You’ve heard of emotional intelligence, right? You know it’s important. But a lot of us haven’t had formal training on the topic--or maybe it’s been a while.

In this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Joshua Freedman, author of the international best-selling book At the Heart of Leadership: How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. Plenty of books can give you an academic understanding of emotional intelligence. But Joshua’s book is immensely practical. It focuses on how to help us navigate situations, like that project meeting, because our lives are filled with situations where the stakes are high with our emotions. And Joshua is here to help us with that. I can’t wait to share this discussion with you!

Learn more about Joshua at JMFreedman.com/bio/.

For more episodes on this topic, check out:

• Episode 148, with Daniel Shapiro about his book Negotiating the Nonnegotiable. It's a deeply insightful book that will help you navigate the emotional side of conflicts. I highly recommend this episode!
• Episode 108, with Doug Stone about his book Thanks for the Feedback, and
• Episode 185, with Mitch Warner from the Arbinger Institute about their book Leadership and Self-Deception.

Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?

My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!

I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertainty. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.

Whether you are wondering about next steps in your career or it's a son or daughter and you'd like to give them a head start as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Colossus by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10494-colossus License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tropical Vibe by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10446-tropical-vibe License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Most days, you can find me working with a group of people, helping them learn how to improve their ability to lead and deliver. If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you may recall hearing me saying this previously--in our project management courses, the majority of participants are women. It’s characteristic of a trend we see week in and week out—project management is a rewarding and accessible career path for women to pursue.

Because of that, I like to highlight women who are inspiring role models, particularly when it comes to leading teams and delivering projects. And in this episode, I’m excited to introduce you to my friend and colleague Molly Beran, who fits that description perfectly.

Molly has not only spent extended time in the trenches, learning how to lead and deliver. Over the last couple of years, she’s also been a valued member of my speaking team. And she has expertly taught some of our biggest clients how to improve their ability to lead and deliver.

This episode is a conversation between friends who equally geek out about project management and leadership. I look forward to you hearing some of the lessons that Molly has learned about these topics--I know you’re going to enjoy this.

Learn more about Molly at ProjectsByMolly.com. Also, get your copy of (or give it as a gift) From Vision to Vows: Project Management Strategies for Weddings here.

Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?

My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!

I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertaity. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.

Whether it’s you who is wondering about next steps in your career or a son or daughter and you'd like to give them this as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!

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

Talent Triangle: Business Acumen

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Brooklyn Nights by Tim Kulig Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11192-brooklyn-nights License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Quantum Sparks [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10996-quantum-sparks-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Not everyone aspires to be a VP or higher someday, nor should they. But could it be that some of us are held back because the deep expertise that got us to our current position isn’t what is needed to get to additional levels of responsibility? Or, if that additional responsibility is given to us anyway, we struggle to thrive because the skills to succeed at that next level are different from what we’re used to?

I think so, which is why I’m excited to introduce you to Wanda T. Wallace. Wanda is the author of an insightful book You Can't Know It All: Leading in the Age of Deep Expertise.

In this episode, you’re going to hear Wanda describe the difference between being an expert leader vs a spanning leader. She’ll explain how the way we add value is different when we’re a spanning leader. Wanda will talk about how to deal with mistakes--both when others make them as well as when we do. She’ll talk about how to better deal with ambiguity that comes along with greater responsibility as well as how to develop trust across a boarder base of people. Before we’re done Wanda will talk about executive presence and share some advice specifically for women. It’s an engaging discussion with someone who specializes in helping women and men get to the top, stick, and thrive.

Learn more about Wanda and her book at Leadership-Forum.com/wanda-wallace.

For more episodes on this topic, check out:

• Episode 75 and 76, with Keith Murnighan about his book Do Nothing. It's about how to not over-manage.
• Episode 122, with Shane Snow who has some surprising ideas about accelerating your career, and
• Episode 125, with Liz Wiseman about her book Rookie Smarts.

Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?

My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!

I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertaity. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.

Whether it’s you who is wondering about next steps in your career or a son or daughter and you'd like to give them this as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Cinematic Suspense Series Episode 008 by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7669-cinematic-suspense-series-episode-008 License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Energetic & Drive Indie Rock by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10443-energetic-drive-indie-rock License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Making the leap to leadership can be one of the most rewarding--and challenging--moves we can make. And I’m excited in this episode to bring you what I think is the best guide I’ve come across to date on how to make that jump. Adam Bryant joins us to talk about his new book The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership.

In this episode, you’ll learn the first question you should be asking about leadership--and why it’s important. Adam shares a practical tool he calls a Leadership User Manual--I’m telling you, you’re going to want to create one of these after listening to this. He discusses why a career pyramid might be a better metaphor than a ladder. Along the way you’ll hear why you should learn to merge into traffic and go play in the traffic! And why some of the most valuable leadership lessons are playing out before your eyes every day. It’s a conversation I can’t wait to share with you.

Learn more about Adam and his book at AdamBryantBooks.com/the-leap-to-leader/.

For more episodes related to this topic, check out:

• Episode 360, with Janet Polach about her book The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make.
• Episode 307, with Ron Carucci about his book Rising to Power, and
• Episode 261, with David Epstein about his book Range.

Do you know someone who is in college or maybe recently graduated?

My experience is there are a growing number of people who dread being asked the question, “So, what’s the plan?” When it comes to their career, they have no freaking idea!

I bring this up because we’re rolling out a new course entitled just that: No Freaking Idea: How to Navigate Career Uncertaity. It’s a career guide for people who don’t know what they want to do, and it has been so fun to hear the feedback on the course.

Whether it’s you who is wondering about next steps in your career or a son or daughter and you'd like to give them this as a gift, learn more by going to NoFreakingIdea.courses. Thanks!

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Imagefilm 034 by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/2935-imagefilm-034 License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Another Good Day by chilledmusic Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8397-another-good-day License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

In most of our episodes, I’m introducing you to an author of a new book, looking for ways to apply key ideas from what they’ve written.

But every once in a while, I come across someone who I just think is interesting--someone who brings a fresh perspective to the discussion that would help all of us who want to get better at leading teams and delivering projects.

Today, I’m excited to introduce you to Jen Dary. Jen is the founder of a company that champions the concept that all humans are creative, resourceful, and whole… but sometimes they have a hard time moving forward. Jen and her team help people move forward through coaching and manager training.

In this episode, Jen shares her insights on issues and situations that we often find ourselves in, like

• Struggles when moving into a management role
• Knowing what to hold onto and what to let go of
• Delivering bad news--as well as how to deal with it when bad news is delivered to us.

Jen shares lessons she’s learned about balancing work and life and gives some coaching insights for anyone who’s recently lost their job and wants to move forward. And how about this? We’ve got some ideas for those of you who are still in your job but questioning whether you should stay. Jen shares some perspective on that as well.

It's a fun discussion with an insightful human that I can’t wait to share with you.

Learn more about Jen and her company at BePlucky.com/About.

With the constant stream of AI news, it's sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That's why I developed our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Tropical Vibe by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10446-tropical-vibe License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: It's Funky by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8061-its-funky License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Have you ever noticed how two people can go through something similar? For one person, it takes them under. And the other person? They seem to get past it—maybe even grow from it.

I ask because going through challenging—even traumatic—experiences is part of the human experience. I’m not saying it’s equally distributed. But clearly, life is not always up and to the right.

And as you grow as a leader, it’s only a matter of time before you’re put into situations that can cause you to question your abilities, wonder if you’re up to it, and maybe even back down from the challenge.

Or, interestingly, those situations may be what propel you forward in your ability to lead and deliver.

In this episode, we’re exploring the role of experience and how it shapes us. And I’m excited to introduce you to a new book entitled Experiential Intelligence: Harness the Power of Experience for Personal and Business Breakthroughs by Soren Kaplan.

In this discussion, you’ll learn about XQ--Experiential Intelligence--and how it compares to IQ, EQ, and other attempts to understand our intelligences. Soren will talk about self-limiting beliefs and how we can identify them and—more importantly—get beyond them. It’s a great discussion with a guy who has a passion for helping us turn our past experiences into assets for our good—as individuals and for teams. I can’t wait to share this with you.

Learn more about Soren and his book at SorenKaplan.com/ExperientialIntelligence.

For more episodes on this topic, check out:

• Episode 185, with Mitch Warner about the Arbinger Institute's book Leadership and Self-Deception

With the constant stream of AI news, it's sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That's why I developed our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Ignotus by Agnese Valmaggia Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6273-ignotus License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Chillhouse by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11066-chillhouse License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hi! You will recall back in episode 384 I introduced you to an AI persona I had developed named PMeLa. She's an AI designed to be an expert in project management and leadership. It's been fun to hear the feedback from listeners from around the world who found the discussion to be somewhere between intriguing, hilarious, and frightening.

I've been experimenting with automating AI processes and so I thought I would try another experiment with PMeLa. In today's episode, PMeLa is going to interview--wait for it--former US President Abraham Lincoln. As an AI, she comes up with the questions and an AI version of Lincoln responds.

Let me be clear--I'm not just doing this to be clever. What's unique about this episode is that it was completely done using automation tools. I had no hand in the questions or the responses. Once I defined the personas and set up the automation, the interview was completely in the hands of the AIs and the automation tool. What you hear from PMeLa and Lincoln has not been changed by me at all.

After the brief interview, I share some insights about what I've been learning through these experiments. And definitely listen to the end with a blooper from Lincoln!

Learn more about the automation tool I used for this episode: Make.com. Also, check out Lovo.ai and ElevenLabs.io.

What's a question you'd like to pass by PMeLa? Send them to [email protected]. I'd love to include your questions in a future episode! Thanks!

Take the next step to level up your AI skills. Check out our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Business Acumen

The following music was used for this episode:

Lullaby of Light (feat. Cory Friesenhan) by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11174-lullaby-of-light-feat-cory-friesenhan License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Laughing Children [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10498-laughing-children-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

One of our recurring themes on the podcast is decision-making. The reality is you are likely facing some decisions you need to make right now. But one of our biggest challenges when facing forks in the road is how to decide when there are so many unknowns--so much uncertainty.

Well, I have personally benefited from a new book that I wanted to introduce you to. The title is Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action. This Wall Street Journal best-seller is packed with insights that have benefits for CEOs and senior leaders, for sure. But it’s also applicable to all of us who are responsible for leading teams and delivering projects.

Learn more about Atif and the Decision Sprint process at DecisionSprint.com/Book.

With the constant stream of AI news, it's sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That's why I developed our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Ways of Working

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Fromage by Steven OBrien Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10409-fromage License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Laughing Children [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10498-laughing-children-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

When you think of artificial intelligence and tools like ChatGPT, what comes to mind?

Do you find it intriguing for how it can help us as people who are focused on leading teams and projects? Or maybe you think it’s overly hyped—entertaining for writing haikus and silly stories but not even close to being at a place where it can help us with our jobs. Or, maybe you’re concerned that it’s a threat to our jobs someday.

I know people in each group, leading us to this episode. I’m joined by Andy Tryba who is the Co-Founder & CEO of Ionic Partners, and also CEO of Gigster. Andy is a nationally recognized Future of Work & Remote Work expert and his companies help some of the largest brands in the world integrate AI, ChatGPT, QA Automation and more.

I'm also discussing AI with my friend John Chmela. John and I met when we worked together years ago and to this day, he's a valued friend. Beyond loving him as a person, I've always admired how John is quick to adapt new technologies and leverage them for good. But beyond our friendship and his tech skills, John is a savvy business leader and investor.

In both discussions, you'll pick up on some ideas and perspectives that can guide your exploration of the tools.

Learn more about Andy Tryba and follow him on LinkedIn at LinkedIn.com/in/AndyTryba.

Learn more about John and his operation at Queenslake Farm at Queenslake.com.

With the constant stream of AI news, it's sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That's why I developed our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Business Acumen

The following music was used for this episode:

Lullaby of Light (feat. Cory Friesenhan) by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11174-lullaby-of-light-feat-cory-friesenhan License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Laughing Children [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10498-laughing-children-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

We've talked in past episodes about how, unless there’s a compelling reason to say No, say Yes--that there are opportunities for growth and learning when we have a bias for Yes. Yet we’ve all ended up in a trap that was set by saying Yes when No would have been a better answer. So how do we navigate that?

Well, I'm excited to introduce you to a fantastic new book entitled The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life.

In this episode, you’ll learn why we’re tempted to say Yes when No would be a better answer. If you’ve ever told yourself you’re a people pleaser, Vanessa will tell you why you need to stop saying that! By the time we’re done, you’ll know what a stadium proposal moment is, how the spotlight effect plays into this, and learn to recognize a pattern Vanessa calls “Hey, would you make your famous lasagna?” Even better, you’re going to learn about a potentially life-transforming idea called an empowered refusal. I can’t wait to share this discussion with you!

Learn more about Vanessa and her book at VanessaPatrick.net/.

With the constant stream of AI news, it's sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That's why I developed a new e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI's potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

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

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Summer Morning [Full version] by MusicLFilesbr>Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11262-summer-morning-full-version License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Fashion Corporate by Frank Schroeter Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11233-fashion-corporate License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license