PPP 038 | How to Manage Your Boss, an interview with author and speaker Bruce Tulgan

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Published: Tuesday, 26 October 2010 14:17

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 29:10

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I have the true privilege of helping professionals from hundreds of companies develop their ability to lead people and deliver projects. A common question I hear from leaders as they progress higher in their organizations has to do with their boss.

In effect, they're asking, "How do I manage the person who is supposed to be managing me?"

A clear lesson as you grow in responsibility is that managing is not just something you do with your subordinates--what a terrible word that is! Rather, to be effective you also have to lead and serve peers, stakeholders, and yes, bosses. Managing up is an important part of your ability to successfully deliver. But how do you go about doing that?

For this episode I'm bringing back Bruce Tulgan who was a guest on our show last year (click here to listen to that episode). Bruce recently published Its Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work. I had the opportunity to speak with Bruce recently and look forward to sharing that interview in this episode.

Learn more about Bruce and his organization at http://www.rainmakerthinking.com. I also recommend you get a copy of his book Its Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work. While you're at it, check out another one of Bruce's books It's Okay to Be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need. You'll find both helpful in the development of your management skills.

In recent episodes I've been telling you about our growing list of Premium Subscribers. I want to invite you to join! You'll get additional materials with each episode to help you and those around you get even more value out of the topic we talk about. You'll not only be automatically enrolled in freebies, you'll also have the opportunity to actually participate in upcoming interviews with experts.

Sometimes as a year ends there's a little extra training budget that needs to be spent. Whether that's true or not, how about investing in your learning for the year ahead? Click here for details and join as a Premium Subscriber.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

PPP 037 | Making Better Decisions through 10-10-10

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Published: Monday, 11 October 2010 10:56

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 6:35

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Hello! Welcome to the 10th month of this 10th year in this century! In this episode, I'm sharing insights from a book I've recently read: 10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and with Your Family, by Suzy Welch.

The title sounds more like a subject for an Oprah audience than project managers and leaders! However, I think you'll find the ideas in the book helpful with your projects, with your team, and in your personal life.

Let me know what questions you have after listening to the cast. And be sure to share the ideas from 10-10-10 with your team.

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

PPP 036 | Engaging Your Employees, with author Brad Federman

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Published: Tuesday, 14 September 2010 08:09

Written by Andy Kaufman

Episode Duration 32:24

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Research would indicate that they may be less engaged than you think, which is why we're spending time in this episode with Brad Federman. Brad is the President of Performancepoint, a leading performance improvement company. Brad recently authored Employee Engagement: A Roadmap for Creating Profits, Optimizing Performance, and Increasing Loyalty. I had the opportunity to talk with Brad recently and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

PPP 035 | Delivering Projects Through People, with author Dave Po-Chedley, PMP

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Published: Friday, 27 August 2010 14:51

Written by Andy Kaufman

Total Duration 32:12

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If you've followed this podcast or attended one of my keynotes on project management or leadership, you've likely caught onto my bias that the biggest successes, the biggest joys, the biggest failures, and the biggest stresses often come down to the same thing: people. Project management is ultimately people management.

Success with people management--and thus project management--can significantly depend on our effectiveness in areas such as communication, influence, and building relationships. One of the freshest voices on the people side of project management is consultant Dave Po-Chedley, PMP, author of Client Relationship Management: How to Turn Client Relationships into a Competitive Advantage. I had the opportunity to catch up with Dave recently and look forward to sharing that interview with you in this episode.

I invite you to learn more about Dave and the work of Cambridge Consulting (http://www.cambridgeconsult.com and http://www.pminsight.us).

One last thing: I received a message from a listener that I wanted to share with you:

Hi Andy,

I attended your 1-day tutorial at Better Software in June. That session was worth the price of the whole trip. Great, transformative stuff! I have since changed my listening habits in the car: I listen to management podcasts now. I decided to propose the Outlaw Team idea to my boss who leads an entire division in my company. He liked the idea and had me present it to his weekly leadership meeting. All the VPs liked the idea, with some suggestions. I then suggested action items to move it forward. My boss volunteered me to carry the ball. Yikes! Now I have to try and be the Andy Kaufman of our company. Nah. I'll just be me and see where we get. Never thought I'd go from eager student to mentoring others in leadership skills.

Thanks for your great work! Charlie

Well, congratulations to Charlie for taking action on the learning! 

Thanks for joining us for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!

PPP 033.1 | Premium: Discussion Questions for Leading Teams, with Harvard Professor Dr. J. Richard Hackman

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Published: Sunday, 18 July 2010 21:00

Written by Andy Kaufman

We previously had a Premium Podcast stream only available to subscribers. We've now removed that restriction. Over time we are releasing those former episodes, including this one.

Attached you will find a file you can use to facilitate a discussion about the interview with Dr. J. Richard Hackman. I recommend you have your team listen to the podcast episode ahead of time for maximum benefit. Please don't hesitate to contact me at with any questions. Thank you for being a premium subscriber!