Think Back to One of Your First Big Projects
Think back to one of the first really big projects you ever had to manage. Now I realize that really big is relative, right? For some people that might mean running a project that was more than a couple months long. For others, it might mean tens of millions of euros or more.
But regardless of how you defined big early in your career, let’s go with that project. Remember how daunting it seemed at the start? There was so much ambiguity. Perhaps the timeline seemed somewhere between aggressive and insane. But you got started and eventually, most likely, to some degree, the project got delivered. And hopefully you kept your job!
Imagine if you could re-run that project. Could you do some things differently because of the experience of living through the project? Perhaps save you and your team some pain and suffering? Imagine if you knew then what you know now. When I look back to when I started leading people and projects, I just have to chuckle. I really had no idea back then how clueless I really was!
This is why we do retrospectives or post-mortems or lessons learned at the end of projects, right? We want to capture those lessons so we don’t doom future projects to repeat our mistakes or have to re-discover what we learned.
Lessons Learned… For Life
So, when it comes to the stuff of life, there is no shortage of people and resources who offer insights on how to be successful, get a job, have meaningful relationships, and more. The experts range from celebrities to academics to anyone with a blog.
Our guest in this episode is Karl Pillemer, author of 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans. There are all kinds of reasons why Justin Bieber or other celebrities aren’t the best sources for life lessons!
But what if we talked to people who have lived much of their life and had a bit of a retrospective or lessons learned with them? That’s the idea behind Karl’s book, which we discuss in this episode.
Special Offers for Podcast Listeners
Need low-cost PDU’s? Want to improve your ability to deliver? Our Advanced Project Management e-learning is engaging, informative, and even fun. Go to http://courses.i-leadonline.com/courses/advanced-project-management toget 20 PDU’s for a great price. If you need contact hours to prepare for your PMP, check our PMP®Prep e-learning at http://courses.i-leadonline.com/bundles/pm-certification-exam-prep.
Leadership Fast Track Program
Each year we run a leadership development program from June to November. The program includes learning sessions, one-on-one coaching with me, and assessments. It’s all designed to accelerate your ability to lead and deliver. There is an early bird discount for people who register before May 31. Also, tell me you’re a podcast listener when you register and I’ll knock an extra $250 off! Learn more at https://www.i-leadonline.com/LeadershipFastTrackProgram.asp.
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Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!
Total Duration 40:24
Lessons for Living with Karl Pillemer|https://traffic.libsyn.com/peopleandprojectspodcast/90-LessonsForLivingWithKarlPillemer.mp3
Download episode 90
30 Lessons Trailer
For more about Karl and his book, check out this trailer:
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QUADRILLE LAURIER (6EME PARTIE) by Isidore Soucy is licensed under a Orphan Work License.
TROUBA by Steve Gunn is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.
