In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome share personal stories and examples illustrating how cognitive agility and common sense can lead to successful project outcomes. The discussion covers topics like leadership mentoring, adapting to legislative changes, practical decision-making in personal lives, and the value of listening to team members and external stakeholders. Through these narratives, they highlight the necessity of critical thinking not only in planning but also in course correction throughout the project lifecycle.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons help your understanding of the importance of developing a your critical thinking skills for enhanced problem-solving on your project or in life in general:

• thinking through your own solutions
• adapting to unexpected project challenges from external influences
• learning from others
• applying critical thinking in personal decision making
• using critical thinking to innovate
• turning challenges into opportunities through critical thinking

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – Developing Your Critical Thinking

00:49 Tim begins with an experience he and fellow PMs had with a supervisor who taught them all critical thinking skills by putting them in situation in where they had to think through solutions on their own.

02:18 Merv recounts a very complex situation that required several applications of critical thinking on a major project when the main stakeholder enacted new rules part way through the project’s design.

04:40 Tim illustrates how he was able to learn from the critical thinking skills of team members schooled in effective decision making and problem-solving.

06:31 Merv changes course with a personal experience of applying critical thinking when his daughters began their college years, and how the resulting decision has had long lasting, serendipitous benefits to this day.

08:50 Tim speaks of a time that he extended his reach beyond the project and added consulting and critical thinking skills from individuals not directly involved with his project – individuals who were not IT practitioners.

11:37 Merv tells of a situation where critical thinking saved a troubled project through some innovative solutioning.

14:36 Tim provides an example of how a change in mindset regarding the role of a potentially constraining organization provided opportunities for applying focused critical thinking and advice.

17:57 Merv relates a challenging experience where the system his team was developing would not meet the demand from a sudden unexpected external influence, and how critical thinking skills formulated a significant decision that truly saved the day.

Wow! Such a great episode full of critical thinking tips, tools, and techniques. Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they highlight practical techniques such as the IDEAL problem-solving model, the Socratic method, the “5 Whys”, and tools like the fishbone diagram, mind mapping, and design thinking. They discuss the importance of continuous improvement with models like Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). The episode also covers effective brainstorming, SWOT analysis, Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats, and the CATWOE analysis framework. Emphasis is placed on learning from lessons and leveraging experiences across various industries to develop a comprehensive toolkit for critical thinking in project management.

Main Take-Aways

Tips, tools, and techniques for enhancing your critical thinking skills – an important skill for effectively managing the challenges and complexities of IT projects:

1)     the I.D.E.A.L. analysis tool

2)     the Socratic Method

3)     the 5 Whys

4)     Fishbone Diagrams

5)     mind mapping

6)     design thinking

7)     Plan-Do-Study-Act, Plan-Do-Check-Act

8)     SWOT analysis

9)     mentorship

10)  brainstorming

11)  Six Thinking Hats process

12)  brainstorming to solicit ideas for critical thinking analysis

13)  C.A.T.W.O.E. analysis tool

14)  applying lessons learned

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Critical Thinking

00:28 Introducing several practical tips and techniques in using critical thinking skills for problem solving.

00:56 Merv begins by presenting the I.D.E.A.L. tool which provides five steppingstones of applying critical thinking: Identify, Define, Explore, Act, Learn.

02:00 Tim likes the Socratic Method, which is a critical thinking process of asking probing questions to get to the core issues.

03:20 Merv adds to the Socratic Method by describing the “5 Whys” questioning approach.

04:02 Tim promotes the use of Fishbone Diagrams.

05:44 Merv is envious of people who can use Mind Mapping techniques well, but recommends that you spend the time learning and using it.

06:22 Tim extends mind mapping to design thinking, another practice that involves collaborative critical thinking.

06:50 Merv offers a variation on the Plan-Do-Check-Act process, describing Plan-Do-Study-Act as a critical thinking process.

10:38 Tim describes SWOT Analysis as a critical thinking tool – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

11:50 Tim broadens the discussion by recommending mentorship to learn critical thinking skills that your mentors have perfected.

12:48 Merv includes brainstorming to solicit ideas that can then be critically analyzed for the optimal solution.

15:02 Merv and Tim are both intrigued by an Edward de Bono critical thinking tool called the Six Thinking Hats.

17:19 Tim encourages you to learn from various industries, to develop a full set of critical thinking tips, tools, and techniques.

18:32 Merv offers a tool by the acronym C.A.T.W.O.E., which he confesses he had never heard of before preparing for this episode, but was pleased to understand that he has been using the principles of the tool all along.

20:03 Merv concludes the episode by reminding you of the importance of preparing and reviewing lessons learned.

17:19 Tim encourages you to learn from various industries, to develop a full set of critical thinking tips, tools, and techniques.

18:32 Merv offers a tool by the acronym C.A.T.W.O.E., which he confesses he had never heard of before preparing for this episode, but was pleased to understand that he has been using the principles of the tool all along.

20:03 Merv concludes the episode by reminding you of the importance of preparing and reviewing lessons learned.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss cognitive agility, continuous learning, and the importance of developing strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The conversation covers various techniques, such as the use of emotional intelligence, the role of mentors, and handling stakeholder expectations. They also touch on the potential of AI in project management and its limitations. The episode is filled with practical tips and personal experiences aimed at helping project managers become better thinkers and leaders.

Main Take-Aways

What’s in it for our listeners? Listen to these discussion points on applying the best approaches to problem-solving and using critical thinking skills:

• the importance of continuous learning and applying that learning
• converting analytical skills into critical thinking skills
• applying emotional intelligence to developing better critical thinking
• applying lessons learned
• fostering a collaborative environment
• disciplining yourself to demonstrating critical thinking
• seeking mentorship
• considering risk
• the benefits of good critical thinking skills
• applying critical thinking when information is lacking
• living with imperfect decisions
• applying critical thinking in stakeholder situations
• critical thinking and artificial intelligence

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Critical Thinking and What’s in it for Me

00:27 Introducing the third episode of the week regarding critical thinking with the focus on WIFM (What’s In It For Me).

01:20 Stressing the importance of continuous learning to round you out as a project manager beyond just process and technology, and putting into practice what you learn.

03:05 Applying your analytical skills to becoming more skilled in critical thinking.

03:53 Applying emotional intelligence to develop your critical thinking.

05:12 Being reflective regarding the results of decisions and applying lessons learned.

05:37 Fostering a collaborative environment for your teams and stakeholders to develop their critical thinking skills.

06:20 Disciplining yourself to demonstrate solid critical thinking in problem-solving.

06:41 Developing your critical thinking skills by seeking out and applying mentorship.

08:44 Considering risk as an aspect of having good critical thinking skills.

09:15 The benefits to your career of having good critical thinking skills; also, the benefits of good critical thinking to your community influence and personal decision making.

12:21 Applying critical thinking in situations where you have incomplete information, and the usefulness of nudges and hunches.

14:06 Living with imperfect decisions.

15:14 Applying critical thinking skills to help your stakeholders in participating well in their own solutions.

18:09 Working with Artificial Intelligence as your assistant but not your critical thinker; you still have the edge in your ability to apply good critical thinking.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore essential steps in critical thinking, such as problem identification, data gathering, alternatives analysis, and implementation monitoring. The discussion emphasizes the importance of avoiding common mistakes like emotional decision-making, neglecting stakeholders, and falling into analysis paralysis. By applying logical reasoning, data collection, and an understanding of constraints, project managers can enhance decision-making, adaptability, flexibility, and risk management. Join us for valuable insights into sharpening your project management skills through critical thinking.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader must apply the best approaches to problem-solving and using critical thinking skills:

• understanding the steps in problem-solving
• common pitfalls in your ability to solve problems
• understanding the steps in critical thinking
• skills for effective critical thinking
• challenges in your ability to employ critical thinking
• critical thinking in improving your decision making

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Critical Thinking in Problem-Solving

00:41 Understanding the steps involved in problem-solving: identifying the problem, data and root cause analysis, alternatives analysis, selecting an option and implementing it, monitoring the results, and conducting lessons learned.

03:00 Common pitfalls in problem-solving: responding quickly because of emotions, neglecting stakeholder input, treating the symptom rather than discovering the root cause, perceptions and biases leading to snap judgments, and failure to review the results of your decisions.

06:14 Understanding the steps involved in the critical thinking process: again, fully identifying the problem; gathering and analyzing the data; deciding, forecasting, and acting on the decision; and evaluating the performance of the decision.

09:47 Skills for effective critical thinking: logical reasoning; correct, sufficient data collection, and testing of assumptions; alternatives analysis skills.

12:33 Tactical challenges to your ability to employ critical thinking: time pressures, project constraints, stakeholder conflicts, change management, resistance to change, groupthink.

17:27 Benefits of critical thinking in improving your decision making: better data gathering, enhanced problem identification, improved team performance, improved adaptability and flexibility, more confidence, and better risk management.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome delve into critical thinking as a crucial skill for project managers. They discuss the importance of problem-solving and defining critical thinking as a repeatable process for data analysis and decision-making. The conversation covers its application in complex and dynamic project environments, touching on resource constraints and risk management. They also explore when not to apply critical thinking, such as in emergency and routine situations, and emphasize continuous learning and improvement through reflection and journal keeping. Various methods to cultivate critical thinking, including engaging reading materials and experiential learning, are also covered.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader must learn critical thinking skills to perform well as a problem-solver and to instill problem-solving within his or her teams. An overview of the importance of critical thinking in your role of project leadership includes:

• critical thinking as a key to problem-solving and managing projects
• key steps in the process of critical thinking
• situations in which critical thinking need not be applied
• making decisions when you don’t have time for a full critical thinking process
• learning and teaching critical thinking skills
• using hunches and nudges

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Role of Critical Thinking in Leading Projects

00:59 Introducing the topic of critical thinking, its role in problem-solving, and a working definition of critical thinking.

03:05 Focusing on critical thinking as a key skill in project management in problem-solving on the project and in handling risk. Projects are complex and dynamic environments that need critical thinking for everyday activities.

06:28 Steps in the critical thinking process in initially identifying the problem, in decision making, in monitoring the progress of the selected direction, and in lessons learned.

09:37 Times when critical thinking skills need not be applied: when making decisions in urgent situations, when dealing with routine tasks, or when working using standard operating procedures.

11:34 Making decisions when we don’t have time to employ a true critical thinking process: call in the experts, continuously practice critical thinking skills to develop habits, compartmentalize the problem into its urgent and non-urgent components, learn to work with imperfect decisions, or apply decisions from past analogous situations.

15:38 Learning and teaching critical thinking involves a mindset of curiosity, leading via questions, reading current literature, and/or keeping a journal.

18:56 Using hunches and nudges (gut feelings and directional hinting) to help with developing critical thinking skills.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the importance of resilience in project management, particularly in the face of job loss, reorganizations, and unexpected challenges like COVID-19. Through personal anecdotes and real-life examples, they explore strategies for maintaining team morale, effective communication, and the importance of building strong professional networks. The episode highlights how transparency, collaboration, and preparation can help project managers and their teams successfully navigate uncertain times.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons help your understanding of the importance of developing a strong sense of resilience in planning for and dealing with inevitable setbacks that occur on your projects:

• being resilient in the face of job loss
• building and tapping into a network of professionals to recover from setbacks
• collaborating as a team to look out for each other
• having the courage stand up against prevailing beliefs when you have contrary information
• using challenging situations to develop opportunities to succeed

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – On Being Resilient

01:03 Tim leads off with an experience of resilience in the face of job loss. He learned from observing how his boss handled the situation by creating a cohesive team that had each other’s backs.

05:52 Merv recounts a time when a contract that he had won had its funding pulled, and how he used his extensive network to find new work. The resilience came in his ability to bounce back from a setback by first having spent the time to develop an extensive network, and secondly tapping into that network.

08:42 Tim had an experience where the collaborative aspect of his team came together in resilient fashion to ensure that a supervisor was honored for his longstanding contribution.

10:51 Merv remembers a tense situation in which he was the lone voice standing up to a prevailing belief that the system they were about to implement was ready to be implemented. At risk to job and reputation, he provided data that indicated implementation should be delayed.

15:33 Tim provides a lesson in resilience from the time of COVID-19 lockdowns, where he was able to use the challenges of the times to scale his training business.

18:29 Merv adds his own COVID-19 timeframe story about how his former project was able to quickly pivot from everyone working at the project site to working remotely, with little loss in productivity.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss strategies to improve project delivery by focusing on resilience and self-care. The episode covers practical tips for project managers, emphasizing the importance of personal and team resilience, empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and ethical behavior. They explore techniques such as regular breaks, the use of self-assessment tools, daily stand-ups, and promoting open communication to foster a supportive project environment. Additionally, they address handling prolonged stress and maintaining motivation with creative progress tracking and relevant slogans.

Main Take-Aways

Tips, tools, and techniques for enhancing your ability to build and employ resilience on projects, both in preparing for and dealing with project challenges and setbacks:

1)     pay attention to human behaviors

2)     practice self-care and prioritize physical health

3)     build upon your emotional intelligence, especially empathy

4)     consider using personality assessment tools

5)     utilize project meetings as opportunities to deal with setbacks

6)     incorporate resilience aspects into project planning processes

7)     develop strong personal relationships on the project

8)     create an environment of transparency and open communication, ethics and authenticity, collaboration and problem solving

9)     help mitigate times of prolonged stress

10)  accept situations where it is better to put people over projects

11)  use motivational affirmations

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Develop Resilience

00:27 Introducing practical tips, tools and techniques for developing and applying resilience in project management

00:44 Tim believes that human behavioral aspects play a large part in developing the habit of everyday resilience.

01:16 Merv adds to that by discussing self-care and prioritizing physical health. To build resilience on the project you must build resilience within yourself. He continues by differentiating between endurance and resilience.

03:10 Tim advises that you build upon your emotional intelligence – educate yourself – in helping to build your resilience. Merv adds that tools such as Myers Briggs or DISC personality assessments can help in this.

04:45 Merv uses project daily standups as an opportunity to help project teams maintain perspective, especially after setbacks on the project.

05:31 Tim continues this thought by advising project managers to have resilience top of mind in all project planning activities to prepare for potential setbacks ahead of time.

06:26 Merv suggests that developing strong relationships on the projects leads to a strong sense of resilience within the team. Tim agrees and advises that you give team members permission to reach out to you and each other for help when needed.

08:02 Merv creates an environment of transparency on the project with open dialog to build trust.

09:00 Merv agrees with Tim that ethics and authenticity add to that trust you are developing on your projects.

10:48 Merv confesses that, as a logically oriented IT professional, he has had difficulty in developing the empathetic side of his character. This is an important aspect of developing your resilience as you work with your team members.

11:48 Merv encourages you to build supportive project environments for better collaboration, problem solving, and resilience.

12:33 Tim introduces the topic of dealing with prolonged stress by reminding your teams of progress being made on the project, helping them to understand that there will be times of extra effort tempered with times of normalcy.

15:39 Merv uses an example of a situation where a project on which he was working was falling behind; rather than overworking the staff to make up the time, they took a project delay to reset and rejuvenate.

17:53 Tim likes to use creative affirmations to help motivate his teams and remind them to be resilient.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore strategies for improving project delivery by focusing on resilience in project management. They discuss common setbacks like VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity), poorly defined business requirements, shifting priorities, and external dependencies. The episode emphasizes accepting what can't be changed, the importance of self-care, leadership's role, and the psychological impacts of setbacks. They propose actionable strategies like acknowledging emotions, replanning, and fostering a positive mindset to turn setbacks into growth opportunities.

Main Take-Aways

Setbacks in project execution are inevitable. The resilient project leader understands this and develops resilience to deal with setbacks:

• VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity)
• dealing with complexity and constraints
• impacts of poorly defined requirement, incomplete requirements, unrealistic project timelines, project risk
• the effects of human behavior and resistance to change
• ineffective leadership and the psychological effects on projects
• resilience through self-care and recovery from setbacks
• acknowledging emotions that come with setbacks
• accepting what is out of your control
• re-baselining and developing new action plans
• having a positive mindset

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Resilience in Dealing with Setbacks

00:28 Understanding resilience and why it is a necessary project management trait when faced with project setbacks.

01:11 The effects of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) on managing projects.

02:51 Dealing with complexity and constraints as they interact and threaten setbacks.

03:25 The detrimental impacts of poorly defined requirements.

04:45 The detrimental impacts of unrealistic project timelines.

05:37 Dealing with project risk.

06:00 The detrimental impacts of incomplete or incorrectly defined requirements and large technology learning curves.

06:26 Human behavior and resistance to change.

09:29 Poor leadership and the psychological impacts of setbacks resulting from poor leadership.

11:38 Self-care and recovery from the impact of setbacks are the mark of resilient project leadership.

12:31 Strategies for overcoming setbacks include avoiding the temptation to lecture the team; instead use teachable moments to educate.

13:02 Learn to take time as a team to acknowledge the emotions that come with setbacks.

15:11 Learn to accept what you cannot change.

16:09 When a major setback occurs, re-baseline and develop a new action plan.

18:04 Reframing setbacks as learning opportunities by establishing a positive mindset.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome cover the importance of fostering a culture of trust and accountability, encouraging active engagement, and promoting self-care among team members. The conversation includes practical tips on using setbacks as learning opportunities, the role of emotional intelligence in resilience, and how to create supportive work environments. They emphasize continuous improvement, team collaboration, and the significance of contingency planning to prepare for unforeseen challenges.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader uses every opportunity to foster resiliency within his or her team:

• using the project charter to provide impetus to develop a culture of resiliency
• encouraging team engagement
• finding teaching moments
• self-care
• providing learning experiences and training in resilience
• employing emotional intelligence as a resilience barometer
• using employee reviews as opportunities to encourage the development of resilience

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Building a Resilient Team

00:31 Expanding on the previous episode in defining resilience, this episode focuses on building resilience within your teams.

01:40 Building the concept of resilience within your project charter and using that as impetus to foster a supportive work environment of trust, accountability, and collaboration.

03:20 Encouraging active engagement of your team members.

04:17 Using small setbacks as teaching moments to encourage resilience within the team.

04:49 Using recognition to build resilience within the team.

05:31 The importance of self-care; what self-care is and is not.

08:26 Providing learning experiences and training in resilience.

09:45 Emotional intelligence and its role in helping to develop resilience.

11:44 Purposeful training for resilience using a variety of methods including lessons learned, evaluation and assessment, formal instruction, brainstorming, storytelling.

15:13 Use corrective action plans (from an employee review perspective) as opportunities to develop resilience within team members.

16:43 Simulating experiences of stressful project situations.

18:20 Developing contingency plans to enhance team resiliency.

19:32 Studying biographies of historical figures to learn from their resiliency.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome delve into the importance of resilience in project management, particularly in the IT sector. They discuss the concept of resilience, defining it as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, and outline its key characteristics such as adaptability, optimism, and perseverance. The conversation covers how resilience aids in navigating the fast-paced changes and disruptions common in the IT world. They suggest practical strategies like risk management, team training, and fostering a culture of resilience to help teams better handle uncertainties and enhance overall productivity. The episode emphasizes the need for project managers to act as role models of resilience, supporting their teams in becoming more agile and responsive.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader must be resilient and must teach his or her project team to be resilient in our fast-paced, ever changing world of implementing technical solutions. An overview of the importance of resilience in your role of project leadership includes:

• a working definition of the term, and a description of key characteristics
• the need for resilience in managing projects
• understanding the disruption that technology can bring to an organization
• building a culture of resilience, and fostering resilience within yourself and your teams
• improved productivity and risk management
• balancing resilience with endurance

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Resilient Project Manager

00:37 Defining resilience in project management and characteristics of resilient individuals:

02:05     … ability to adjust behavior in response to changing circumstances

02:17      … persistence, ability to recover

02:46     … ability to prevent negative situations, optimism

03:38     … ability to toward project goals despite setbacks

04:00     … a time to recover form setbacks

04:42 Resilience in IT project management and dealing with change, fast pace, uncertainty.

05:43 Understanding that IT brings disruption requiring a resiliency when ensuring business continuity.

07:42 Resilience brings more productivity to your project teams.

08:55 Building a resilient team through creating a culture of resilience.

09:43 Resilience helps manage risk.

10:23 Traits of resilient project managers and how they are displayed on the project.

16:12 Balancing resilience and endurance; they are not the same, but they can complement each other.

18:10 Practical tips for fostering resilience within yourself and/or within your teams:

16:29     … build it into your team charter as a learnable skill

18:43     … assess, train, validate

19:00     … remind your teams of how they achieved resiliency in the past to continue to learn from for future challenges

19:48 Conclusion and introduction to the next episode on building resilience within your teams.