 22 November 2019 14:15

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 31:28

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Project managers, you know the importance of organization and transparency when it comes to collaborating on a team. This episode is sponsored by Backlog, which is the perfect project management software to keep your projects organized from start to finish. As you’d expect, you can create tasks and track progress with features like Gantt & burndown charts. But beyond that, you can write, revise, and release code right within tasks. You can document processes alongside your work with wikis. And you can do all this and more with one easy to use tool. Try Backlog for your team free for 30 days using the special URL Backlog.com/projects. Check them out! Thanks!

OK, We're Not Spies, But...

I don’t know about you, but I like a good spy movie. Start a Jason Bourne movie and I’ll sit and enjoy it all night long.

My guest today is Jason Hanson, a former CIA spy who has written some intriguing books about applying spy skills to those of us who aren’t spies. In this episode, we talk about his most recent book, which is entitled Agent of Influence: How to Use Spy Skills to Persuade Anyone, Sell Anything, and Build a Successful Business. And though you and I aren’t spies--or at least that’s our story and we’re sticking with it--there are lessons that can be applied by those of us who are responsible for leading teams and projects.

Learn more about Jason at https://spyescapeandevasion.com/jason-hanson-biography/.

Let's Stay In Touch!

I hear from listeners almost every day and I love it! How about you and I connect on LinkedIn? Go to https://PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/LinkedIn and send me an invite!

Also, if you know of a group at your organization that has an upcoming large group gathering and uses outside speakers, let them know about the podcast! I'd love to work with them to help improve their ability to lead and deliver. Learn more at https://i-leadonline.com/keynotes. Thanks!

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

SPY GLASS from https://filmmusic.io by Kevin Macleod License: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SPY GROOVE from https://filmmusic.io by Kevin Macleod License: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PPP 272 | (Video) The Story You Want to Tell Your Grandkids

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Published: Friday, 15 November 2019 07:38

Written by Andy Kaufman

Two people. Both go through stressful situations. One seems to go through it well. The other crumbles. Why is that?

I'm wrapping up a 2-week speaking tour in Europe with UN leaders. In this 3-minute video (plus a quick blooper), I share a lesson about stress and resilience from a discussion with one of these leaders who attributes her stressful job to greater resilience.

Let Me Hear From You!

I'd love to hear from you! What's a situation that was stressful but helped develop resilience in you? What advice would you share with someone newer in their career about how to face stressful situations?

Let's connect on LinkedIn and discuss! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, what have you been learning lately? What are you reading? Please e-mail me () or leave a message on our Listener Feedback Line (847-550-3747). I look forward to hearing from you!

Interested in helping your chapter, association, or leaders learn how to build resilience? Contact me to learn more about our keynotes and workshops! Thanks!

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Total Duration 4:53

Download episode 272