Project Managers' Coffee Chat with Tim & Merv

In this podcast episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss vital project management strategies, focusing primarily on leadership and human behavior aspects. They share personal experiences and lessons learned in project management, emphasizing the importance of knowing oneself, seeking help when needed, and the value of mentorship and hands-on experience. By analyzing their early career challenges and the advice received from their seniors and peers, they underline the significance of learning from every situation, regardless if it's a success or failure. The conversation also touches on the contrast between managing projects strictly by the book and the benefits of incorporating leadership skills to enhance team success, client satisfaction, and personal growth. This episode aims to inspire current and aspiring project managers by showcasing how leadership qualities can significantly impact project outcomes and team dynamics.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today's story lessons:

• Don't be afraid to ask for help
• Challenge through questions and observations of the actions taken
• Practical applications from learning how to ride a bike
• Project management moves from the autocratic to the collaborative
• The power of developing relationships

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches - Stories of Growth and Guidance

00:53 Merv talks about his first project management experience (he had had numerous project lead positions to this point in his career, but this was his first PM role on a mor project), where he very quickly realized that he was a little over his head. He did what is too often unnatural for an IT project manager – he asked for help.

• Leadership tip: Know thyself!
• Leadership tip #2: as a leader, look where you can provide help when it is needed.
• Leadership tip #3: place team members where they can succeed.

05:35 Tim recounts how early in his career he had a supervisor who would challenge him through asking questions – questions meant for his learning and further action. The test in these questions was to help Tim learn from the actions taken, whether successful or not.

7:54 Practical application from learning how to ride a bike as a child.

10:56 Merv describes the evolution of project management practices as he personally witnessed it over four decades. He saw the progression from manage the project to deliver at all cost to lead the team to deliver better product for customer satisfaction.

16:14 Tim tells of the wisdom of a director in his consulting organization who effectively led his teams through a reorganization. It showed the importance of establishing relationships among the team members so that the team would continue with current project work through such disruption.

18:45 Project managers can learn to reflect on leadership lessons by establishing a mindset that finds a teachable moment no matter the situation.

19:24 Project managers learn to lead by first learning to lead themselves.

Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome, hosts of a project management-focused podcast, explore various strategies and techniques to enhance leadership skills within the context of project management. They delve into the belief that leadership is a learned skill rather than an innate one, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling team members' needs to boost productivity and engagement. Key strategies discussed include the necessity of setting clear visions, investing in self-learning, mastering the art of delegation, and improving communication skills. The hosts stress the importance of active listening, asking questions before making assumptions, and understanding workplace politics to navigate complex projects effectively. The episode underscores that successful leadership is a journey of continuous self-improvement and adaptation to one's unique style and the specific demands of the project and team.

Main Take-Aways

1) Leadership is not a skill you're born with, It takes time and effort to develop good leadership skills. It is a journey of self-improvement.

2) Merv and Tim offer a variety of tips and techniques they have developed over the years to enhance their leadership skills and their ability to deliver better results for their customers, tips such as:

• Team members' needs fulfillment
• Effective project kickoffs to set the vision
• A learning mindset
• Delegation
• Communication mastery
• Mindfulness
• Navigating office politics

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Enhance Your Project Leadership Skills

00:27 Leadership skills – learned or innate from birth? They are acquired through focused interest and effort.

02:30 Tim's first tip: connect people's fulfillment of their needs to the work they are doing.

03:10 Merv's tip: Conduct project kickoffs such that the project vision is explained and established.

04:24 Tim advises next to develop a learning mindset.

07:33 Merv says to learn how to delegate to free yourself up to be that visionary, and then elaborates on Tim's tip of investing in our self-learning.

10:33 Merv provides a real-life example of communication mastery that goes beyond email.

12:38 Tim suggests that we use mindfulness, or being present, to both have a good handle on our emotions and to clarify our decision making.

16:25 Merv continues with his strong endorsement of a favorite topic of his – communication. Project managers must be expert in communication via many methods clearly, succinctly, forthrightly, honestly, transparently, non-ambiguously. Strong communication also requires active listening skills.

18:18 Tim offers one more tip: learn how to navigate office politics with strategy.

20:04 Effective leadership is a continuous journey of self-improvement, and these few tips and techniques that have been offered will be helpful to you as you adapt them to your style and situations.

Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the essential aspects of leadership and management in project management, emphasizing the human-centric approach to improving project delivery. They explore the theoretical differences between a manager's role, which focuses on directing and control through known behaviors and expected outcomes, and a leader's role, which is collaborative and innovative, aiming to guide and inspire trust amongst team members. The discussion includes practical examples, the importance of both management and leadership qualities for project managers, and the balance between operational control and inspiring vision for successful project outcomes.

Main Take-Aways

1) There is a significant difference between management and leadership. Management keep the lights on, the business going. Leadership looks to innovate, to create an environment that inspires innovation.

2) A project manager who wants to excel in their career while at the same time delivering excellence will develop both strong management and leadership skills.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Versus Management in Project Delivery

00:27 Understanding the difference between project manager and leader

Management: directing others to get from one point to another using a known set of expected behavior.

Leadership: working with others through collaboration in order to guide them from one point to another

02:01 The evolution of project management styles – moving from a focus on the process aspects of managing a project to a more collaborative leadership model

03:07 A simplified example of management vs. leadership

05:47 Diving deeper into management and leadership dynamics using a framework presented by the Project Management Institute:

06:29 Management administrates; leadership innovates

08:16 Management relies on control; leadership inspires trust

11:29 Management ask "how" and "when"; leadership asks "what" and "why"

14:51 Management accepts the status quo; leadership challenges the status quo

18:47 Concluding thoughts on balancing management and leadership – we need both to be effective project managers

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome delve into various leadership styles and their applicability in project management, emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership approaches to project needs and team dynamics. They explore laissez-faire, transactional, transformational, charismatic, interactional, and servant leadership styles, discussing how each can be leveraged for project success. The conversation underscores the significance of practical application over theoretical knowledge, highlighting the art of leadership and its critical role in ensuring project delivery and team development.

Main Take-Aways

1) Introducing six varying leadership styles and their application.

2) Certain leadership styles are superior to the others, but all have their benefits depending on the situation. The project manager will learn and practice each style to give them useful options to apply on their project as warranted.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Exploring Leadership Styles in Project Management

00:27 Exploring Leadership Styles in Project Management

01:03 Diving Deep into Leadership Styles:

01:36 The laissez-faire leadership style: does this imply hand-off management? self-organizing teams? teams making their own decisions? related to Agile methodology?

When is laissez-faire management style ok?

06:42 Transactional leadership: tactical but not strategic; plays on rewards-based human behavior.

08:26 Servant leadership: aspirational in style, currently in vogue. Service first, leadership second.

10:56 Transformational leadership: empowering, inspiring, motivating, encouraging those they lead. Inspiring change.

13:15 Charismatic leadership: speaking with emotion to influence, self-confident, high energy, enthusiastic.

15:36 Interactional leadership: the art of leadership in combining leadership styles for major impact.

16:42 Each leadership style has its application depending on the team, the project, the circumstances, the customer, and other such factors.

Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the critical role of leadership in project management, emphasizing the importance of human skills not typically taught in formal education. They set the tone for upcoming episodes by exploring leadership attributes such as inspiring and motivating teams, emotional intelligence, mentorship, managing politics effectively, and balancing authoritative action with team autonomy. The hosts also differentiate between management and leadership, suggesting that successful project managers should embody elements of both to deliver exceptional results. Guest insights, including those from business expert Kathy Caprino, are highlighted to enrich the discussion on effective leadership practices and minimizing common management errors.

Main Take-Aways

1) Introducing the topic of project managers as leaders by reviewing six expectations of leaders and managers according to leadership coach and expert, Kathy Caprino.

2) Leadership versus management – how do they differ? Are both necessary for the project manager?

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Mastering Project Leadership by Incorporating the Human Skills Beyond the Curriculum

00:27 Reflecting on week one – insights and aspirations

01:47 Everything that will be discussed in the weeks that follow will point back to the essence of leadership in project management.

02:16 Merv's off-the-cuff definition of leadership in project management

02:54 Exploring six types of qualities in leadership and management as outlined by Kathy Caprino:

04:25 Leadership quality #1: does my manager or supervisor have a good handle on their emotions?

07:09 Leadership quality #2: is my manager a good potential mentor?

09:42 Leadership quality #3: how is my manager's balance of authoritarianism compared to leadership?

11:14 Leadership quality #4: how are my boss's communication skills?

12:10 Leadership quality #5: how is my manager's balance of politics in relation to work?

14:23 Leadership quality #6: are my managers/supervisors miserable in their careers?

16:50 Leadership vs. management – defining the difference

18:29 Looking forward to future episodes to discuss the future of leadership and management

Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome start their "talk story" Friday episodes by diving into the human side of project management. They emphasize the importance of understanding human factors, emotional intelligence, and the impact of human behavior on achieving successful project outcomes. They share insights from their collective experiences and stress the need to implement user-centered designs and developing strong client relationships. The conversation also highlights the necessity of preparing teams and stakeholders for significant changes, the value of firsthand experience in understanding client needs, and the promise to explore essential skills for project managers in future episodes, starting with leadership.

Main Take-Aways

1) The importance of story to illustrate both success and failure in project management situations.

2) The promise of practical application of the human aspects of project management in upcoming podcasts.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Human Aspects in Project Management Illustrated Through Experience

00:27 Reflecting on the first week

01:13 The journey so far – a recap and what's on today's agenda

03:31 Human factors in project management – stories of success

Merv shares that on each project he would direct his teams to become "one with the client", to learn their business, and get to know them using aspects of emotional intelligence.

08:40 The Importance of understanding and preparing for change

Tim describes the value of utilizing client staff at all levels to help prepare the project staff for success.

12:53 Learning from the field – the value of direct observation

Merv tells of his teams' more successful outcomes by observing their client team members in their own work environment. This served to give them a more complete understanding of the client's functional requirements for the system being implemented.

16:43 The future of project management – the application of emotional intelligence and human behavior to our technical PM skills

17:53 Wrapping up: our commitment to focusing on human aspects to improve the way we manage projects in order to achieve positive and meaningful results

18:23 Merv's and Tim's promise to you, our listeners – to develop an essential skill for project managers weekly – essential skills that are not process or methodology, but those skills that focus on the human aspects of what you do.

18:59 Next week – tune in for our discussion on leadership as the overarching project management skill that is essential to anyone in a project lead position.

In this podcast episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore effective project management techniques with a focus on the human aspects crucial for success. They emphasize the importance of integrating human behavior into project management to enhance communication, leadership, and team collaboration, especially in remote work scenarios. Through personal anecdotes and practical tips, the hosts discuss leveraging emotional intelligence, active listening, and continuous learning to foster a positive project environment. Additionally, they advocate for adapting communication styles to different audiences and minimizing distractions, illustrating these concepts with real-life examples and suggesting resources like Daniel Goleman's 'Working with Emotional Intelligence' for further learning.

Main Take-Aways

1) Some example tips, tools, and techniques with regard to three human aspects of managing projects, namely communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership.

2) Stay tuned for further elaboration of these three and many other human behaviors that we must master to be successful in our project management careers.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Harnessing Human Behavior in Project Management

00:27 Diving into the Fourth Show: Tips, Techniques, and Tools

As Tim and Merv share some of their practical uses of tips, techniques, and tools learned over the course of their careers, their caveat is that every project, every team, every circumstance is different. What might work in one situation may not work in another. What worked for them may need to be tweaked for your situation.

This show is a precursor of shows to come, and our hosts offer three examples with some random ideas to give you a taste of practical application of just these project management techniques: communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence.

Just three, but stay tuned - these and many others will be fully elaborated in future podcasts.

02:37 Mastering communication in project management

• Creating engagement in conversation and meetings
• Creating engagement in a virtual environment
• Engage in a group that enhances public speaking skills

07:04 Leadership skills for project managers

• Put yourself in the position of the people you are leading as you communicate and take action on the project
• Create a collaborative learning environment; think servant leadership
• Discipline is good, it protects the team from outside distractions
• Learn to communicate differently to the different project audiences

10:38 Embracing emotional intelligence in projects

• Emotional intelligence, leadership, communication (and other such human behaviors) all interrelate to make you more effective
• Active listening, powers of observation, assess human behavior
• Use the pause in conversation to gather additional information, to assess the individual on how to collaborate with them

16:23 The continuous journey of learning and improvement

• Learn how to learn, and never stop learning

18:07 Merv recounts how he used a Toastmasters experience to continue to learn and improve his presentation skills

20:51 Looking ahead: fun stories, war stories, and conversations over coffee

Let's get practical. Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome provide example essential skills – communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership – to preview why the emphasis this season will be on the strategic importance of applying the human aspects of project management to the technical skills project managers already possess.

Main Take-Aways

1) Communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership are just three of the essential human aspects of project management. These three provide a practical overview for their strategic application to every day project situations.

2) The essential skill, communication, has many practical facets to enhance the PMs effectiveness on the project.

3) The essential skill, emotional intelligence begins with self before building professional relationships.

4) The essential skill, leadership, is interconnected with communication, emotional intelligence, and many others not named here.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Strategic Application of Human Aspects of Project Management to our Methods and Process

[0:35] – Let's get practical. Merv & Tim introduce just three of the many essential skills that they will be developing over this season: communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership.

[1:44] – Communication is the first essential skills example. Some practical aspects of communication:

• Writing skills
• Speaking skills
• Body language
• Acknowledgement
• Noise

Applying these types of communication factors to the management of our projects will help us improve project management methods to achieve meaningful and positive results.

[5:01] – Emotional intelligence is the second essential skills example. Know thyself! Know how you come across to other people. Understand the role of emotions. Understand personal and professional relationships.

[8:31] – Leadership is the third essential skills example. Management keeps the business / project running. Leadership creates professional relationships to be able to influence and motivate.

Not all managers are leaders; not all leaders are managers.

[9:54] – How do we use these discussions regarding specific essential skills (like communication, or emotional intelligence, or leadership) to enhance our project management capabilities?

[10:10] – Communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership are all interconnected in how they are (or can be) used on a project. The same is true when we consider other essential skills that are exhibited through human behavior. These all, separately or in combination, can act to improve the results of our project management. Create an environment where people can thrive.

[17:43] – Communication, emotional intelligence, leadership, etc. are still referred to as the "soft skills". "Soft skills" are the hard skills. We are changing the terminology from "soft skills" to "essential skills".

These are just three examples of the many that Tim & Merv will emphasize this season. They will cover them individually week by week.

Following on from episode 1 of this new season, Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome provide further detail on how their new season will unfold. They discuss the strategic importance of applying the human aspects of project management to the well-developed, well-grounded methodology and process skills project managers already possess.

Main Take-Aways

1) The technical, process, and methodology skills that project managers are required to have are never going away, but …

2) The project manager's success will be enhanced by strategically applying an entire toolkit of essential skills that encompass the human aspects of project management.

3) The technical aspects of project management (methods, process, scope, budget, risk, issues, etc.) are assumed to be understood by the listener. The human factors of project management are not assumed and therefore will be emphasized during this season.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Strategic Application of Human Aspects of Project Management to our Methods and Process

[0:29] – How will Season 4 differ from Seasons 1-3? Merv and Tim explain why they are moving from methods and process to focus on the human aspects of what we do as PMs. It's all about human relationships.

[4:20] – But first, it's useful to describe the terms "framework" and "methodology" to set the foundation for further discussions this season. These are foundational to managing projects, and still underpin everything Season 4 will bring.

[4:20] – But first, it's useful to describe the terms "framework" and "methodology" to set the foundation for further discussions this season. These are foundational to managing projects, and still underpin everything Season 4 will bring.

[9:29] – Every project is different. There are no cookie-cutter approaches to project management. However, there are practical, actionable outcomes, specifically the value and benefits of our project efforts.

[13:41] – Setting expectations for Season 4, applying human factors to methods and process, in areas such as:

• Lessons learned and continuous improvement
• Meaningful results
• The human behavioral component of project participants (emotional intelligence, self-awareness, leadership, etc.)

[20:25] – Season 4 promises to provide why focusing on human behaviors is critical to our success as project managers. We will focus on the strategic application of these essential skills to our management of projects.

Tim Jerome and Merv Jersak are experienced information technology project managers. In this episode they introduce a fourth season of their podcast, "Project Managers' Coffee Chat". They will focus this season on the essential skills that project managers need to deliver exceptional results. Hint: these essential skills are not related to methodologies or process; rather they emphasize the human factors that are so important to what we do.

Main Take-Aways

1) Project management training focuses on methods, processes, schedules, budgets, risks, issues, and the like.

What's missing? – a focus on the human aspects of leading teams and stakeholders and the essential skills that project leaders absolutely require.

2) Seasons 1-3 feature an abundant education of the principles and domains of project management, with a parallel focus on application of the necessary human factors.

3) Season 4 will emphasize the human aspects of project management/leadership in short daily segments with practical advice on how to apply these on your own projects.

4) Season 4 content comes directly from the project management experience of two seasoned PMs who have been there, done that, and lived to tell the stories.

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: An Introduction to Our New Season 4

[0:28] – Merv shares a story from his earliest days as a project lead, one that showed he was attuned to project methods and schedules, but not so much to the human factors of leading a team.

[2:42] – Who is Merv Jersak?

[3:52] – Who is Tim Jerome?

[6:02] – Project Management is a rewarding career:

• Variety in project experiences
• Project management is consistent across projects
• Become an expert
• Always learning

[7:08] – Merv and Tim are giving back to the industry they love:

• Season 4 mission: To achieve meaningful and positive results by focusing on the human aspects of what we do:

o By seeking to improve project management methods

o By showing how to achieve meaningful and positive results through continuous and measurable improvement

o By focusing on the human aspects of project management, human behavior

[10:33] – Able to achieve meaningful results:

• Through objective and purpose of the work of the team
• Through engagement of stakeholders
• Through individualized human relationships
• Through demonstration of personal engagement

[12:35] – Merv tells a second story of his adherence to project methods over human factors of leading a team (a box of rocks as he was described); this time a turning point in how he began to lead differently.

[14:03] – Tim references a book by researcher, Hillary Scarlet, on understanding human behavior from an organizational and a work-related standpoint:

• A new way to communicate
• Scientific evidence for considering human behavior
• A framework for instinctual behavior

[17:43] – Merv shares sobering statistics of the low rates of success for information technology projects.

[19:23] – Season 4 new format:

Change from the 1-hour educational content of Seasons 1-3

Five weekly 15-to 25-minute podcasts (with guest contributors as applicable):

1. Topic introduction

2. Deeper dive into an aspect of the week's topic

3. Deeper dive into an additional aspect of the week's topic

4. Tips, techniques, tools for practical application

5. Tim's and Merv's real life experiences, both successful and cautionary stories

[22:20] – Summary: focus on leadership and human behavior, spoken from personal experience of what worked or didn't work for Merv and Tim.