Laugh, Learn, Lead - The Project Ecosystem

Last episode I caught up with Emma Sharrock. We talked about her book ‘The Agile Project Manager', what organisations are struggling with when attempting an agile way of working, what shapes team success and the difference in a good and awesome project manager.
Today I talk about the growth of a project manager and our career decisions.
There is no one single path to project management and most of the people I know fell into their first project role by accident.We all start off being good at the traditional project manager role – schedule, budgets, issues.We then get the appetite to solve bigger problems and make greater impacts. This requires us to learn and grow to be leaders of change – to move up the scale of average to awesome. Awesome project managers leave a legacy of high performing teams and outstanding results.
JC Three Tips

1. Be self-aware, know your strengths
2. Look for opportunities
3. Maintain your network

My favourite Emma quote from our conversation ‘the language of trust, why I am asking’.

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In this episode I catch up with Emma Sharrock, who is passionate about all things that involve change and people, having worked as a project and change manager since 1999.
We talk about:

• Her background projects and change;
• Her book ‘The Agile Project Manager’;
• What organisations struggle with when attempting an agile way of working;
• What shapes team’s success;
• The difference between a good and awesome project manager; and
• What she enjoys most working with her clients.

She founded a coaching business in 2011, and since then has been looking for ways she could “converge” her passions for projects, change and human behaviour.Emma feels that in this increasingly complex world, we are losing the human aspect of project and change management. We are prioritising tools and templates over relationships and human interaction.
Her goal when she wrote “The Agile Project Manager” was to provide simple techniques to assist project professionals to achieve project success.Emma’s goal working with her clients is to ensure their mindset is where it needs to be in order to use these techniques in the best way. Because when we re-think how we think, it shifts our approach, and ultimately our results.
Find out more about Emma and buy her book https://theagileprojectmanager.com.au/
Read her article small slices (intro/the why)
Read her article small slices (how to)

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In last week's episode I caught up with Julie Hyde. We talked about her book ‘Busy’, staff recruitment and retention and what shapes team success.
Today I talk about the label of I’m busy and its communication impacts.All projects have busy periods to meet deadlines and at times react to unforeseen issues. We attend meetings, we have presentations to prepare for, there are hundreds of emails, the phone rings continuously…that’s it a typical day of project life.
You are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know how to get on top of things. I’ll share what I have learnt and how to turn chaos to calm.
JC Three Tips

1. Plan your week ahead
2. Minimise distractions
3. It’s ok to say no

My favourite Julie quote from our conversation ‘team success is three things – culture, leadership, diversity’.

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In this episode I catch up with Julie Hyde, a leader of leaders. She’s a disruptor and a powerful people enabler who helps leaders make big things happen.
We talk about:

• Her background as a People and Culture Partner;
• Her book ‘Busy’;
• Recruiting and retaining staff;
• What shapes a successful team; and
• What she enjoys most working with her clients.

Julie enjoyed a successful 21-year corporate career where she led teams large and small to deliver strong results in a very competitive industry. Julie has transformed poor performance and toxic cultures to be some of the best in the business, ran businesses generating over $20m in profit and received numerous awards.
Ten years ago, Julie decided to start her own business taking everything she knew from her corporate days to work with SME’s and entrepreneurs.
Two years ago, she wrote her first book called Busy? and has been speaking and training intensively on the back of that.Julie also runs women’s networking dinners in Melbourne called ‘Disruption, Women and Wine’ and is a Telstra Business Women’s Award nominee.
When she’s not working, Julie can be found enjoying a quiet glass of red over a meal with her husband and friends, or watching a not-so-quiet game of footy with her beloved Richmond Tigers. They’ve sure taught her a lot about resilience, and are proof that with hard work, grit and determination, anyone can triumph.
Find out more about Julie https://www.juliehyde.com.au/
Subscribe to receive your FREE Top 10 Tips to turn Busy into Productive in 30 Days and buy the book BUSY?
Listen to her podcast Making a Differencehttps://www.juliehyde.com.au/blog/?category=podcast

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In today’s episode you have me, your host JC. I’ve been talking professional sport teams with a few people recently as the AFL prepares for its final’s month.
I’ve been fortunate to volunteer for 30 years in AFL and Swimming spending time behind the scenes of what appears to the television audience exciting entertainment.
Like business change project teams there is governance, processes and people involved to bring success to the club and for the athlete.
Hope you enjoy my comparison of sport and project teams

• Setting goals
• Roles and responsibilities
• Game plan
• Review and feedback
• Fan satisfaction

JC Three Tips

1. Observe other industries to learn
2. Weekly team reviews and feedback are key for success
3. Share behind the scenes with your stakeholders (if relevant)

Help me reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing my show.Also, if you have a request for a guest interview or suggestions for topics to talk about send me an email would love to hear from you.

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In last week’s episode with Tony Ardouin we talked about challenges facing organisations, what we can be doing to have more successful projects and what he looks for in a project manager.
Today I talk about the role of a vendor, the expected value and how to engage them as a team player.Vendors are like every other resource in your project plan – they have a role to play, they are responsible for deliverables, they bring skills and knowledge to the team and they want to celebrate success.
On the flip side, vendor relationships are complex they have their own internal structures and processes which from time to time may seem like barriers or a lack of interest.It takes time to build trusted relationships that have open and honest conversations. The vendor relationship is one to be invested in.
JC Three Tips

1. Select the right vendor for the right role
2. Engage the vendor as a strategic resource (invite them to the governance meetings)
3. Don’t transfer risk to the vendor, you are responsible for the project’s outcome

Quote from my conversation with Tony ‘the best projects are done by the best teams’.

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In today’s episode I talk with Tony Ardouin an IT program executive and strategy consultant with many years of experience in designing and delivering IT transformation programs. He enjoys leading and working in high performing teams, and delivering challenging projects that make a difference to businesses, their people and their customers.
Tony has had a long and varied career in engineering and IT, in various roles and functions, including:

• leading and delivering large and complex systems integration and systems & software engineering projects;
• delivering IT Advisory and Digital Transformation consulting engagements with and for C-suite stakeholders;
• working on complex deal sales, including successful RFP responses and contract negotiations for several programs over $20M;
• leading large teams of software engineering superstars developing real-time industrial process control systems software; and
• working as a software engineer himself, coding in languages as diverse as Java/J2EE, C/C++, Fortran and a language called Coral 66.

Across his long career he has gained experience in banking, insurance, federal and state government, manufacturing and mining. While he is not a specialist in any particular industry, this varied experience allows Tony to have a view of what truly makes a business or industry unique, as well as good practices that can be applied from one to another.
When he is not working Tony likes to stay fit, enjoys reading and spending time with his 7-year-old daughter.
We talk about:

• His career from software engineering to strategy consultant;
• The challenges facing organisations;
• Something we can do to have more successful projects;
• What he looks for in project manager: and
• How he fills his energy tank.

Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Brené Brown Ted Talk https://youtu.be/iCvmsMzlF7o

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In last week’s episode with Greg Hill we talked about the human side of digital transformations. Greg recently started his own consulting firm and is working with companies to help them realise the benefits and challenges that lie ahead transforming to cloud based platforms.
Today I talk through what I believe are the drivers of digital transformation.
"Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers. It's also a cultural change that requires organizations to continually challenge the status quo, experiment, and get comfortable with failure" – the Enterprisers Project – a community of CIOs discussing the future of business and IT.
Digital transformations are a long-term investment, not just one project does it all.
As I work with organisations, I understand the current top four (4) key drivers for change are:

• Replacing legacy systems
• Automating manual processes
• Analysis and insights of data
• Providing customers with self-service options

If you don't take the time to clarify the change drivers, organisations can experience these key problems:

• Jump to a solution without understanding the problem (or benefit)
• Think technology will solve performance issues
• Lack of funding for continuous improvement

JC Three Tips

1. Map strategy to operations, be clear with your blueprint
2. Break it down into achievable building blocks with strong foundations
3. Invest in your people, provide training for future skills

Quote from my conversation with Greg ‘"What is the effect on the people, roles change moving to cloud based platforms".

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In today’s episode I am with Greg Hill, a technology leader who has held many IT based roles across a wide range of industries. Some of these industries include FMCG, Manufacturing, Retail and more recently Higher Education. He has mostly worked for businesses that have adopted SAP as their core ERP solution.
With his working experience in the industry, and his background in earlier Finance roles, Greg has often worked alongside Business Executives to help them deliver their strategies, through the use of appropriate Business Applications and Architecture.
Recently, Greg has started his own consulting firm, and is working with companies to help them realise the benefits and challenges that lie ahead transforming to cloud based platforms.
Greg can often be found presenting at user groups and conferences around the country, or delivering industry-based lectures to students, presenting the lessons he learned whilst working in businesses that were on the leading edge of cloud technologies, and is passionate not only about the technology’s available, but also the ‘human’ side of these expansive transformational programmes, along with the ever-increasing challenge of improving the overall user experience.
We talk about:

• His attraction to ‘A’ type jobs;
• A recent project and why is was successful;
• The challenges organisations are facing with ERP implementations;
• What he looks for in a Program/Project Manager to give him confidence they can get the job done; and
• What excites him about the future.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

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Last week's episode with Kasanndra Rotolone was a chatty one filled with self-awareness gems. I was surprised she was inspired to be a Project Manager by watching what I did and that she now hopes to inspire other women to get involved in project management.
Today I want to talk about something very real for Kas and so many of us attempting to return to work as new mums.I struggled with my decision to be a working single-mum, what others would say about me, would my daughter experience a sense of abandonment, was I doing the right thing, how do I work full time and have a strong trusted loving relationship with my daughter, if not me than who will pay the bills…
I hope this unpack episode empowers you to take the steps to go get what you desire and not live in the shadows of others – it’s your journey, you hold the pen to write your own success stories!
Brene Brown, Emma Isaacs, my mum…all show strength, resilience, determination, courage and most importantly a voice – there is no fake or pretend. My mum sacrificed so much for me - I was different, I was curious, I wanted to explore, I wanted more…Who do you have around you?
JC Three Tips

1. Don’t put your dreams on hold, you can have it all as a working parent
2. Talk to your support team and let them know what’s important to you
3. Practice self-love, fill your own cup before giving unconditionally to others

Quote from my conversation with Kas ‘A happy project team member is going to deliver results’.

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