ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● ROGER DUKE

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every other week we get together to discuss the topics that matter to you, whether you’re in charge of a large team in an international company or leading a small group in a local business.  The guiding principles are the same, and we want to share them with you through the eyes of others who are doing the stuff of project management.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the resident experts, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, talk about experts, we have someone in the studio today who is not only in the thick of managing projects himself, but he teaches others and is involved in numerous community projects.

ANDY CROWE:  And a really smart guest, as well.  This is going to be a good one.  And I think his passion is going to connect with a lot of our listeners’ passions.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s meet him.  Roger Duke is the engineering project manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River site, where he has been for the past 40 years.  He’s also currently assigned as the Agile coach for the first Agile project there.  He holds mechanical engineering degrees from Auburn University and the University of South Carolina.  He is an adjunct professor at Augusta University Hull School of Business, teaching project management.  He is a newspaper columnist, a conference speaker, and has served as director and officer of more than 10 nonprofit organizations.  Roger, welcome to Manage This.

ROGER DUKE:  Thank you, Nick.  Glad to be here.

NICK WALKER:  Now, I know one thing that you are involved in is the community.  It’s important to be involved in the community.  How can project managers be involved, and why is that important to you?

ROGER DUKE:  Well, one thing that I discovered in some of my organizations I worked in is that, when you build a board for a nonprofit, they typically look at things like legal, marketing, businesses that can be sponsors.  And when I got in there, I found out that these organizations are great at coming up with ideas and dreams, but they don’t know how to implement them.  And there was a niche for somebody on the board to actually follow through and do something; okay?  And that’s where the project management approach or significance came in is that they can come up with the ideas, but you need somebody on the board to actually execute them.

ANDY CROWE:  And you know, Roger, I’ve experienced that, as well.  I’ve been on fewer than you have, but quite a few boards.  And what you have is a lot of passion, and then sometimes they struggle with process.  And sometimes they downright resist process, I’ve found, because it gets in the way of the passion.  You know, there’s all this energy, all this passion, and project managers can maybe help channel that.

ROGER DUKE:  There were a couple of big projects that were sitting out there, ready to do, but the sponsors that were supporting them were going to take their money away because nothing was happening, you know.  And so I just stepped up for one in particular to put a marquee on an historic theater, and it was just a great project, very exciting, big difference, big impact on the community because of its visibility.

And that’s when I realized project managers need to be on the boards.  You’ve got to have somebody with that perspective on how you’re going to actually execute and make something happen.  And it just grew from there.  And so as I got more involved in the community and different organizations, I would just take on projects at each of those and really could make a difference.

BILL YATES:  One of the things that we talk about in the role of project manager is project managers get things done.  You know, we’ve had PMs sit in here and talk about, well, my CEO had a vision, but I had to come alongside and get that vision and break it down and then recruit a team...

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● JESSE FEWELL

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every two weeks we like to come together and talk about what matters to you, whether you’re a seasoned veteran in project management or a newcomer to the field.  It’s a chance to take a step back and try to get a fresh and objective look at the state of the industry and our role in it.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are two guys who always seem to be playing an ever-expanding role in project management,  Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, it looks like you’re going to be able to put on your nerd hat today.

ANDY CROWE:  We’ve got a good ’cast today.  You know, I’m excited to have Jesse on the podcast, and also it surprises me that we’ve gone this far and not had him on.

BILL YATES:  That’s true.

ANDY CROWE:  So it’s long overdue.

BILL YATES:  Yup.

NICK WALKER:  Jesse Fewell is an author, he’s a coach, and a trainer in the domain of innovation, collaboration, and agility.  He’s the founder of VirtuallyAgile.com and has been instrumental in helping project teams all over the world succeed and improve their results.  He also founded the original PMI Agile Community of Practice, co-created the PMI ACP Agile Certification, and co-authored the Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide.  Jesse is the world’s only certified project management professional to hold the expert-level designations of Certified Scrum Trainer and Certified Collaboration Instructor.  He’s the author of “Can You Hear Me Now:  Working With Global, Distributed, Virtual Teams.”  Jesse, welcome to Manage This.

JESSE FEWELL:  Man, I want to meet that guy.

NICK WALKER:  Oh, yeah.  Impressive résumé there.  But I love a quotation from your website.  It says, “Everywhere I go” – this is what you say.   “Everywhere I go, I see breakdowns and breakthroughs, idiocy and innovation, pain and promise.  I believe,” you say, “the difference between the two is leadership and whether our managers actually do it well.”

All right.  That might sound simple; but, if it were, I doubt if you would have to devote a career to it.

JESSE FEWELL:  Yeah.  I say those things because it reflects what for me was a pivot point in my career, which was switching from being an individual contributor on a technology team to moving into project management.  And it was a critical moment where exactly what you just happened, that there were some stupid things and some amazing things.  And then I realized I could be the greatest engineer in the world, and our projects were still going to fail because of leadership issues.  And so I traded my T-shirt, my programmer’s T-shirt collection for the project manager’s blazer and never looked back because I figured that’s how I could have an impact and just amplify results, rather than – no matter how good I was as a contributor.

NICK WALKER:  It’s more than a wardrobe change, though, I guess.  Was that transition difficult?

JESSE FEWELL:  Well, I guess perhaps I’ve always been – and I think, Andy and Bill, you guys can relate to this – I’ve always been the achiever mode kind of person.  And maybe perhaps project managers are drawn to the role because of that.  And so when I made the switch, I read every book there was.  And I started having one-on-ones with my team.  I started setting smart goals.  And I was just like, I was a little Energizer Bunny, like I’m going to be the best manager ever.  Watch.

ANDY CROWE:  You were that guy.

JESSE FEWELL:  Yeah.  So the transition was difficult only with respect to that, as somebody that had not yet been beaten down and embittered, I was moving a little bit too fast for a lot of the people around me.

ANDY CROWE:  Jesse, when I first started – to kind of date myself because I think I’m probably a few years your senior.  But when I first started, Blanchard’s “The One Minute Manager” was the only one of those books in pu...

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● MIKE PLANT

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every couple of weeks we reserve this time to meet together and discuss the things that matter most to you in this diverse and ever-changing realm of project management.  We want to support you, embolden you, reassure you, and maybe even light a fire in areas that have grown cold.  And we do that by exploring the experiences of others who have been where you are or are there right now.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who fill the room with experience, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  Andy, if our listeners are into sports, teams, leadership, our guest today is the guy they want to hear from.

ANDY CROWE:  We’re bringing it all together today, aren’t we, Nick.  This is going to be a good ‘cast.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s meet our guest.  Mike Plant is in his 14th season with the Atlanta Braves organization, his second season as President of Development.  He’s been instrumental in establishing a new home for the team at the newly opened SunTrust Park and its adjacent development, The Battery Atlanta.

Before he joined the Braves organization, Mike was Executive Vice President of Turner Sports.  He managed the Goodwill Games, has helped organize various phases of the Olympic Games, and serves on numerous committees and boards for the U.S. Olympic Committee.  A former Olympian himself, Mike Plant was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic speedskating team, and continues to lead speedskating and cycling organizations in this country and internationally.  Mike, it is a privilege to have you here on Manage This.  Thanks for joining us.

MIKE PLANT:  Thank you, thank you.

NICK WALKER:  You bring a lot of experience to the table, and we want to get into some of that.  But I’m guessing that that kind of experience is probably sort of a prerequisite for all that’s involved in building, not only this new stadium, but the adjacent shops and restaurants and parking facilities.  That kind of project could probably overwhelm a lesser human.

MIKE PLANT:  Yeah, well, my dad told me a long time ago, don’t become a legend in your own mind.  So I try to keep that in perspective.  But, you know, if I look back on my athletic career and all the things I did after that in the world of sport, young people ask me, what’s the one word that you think would define who you are and where you got your drive from?  And I think it’s really – it’s perseverance.  It’s understanding how to persevere through some very challenging times, daily or project-wise, and don’t lose sight of what the ultimate objective is.

And so, I mean, you’ll get there.  And if you have to jump over, go under, push over, go on the side of the hurdle, just there’s a way to get to the end.  And if you can align all the people that are with you to understand sort of that philosophy, have fun while you’re doing it, work hard while you’re doing it, but persevere through some tough times.  You’ll get to the end, and you’ll accomplish what you set out to do.

NICK WALKER:  Well, most recently, how did you end up in the position that you’re in right now, the President of Development?

MIKE PLANT:  Well, I mean, fortunately, I’m one of those individuals, and I try to also tell young people this, is you’ve got to find something you wake up every day and kind of pinch yourself and say, I can’t believe they actually pay me to do this.  So if you can do that in your life, and when you set out on your career path, that obviously is something I’ve been fortunate to accomplish.

I mean, I transcended from my field-of-play athletic career into a world of sport, way back when it was in its infancy.  I mean, I sold my first sponsorship deal in 1980 when I’m 21 years old, banging out a proposal on my mom and dad’s electric typewriter with Wite-Out.  But I knocked down $375,000 from the Atari Corporation,

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● CHUCK CASTO

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every other week we carve out some time to meet and talk about what matters to you in the field of project management.  We pick the brains of some of the top performers in the profession, hear their stories, explore their methods, and celebrate their successes.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are a couple of guys who are the top of the tops, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, last time we had a thought-provoking discussion with someone who has been right in the middle of managing crisis situations; and we get to hear more from him today.

ANDY CROWE:  I would say he’s been more in the middle of it than anybody I know personally.  And so it was a wonderful discussion about the Fukushima disaster.

NICK WALKER:  Chuck Casto, President of the Casto Group, brings with him a long and prestigious career in nuclear safety and regulatory issues.  He was a member of the Senior Executive Service at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, holding the position of Regional Administrator.  He has been asked on numerous occasions to resolve complex policy issues for clients and for Congress and was the recipient of the Distinguished Executive Award from President Obama in 2012.

Chuck was the director of site operations in Japan during the Fukushima nuclear plant accident.  He helped reestablish that country’s regulatory body after the accident and also established criteria to restart nuclear plants that had been shut down in Japan.  Dr. Casto, once again may I say what a privilege it is to have you here on Manage This.

CHARLES CASTO: I’m happy to be here. Thank you, Nick.

NICK WALKER:  Well, last time we met we talked about responding to this international crisis and what it took to lead people through it.  So let’s recap just a little bit.  Can you just briefly describe where were you when you first heard about this accident?

CHUCK CASTO:  Friday, March 11th, like many of us, I saw on television that the nuclear plant and – well, the earthquake had happened, and the tsunami had happened.  And then we had learned somewhere late that afternoon that the nuclear plant had experienced a devastating tsunami attack, 45 feet high at least, and had wiped out their cooling systems.

For me, I was working construction projects for several reactors under construction here in Georgia and South Carolina, not really connected to the operational part of the house any longer, had been with the operational part for decades.  So Washington was handling the crisis.  I was here, remote Atlanta, working a construction project in obscurity when Prime Minister Kan called President Obama and asked for help.  And as they looked for people to lead the team in Japan, my name popped up, and I was chosen.

I guess the first real interaction, I was actually nearby here, getting gas, fueling my pickup truck.  And my neighbor called me and said, “Chuck, what’s up with this nuclear plant in Japan?”  And I said, “Well, John, they’ll get power and water back to it, and everything will be just fine.”  Well, I was quite wrong.  And later on, when he found that I was leading the effort, he said, “You, Mister, everything’s going to be okay.  You’re leading the effort.”  So it was – the outcome was much different than we had expected.

And when I finally got the call, I had three hours’ notice to grab my passport.  I was in downtown Atlanta.  I had to have my wife get some few clothes together and a passport, and drive back north and then back down to the airport, meanwhile on cell phone getting charters and getting calls from the chairman and other people about the role.  I think, as a good crisis leader, I put on a shirt that had a logo, had a nuclear logo on it.

BILL YATES:  Yeah.

CHUCK CASTO:  And I jumped on an American flight.  And as I got on the flight,

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● CHUCK CASTO

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every two weeks we get together and discuss what matters to you in the fast-paced and often complicated world of project management.  We hear from those in the field who are doing the stuff of project management, meeting challenges head on, recovering from failures, and enjoying the benefits of success.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are our full-time experts, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, once again we have in the studio someone who was involved in what really was an international crisis and a delicate and drawn-out response.

ANDY CROWE:  We do, Nick.  And the interesting thing about this, we have a lot of project managers that have worked on high-stakes projects.  This one is literally life and death.  And so it redefines my thoughts about what’s mission critical.  So it’s going to be a good cast today.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s meet him.  Chuck Casto is the president of the Casto Group, with expertise in nuclear safety and regulatory issues.  His experience includes 38 years with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the commercial nuclear power industry, and the U.S. Air Force.  For 11 months Chuck was the director for site operations in Japan during the Fukushima nuclear plant accident.  He participated in a mission to help reestablish that country’s regulatory body after the accident, and helped to establish criteria to restart nuclear plants there that were shut down.  In 2012 he received the Distinguished Executive Award from President Obama.  Dr. Casto, it is a privilege to have you with us here on Manage This.

CHUCK CASTO:  Good morning, gentlemen.  I’m happy to be here.

NICK WALKER:  Well, obviously there is a lot to talk about.  And we’d like to spend some time talking, not only about the Fukushima accident, the recovery, and the lessons learned, but also about taking the lead in crisis situations overall, and how to best respond to different types of disasters, big and small.  So I guess we should start off – take us back to 2011, to that devastating earthquake, the subsequent tsunami, and the resulting nuclear accident.

CHUCK CASTO:  Well, Nick, on Friday, March 11th, late in the afternoon in the Sendai area of the eastern coast of Japan, a 9.0 earthquake occurred.  The earthquake was so strong, it actually moved the earth on its axis and could be felt as far away as Antarctica.  It created three to nine large tsunami waves.  We think of a tsunami wave as a wave like at the beach, and you jump through the wave and come out the other side.  But here we’re talking about the ocean actually lifting in a tsunami and then moving towards the shoreline.  And the tsunami swept in the coast.  Between the earthquake and the tsunami, about 16,000, just over 16,000 people were swept away or lost in that initial attack on the coastline.  Small villages and towns up and down the Sendai coast were washed away.

Obviously, the U.S. military responded with the USS Reagan and along with the Japanese military and others.  If you think about it, your first responders are lost.  All your fire departments, all your police departments along the coast, they’re gone.  They’re swept away.  They’re lost.  So now you have no first responders.  So when you talk about crisis leadership, we always depend on our first responders.  Very few first responders remaining in this case.  So you have to rely on national governments, obviously, in an episode as big as this.

NICK WALKER:  So obviously this was international news.  Everybody got the word about this.

CHUCK CASTO:  That’s right.

NICK WALKER:  But tell us then about what happened, and how you really got involved.  How did this get on your radar?

CHUCK CASTO:  Well, there are several nuclear plants along that eastern coast, the Sendai region.  The one that we’re all familiar with is Fukushima Da...

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● MARC MASTRONARDI

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  This is our chance to meet and talk about what matters to you in the diverse and exciting and sometimes perplexing field of project management.  We want to explore the challenges and the rewards of the career by sharing genuine stories from those who are doing the job every day.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who probably have more stories than most.  They’re the resident experts, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, we have in the studio today someone who many might say worked a miracle when it came to solving a major Atlanta traffic problem.

ANDY CROWE:  You know what, a lot of project managers are faced with big tasks.  But this one really stands out.  So I’m looking forward to this ‘cast.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s talk to him.  Marc Mastronardi is the Director of Construction for the Georgia Department of Transportation.  He joined the Georgia DOT in 1993 and has more than 24 years’ of experience in construction bidding and administration, storm water regulation, and soil and water conservation.  He is a registered professional engineer and was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Interstate 85 bridge that collapsed as the result of a fire last March.  The bridge reopened in mid-May, a full month ahead of schedule, to the cheers of about a quarter of a million Atlanta commuters...

BILL YATES:  Oh, yeah.

NICK WALKER:  ...who drive that route every day.  Marc, it’s a pleasure to have you here on Manage This.

MARC MASTRONARDI:  Thanks a lot, Nick.  I appreciate it.

NICK WALKER:  Now, the I-85 bridge collapse was a story broadcast nationwide.  Worldwide, really.  I had people all over the country calling me and asking me about it.  Initial estimates were, as I recall, that it was going to be midsummer before the road was open again.  But with so many people affected, I can only imagine that the pressure was pretty intense to get that bridge open as soon as possible.

MARC MASTRONARDI:  Oh, absolutely.  It’s a major corridor in the city, and we knew it needed to be restored as quickly and safely as it could.

NICK WALKER:  Well, take us back to March.  How did you figure out what you were up against?

ANDY CROWE:  And maybe before that, Nick.  I’d like to know, what were you doing when you first heard that this was going on?  What was going on?

MARC MASTRONARDI:  Interestingly, it was a Thursday evening.  Just finished dinner, I get a text from my brother-in-law that says, “I think you’re going to be working some overtime.”  I didn’t know what that meant.  So my wife and I turned on the television, and I turned, gave her a kiss, said “I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I know where I need to be,” and headed out the door.  We have an emergency response center and a protocol for the Georgia Department of Transportation.  And so we all rather instinctively convened there and started to triage the event.

ANDY CROWE:  And at this point you knew there was a fire, but the collapse had not yet happened.

MARC MASTRONARDI:  I think the collapse – I think by the time I was aware, it may have happened.

ANDY CROWE:  Okay.

BILL YATES:  And just to get a sense for the listeners who don’t live in the area or did not read the news – even USA Today was quoting this like crazy.  It was the leading story nationwide and across the globe.  Describe where this was and the impact that it had on the freeway.

MARC MASTRONARDI:  Sure.  So just north of the city of Atlanta, Interstate 85 diverges from I-75.  They actually run parallel to each other right in the heart of the city.  But as it diverges and begins to go a little more easterly, you go through a very populated part of the city, an area that we refer to as Buckhead, the community of Buckhead, a major populated area.  An awful lot of businesses there, as well.

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● STEVE NEDVIDEK

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  This is our every-other-week roundtable to discuss what matters to you in the fast-paced and challenging field of project management.  We’re here to keep you up to date, to keep you in the know, and to keep you invigorated as you face your own sets of challenges.  We talk with people who are right there in the trenches with you.  And it’s our hope that you’ll identify with the tasks they encounter and the rewards they achieve.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who make it all happen, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, we have prevailed upon our guest from two weeks ago to join us once again to talk about innovators and how they and project managers can perhaps live together in blissful harmony.

ANDY CROWE:  And you know what, I didn’t get nearly enough last time.  I walked away from this with my brain churning and my mind turning over on this.  So I’m excited that we get a chance to work with Steve again today.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s remind our listeners about Steve.  Steve Nedvidek is the senior manager of learning and development and innovation specialist for Chick-fil-A, Incorporated.  He’s been with the company for almost 30 years as a film producer, a marketing consultant, and program manager.  Now he teaches and coaches and helps staff members solve the tough business problems that arise in a competitive and challenging company.  And one other thing that’s very, very cool, we think, is that Steve also is the co-creator and author of the new sci-fi graphic novel series “The Jekyll Island Chronicles,” first published in May of 2016.  We all think that is very, very cool.  Steve, welcome back to Manage This.

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  Oh, thanks for having me back.  I appreciate it.  And for the listeners, this really is a round table.  So I thought that was very interesting.  Wow, you described this accurately.  Good job, Nick.

NICK WALKER:  And we’re all knights here.  So you have been knighted.  Now, last time you came, Steve, you gave us some examples of innovation and projects that took place over the life and growth of Chick-fil-A, from the legacy of Truitt Cathy inventing the perfect chicken sandwich, building the model, executing the model, leading to great success and an impressive market share.  And as we talked about last time, Chick-fil-A went from the hunter of that wide market to the hunted, hunted by the competition.  And that presented its own set of challenges.

So let’s pick it up there.  Innovation has to remain at the forefront.  But it seems sometimes that innovators and project managers are like oil and water.  You know, innovators are too predictable.  They won’t commit to schedules or budgets.  So why is innovation still so important to a company the size and reputation of Chick-fil-A?

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  Well, I think, Nick, when you get into the ability for a company to continue to grow, because that’s what all organizations want to do is grow, is you have to begin to ask yourself, so where is that growth going to come from?  And there is certainly an amount of growth that’s going to happen as you do what you’ve always done.  But you can’t always count on the future to look like the present.

And in 2007, 2008 or so, our Executive Committee decided that we needed to put more chips in the future and figure some things out as to how we were going to take new ground.  Again, sales growth, and especially for Chick-fil-A, successful sales growth can cover a variety of cracks.  And you have to acknowledge that there are things underneath the surface that you’re going to have to deal with, ultimately; because, for example, in 2007, 2008, Truett Cathy was still alive.  And you have this moment of clarity when I guess you go, yeah, and he’s not always going to be with us.  And he’s not always going to be interjecting i...

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● STEVE NEDVIDEK

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every two weeks we meet to talk about the things that matter to you in the dynamic and constantly evolving domain of project management.  We know the challenges you face.  And it’s our hope that we can help you learn to meet those challenges and even prosper from hearing the experiences of others who have gone before you.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who are responsible for most of the learning around here, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, we have in the studio with us someone whose job it is to make your stomach growl and make your mouth water for one of the most popular fast foods on the planet.

ANDY CROWE:  That’s right.  And to make my stomach turn a little bit sometimes with the creative ideas that I have to figure out how to do.  So it all works.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let’s get into “As the Stomach Turns” this morning.  So all right.

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  That’s a great title for this.  Wow, I’m so fortunate to be here today.

NICK WALKER:  Steve Nedvidek.  You’re the senior manager of learning and development and innovation specialist for Chick-fil-A, Incorporated.  Steve, you’ve been with the company since 1988.  You’ve worn a number of hats:  film and video producer, marketing consultant, and program manager.  And it’s my understanding that in your current role you teach; you coach; you facilitate sessions that help staff members solve the tough business problems that come up.  But you’re also on the Board of Directors at the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta and on the Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship Council at Wake Forest University.  Steve, welcome to Manage This.  What a lot of hats you wear.

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  I guess that’s either because I have a big head or I’m not good at anything.  But thanks, Nick.  I appreciate being here and spend this time with Andy and Bill.  It’s going to be great.  Looking forward to it.  Really do appreciate the opportunity.  And we have a lot to talk about.  So let’s jump in.

NICK WALKER:  Yeah, yeah.  You are an innovator at a company that does $8 billion in sales every year, I understand.

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  Right.

NICK WALKER:  And you work with other innovators who dream big and bring creative ideas for new products and services.  And from what I know of Chick-fil-A, and from what I’ve tasted of its products, it seems to be a company built on innovation.

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  That’s right.  Actually, innovation is really in our DNA.  And it started with our founder, Truett Cathy, who was just wired that way.  You can call him an innovator.  You can call him an opportunist, an entrepreneur, just a big creative guy, whatever you want to call him; but he was all those things.  And it’s been an interesting journey over the last 30 years to see how the organization has moved and shifted within that culture for this one man who started with one restaurant in 1946 to create this giant chicken company.

BILL YATES:  How many restaurants are there today?

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  Oh, there’s 2,000 plus.  Yeah, at some point in time you just kind of stop counting, you know, because every day you get the email, oh, we just opened up this one; we’ve just opened this one.  Now we’re looking at where are the interesting places that we’re opening where we haven’t been before.  So suddenly a restaurant opens up in Detroit, my hometown.  That’s very interesting because we didn’t have any there.  Or you’re thinking about going internationally.  That’s interesting conversation to have.  Selling a lot of chicken.  People are eating more chicken.  That’s good.

NICK WALKER:  Yeah, eat more chicken.  So, you know, innovation doesn’t happen overnight.  It’s a process.  Can you tell us a little bit about how that began?

STEVE NEDVIDEK:  Well, for Chick-fil-A,

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● JOSHUA SZAREK

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every other week we get together to discuss what matters to you in this lively and ever-changing world of project management.  It’s our goal to challenge you, to encourage you, and to provide some principles and guidance, whether you’re a veteran PM or a newbie.  And we do that by hearing the everyday stories of others who have been there and done that.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who I have no qualms about calling our “resident experts,” Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, we have on the phone with us today someone who has worn many hats in his career, and his experience has allowed him to play some key roles in a variety of projects.

ANDY CROWE:  You know what, Nick, I’m really excited about this particular guest and the topic that we’re talking about, leadership and culture.  And he’s got a perspective that I don’t think anyone else that we’ve had on the podcast has brought.  So this is going to be good.

NICK WALKER:  Well, let me introduce him.  Joshua Szarek has a background as an officer in the military.  He’s worked in the oil and gas industry, in healthcare, and now in real estate.  He has degrees in mechanical engineering and business, an MBA in marketing and finance, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.  Joshua, welcome to Manage This.

JOSHUA SZAREK:  Thank you very much.  I’m glad to be here.

NICK WALKER:  Now, you have been a leader in a variety of different organizational environments and cultures.  You’ve seen how essential effective leadership is in creating a great culture.  I think it might be a good place to start, by just talking a little bit about what you call your “three pillars” for successful organizations:  leadership, education, and communication.  Why are those three things pillars?

JOSHUA SZAREK:  You know, I really feel like those three things are pillars because none of the three can stand alone.  I really believe that.  Leadership is a key principle, and you have to have someone who is a willing and educated learner, and someone who is open to different communication styles because, as good leaders, you have to have all three, and you have to be able to instill that and be able to continue to grow yourself and communicate in a clear, concise method on ways how other people like to be communicated with.

NICK WALKER:  And one of the things I understand that you really put forth in your speaking engagements is the importance of leadership in establishing an effective culture and vice versa.  A great culture means great leadership, but it can also work the opposite.

JOSHUA SZAREK:  Yes, it can.  We’ve seen this in a lot of different organizations and cultures.  And as you had mentioned earlier, I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a wide variety of them.  And I’ve seen great leaders in bad cultures sink because the atmosphere around them was not conducive.  And I’ve seen great cultures with bad leaders that couldn’t rise because they didn’t know how to fit within that atmosphere.

ANDY CROWE:  Joshua, this is Andy.  And one of the things that stands out in your bio is you’ve had a lot of military service.  You’ve worked in the special forces.  Talk to me about leadership in that context, and talk to me about what you observed and what you saw, maybe good and bad.  I’m sure at this point in your career you’ve probably seen a lot of the spectrum of good leadership and maybe some that was a little be lacking.  Talk to me a little bit about that in the context of the military world.

JOSHUA SZAREK:  Sure.  In the military, the first definition of leadership that you learn is it’s the process of influencing others to accomplish a mission or task by providing purpose, motivation, and direction.  And you see this very often as young leaders who don’t take good direction from their senior enlisted soldie...

ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● LILIANA BUCHTIK

NICK WALKER:  Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  Every couple of weeks we meet to talk about what’s important to you in project management.  It’s a discussion about where we are and how to get where we want to be.  Our guests include recognized experts in the field who focus on their own experiences so we can share their successes and learn from their mistakes.  We find out how they work and how they motivate others to work.  Whether you are new to project management or a recognized veteran yourself, I think you’ll find we have something for you.

I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the two guys who make this all happen, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates.  And Andy, today we’re going to reach southward into another hemisphere of the Earth to talk with someone who’s well known in every hemisphere.

ANDY CROWE:  Yeah, I’m excited about our guest.  Liliana is a renowned expert and somebody that is going to really be a good contributor to the show.

NICK WALKER:  She’s on the phone with us, all the way from Montevideo, Uruguay – Liliana Buchtik, who’s known worldwide as an author, trainer, keynote speaker, and consultant.  She’s the author of the second edition of “Secrets to Mastering the WBS in Real World Projects,” published by PMI, the Project Management Institute.  She has also written two Spanish bestsellers, including “Secrets to Mastering Risk Management in Real World Projects,” the first and only Spanish book about project risk management.  Liliana shares her knowledge, her experience, and international perspective to audiences worldwide, challenging them with storytelling and real-world examples.  Liliana, welcome to Manage This.

LILIANA BUCHTIK:  Thank you all.  Thank you so much.  It’s a pleasure to be here.  So I’m very excited to share some experiences with you guys and with your audiences around the world.

NICK WALKER:  Now, you speak to groups of all kinds in a number of different settings – corporate, academic, government.  Is there something that they have in common, a common thread that you find among your diverse audiences?

LILIANA BUCHTIK:  Well, those audiences are pretty diverse.  Sometimes I talk with executives.  Sometimes I talk, as you said, with students, or many times with PMO managers or project managers, program managers.  So it’s a pretty diverse audience in diverse degrees of maturity, as well, in project management.  Especially when you’re talking audiences like Latin America, which is one of the focus areas that I work, and you compare that when you speak in Europe or North America, you can appreciate the difference.  You tend to find more maturity, for example, in North America than in Latin America in general.  So we can, you know, we find diverse audiences, diverse levels of maturities.

But I think one thing in common is that I see the growth in interest regarding project, program, and portfolio management across the globe, even at the top levels of the organization.  So I do think there’s something in common for them which is the value behind project management, why they should be applying best practices in project management, and what is in it for them, even with executives.  And so we try to communicate with those executives and managers that project management is not something that you need to spend on when you have enough money.  It’s actually an investment to become more and more effective, even in times of challenges.

ANDY CROWE:  Liliana, we have a joke that a lot of young parents say:  If you wait until you have enough money to have a child, you’ll never have a child.  So a lot of time.

LILIANA BUCHTIK:  Yeah, that’s it.

ANDY CROWE:  If you wait until you’re financially ready to spend on project management, you’ll never invest in project management.  So I think that’s a great point you bring up.

NICK WALKER:  One of the topics dear to your heart,