Project Managers' Coffee Chat with Tim & Merv

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they dive into crucial traits of successful project managers: adaptability and flexibility. Merv shares a personal experience involving a project impacted by the Affordable Care Act. The team had to adapt and remain flexible to deliver a better product despite the legislative changes. Tim discusses his own career shift from corporate to entrepreneurial life, emphasizing the importance of adaptability. The conversation also explores dealing with clients' changing requirements and managing diverse teams with different work habits. The episode underscores the necessity of being adaptable and flexible in ever-evolving project and career landscapes.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today's story lessons help your understanding of the importance of developing a strong sense of adaptability and flexibility in handling change that inevitably affects your project execution:

• being adaptable when a major change affects your project from an external source
• adapting to job change, whether reactively or proactively
• handling changes in client expectations
• being adaptable to taking advantage of opportunities (not just threats)
• the cost of not adapting to technology changes
• adapting to cultural differences on a project

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – On Being Adaptable and Flexible

00:27 Merv begins right off with telling of an experience requiring both adaptability and flexibility when federal legislation changed the rules for a system he and his team were overseeing. The change occurred in the middle of the project after much of the work was completed. The system integrator, the stakeholder, and his team had to be both adaptable and flexible in their approach to the change to salvage as much completed product as possible while the new requirements were defined.

04:08 Tim tells of a personal experience where he was required to transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurial life, and how he learned to adapt to a new way of earning a living.

06:05 Merv recounts his own situation moving from corporate to entrepreneurial life, and how his learning adaptability and flexibility prepared him proactively to make the move.

09:31 Merv adds a story of how, despite close work with his customer on a project, when it was near time to implement the system, his client had different expectations. Solving that challenge involved both adaptability and flexibility.

11:55 Tim worked with a community development organization to secure funding for a sustainability project, and learned a lesson in expanding his horizons. Change can be an opportunity rather than a threat and we must learn to adapt to those opportunities.

14:20 Merv shares an experience where members of his client organization refused to adapt to new technology and new processes, and the eventual cost of that inflexibility to the organization.

16:26 Tim adds his own experiences where institutional knowledge was lost as staff did not adapt to change.

18:05 Merv provides an example of flexibility when working with cultural differences in staff work preferences, in this case the various generations on his project.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they delve into strategies to enhance project delivery by focusing on adaptability and flexibility. This episode covers tips on breaking down tasks, staying updated with industry trends, building a community of experts, cultivating a growth mindset, and employing critical thinking. The discussion also highlights the importance of emotional intelligence, maintaining a positive attitude, and the role of mentorship in fostering adaptability. Listeners are encouraged to implement these techniques to improve their project management skills and outcomes.

Main Take-Aways

Tips, tools, and techniques for enhancing your ability to adapt and flex with changes that challenge your project execution:

1) break activities into more doable tasks

2) stay abreast of industry trends and changing technology

3) build a community of experts

4) cultivate a growth mindset

5) remind team of past achievements and help build their confidence

6) enhance adaptability and flexibility to improve critical thinking and problem-solving

7) remain calm under pressure

8) perform acts of kindness

9) use time management principles

10) develop your coping mechanisms

11) have an attitude and mindset of developing a balanced life

12) be a mentor

13) develop stronger emotional intelligence skills

14) practice adaptability and flexibility with scenarios planning and role playing

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Applying the Skills of Adaptability and Flexibility

00:27 Introducing tips, tools, and techniques for exploring and applying adaptability and flexibility as you lead your projects.

00:59 Tim begins by suggesting that you break large project activities into more achievable tasks for more flexibility in completing project work.

01:58 Merv reminds you that change is inevitable, and that staying abreast of industry trends will prepare you to be adaptable to whatever change occurs.

02:45 Tim has built a community of experts helps you stay abreast of industry trends and technological changes.

03:29 Merv suggests that cultivating a growth mindset to learn from setbacks and seek to be adaptable will improve your knowledge and skills needed for career advancement. This includes leaving your comfort zone and being flexible in your willingness to take on new risks.

05:20 Tim offers two quick tips: reminding your team of past accomplishments and lessons learned, and building their confidence in being flexible and adaptable as they engage on the project.

06:18 Merv states that developing your adaptability and flexibility enhances your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

08:18 Merv then recommends that you remain calm under pressure to enhance your ability to apply better flexibility and adaptability in solving project challenges.

08:49 Tim has observed that you can strengthen your adaptability and flexibility skills through acts of kindness and acknowledging the humanness of those around you.

09:52 Merv's use of effective time management principles has given him more flexibility in his scheduling and in making room for those unexpected changes that must be dealt with.

12:32 Merv adds to his earlier assertion of staying calm under pressure by recommending that you develop your coping mechanisms to be able to take advantage of situations requiring adaptability and flexibility.

14:35 Tim and Merv both agree that the attitude of a balanced life – rather than attempting to adhere to a work-life balance is more attainable, and provides the flexibility you need to adjust to the variances of project life. It's attitude and mindset.

16:54 Tim uses an example from his own mentor to lead your team to better decisions through mentorship, teaching them to be adaptable in their ability to handle change.

18:03 Merv recalls how emotional intelligence leads to more adaptability and flexibility as we improve our self-awareness and empathy towards our team members, and are able to flex and adapt to the situation.

19:08 Merv then offers the use of scenario planning and role playing to continue to develop your flexibility and adaptability in given project situations.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome delve into the importance of flexibility in project management, distinguishing it from adaptability by defining flexibility as the ability to bend without breaking. They discuss the significance of embracing ambiguity, gaining consensus, and fostering curiosity among teams. The conversation highlights how flexible project managers can enhance empathy, decisiveness, and composure while adapting to evolving business requirements and technological changes. The episode emphasizes modular planning, transparent communication, and cross-training as effective strategies for managing flexible teams and meeting stakeholder expectations.

Main Take-Aways

Flexibility is a key trait that the project leader must develop for continuous improvement and ongoing success:

• a working definition of flexibility
• benefits of flexibility in ambiguity and uncertainty
• flexibility and its role in helping you make better decisions
• the benefits of a flexibility mindset to enhance the human factors of project management
• the role of flexibility in helping you to keep pace with the rapid changes in technology and business
• the role of flexibility in helping you to manage stakeholders' requirements
• strategies for flexible approaches to managing project teams

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Flexibility, an Indispensable Tool for the Project Leader

00:29 00:27 Introducing today's podcast topic focusing on flexibility in project leadership and defining the term flexibility for context for this episode.

01:47 The importance of flexibility in dealing with ambiguous situations; a flexibility that allows us to be comfortable with ambiguity, to work with and build consensus, to allow your curiosity to guide you to good decisions.

03:20 An ability to be flexible reduces the burden of having to be the person who knows all, while still leading the team to making a good decision.

05:02 Developing a mindset of flexibility leads naturally to being more empathetic, understanding, decisive, calm, composed – those human factors that makes us better project leaders.

06:47 Flexibility gives you the ability to remain confident, even in those situations of ambiguity or uncertainty.

07:51 For you as a project leader, the ability to develop a strong flexible approach to managing projects is critical in these times of rapid technological and business change.

09:55 In today's complex world of delivering IT projects, stakeholders are involved throughout the project; the project manager must maintain a strong sense of flexibility to both bend with the stakeholders' requests and guide them to optimal solutions.

10:37 At the same time, an incorrect view of flexibility can be a weakness. You must learn to balance flexibility and firmness.

14:03 Applying flexibility to project planning.

16:16 Taking advantage of the human behavior of liking some difference and uncertainty and applying a flexible approach to those situations.

17:09 Strategies for flexible approaches to team management that include encouraging the development of flexibility within team members and stakeholders and cross-training for greater understanding of roles and responsibilities.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the critical trait of adaptability in project management. They discuss how being adaptable enhances problem-solving capabilities, fosters creativity, and helps teams navigate changing environments. Additional insights cover how adaptability brings innovation, better collaboration, and increased job satisfaction within the team. The discussion also touches on the importance of breaking work into smaller tasks for continuous rewards and improvement. Tune in to learn key strategies to improve your project's delivery and foster an adaptable and resilient team.

Main Take-Aways

Adaptability is a key trait that the project leader must develop for continuous improvement and ongoing success:

• a working definition of adaptability
• benefits of adaptability for team performance
• embracing change and changing your behavior to respond
• developing a mindset of embracing change
• mini rewards as you adapt to change
• adaptability leading to greater innovation, creativity, and performance improvement
• mentorship to foster adaptability
• practicing adaptability
• looking for positive change and adapting to the opportunities presented

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Adaptability, an Indispensable Tool for the Project Leader

00:27 Introducing today's podcast topic focusing on adaptability in project leadership and defining the term adaptability for context for this episode.

01:27 Benefits of adaptability in helping project teams perform:

01:47 … improved problem-solving capabilities, continuous improvement

02:15 … thinking beyond the status quo

03:45 … stronger sense of collaboration and improved communication

04:19 … taking advantage of your hard wiring in your brain to increase satisfaction

05:52 … a feeling of autonomy, ownership of your work, empowerment

08:09 Embracing change and continuous improvement by looking to change your behavior in circumstances.

09:57 Developing a mindset of embracing and welcoming change to improve your performance.

11:14 Giving yourself mini rewards along the path of adapting to change.

12:44 Adaptability leads to greater innovation and creativity, and to improvement of current task work.

14:53 Being mentors to our teams and stakeholders for increased adaptability across the entire project.

16:05 Practice being adaptable for greater confidence and better decision making.

17:12 Being adaptable requires that you are also tuned to changes that offer opportunities; change is not always negative for the project.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the importance of adaptability and flexibility for project managers, particularly in IT project management. They define and differentiate between the two concepts, providing practical examples and insights on how these traits help manage changes and challenges in projects. The conversation touches on the interplay between adaptability and flexibility, their impact on team dynamics, and the role of project culture in supporting these qualities. The discussion concludes with the importance of continuous learning and the willingness to adapt for successful project delivery.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader must be adaptable and flexible as you lead your teams and interact with your stakeholders. An overview of the importance of adaptability and flexibility in your role of project leadership:

• a working definition of the terms
• practical examples of flexibility and adaptability to further clarify the terms
• handling changes that affect your projects
• being the example of adaptability and flexibility on your projects
• staying abreast of the fast pace of technical change

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Pivot and Prosper – Mastering Adaptability and Flexibility

01:02 Introducing this week's podcast topic dealing with adaptability and flexibility. Defining adaptability and flexibility, and their interaction:

• adaptability – adjusting to new conditions
• flexibility – bending without breaking

04:35 Practical examples of flexibility to more completely define the concept.

06:02 The nuanced difference between adaptability and flexibility and an example of how the two can work together.

07:19 How to handle changes that affect the project from within and from external influences – more than being adaptable and flexible – by applying your other leadership skills of communication, transparency, change management processes, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-control, etc.

09:13 While applying your leadership skills, you must rely on your foundational technical skills and processes.

12:25 The connection between flexibility and human behavior. Learning to expand your ability to be flexible as you mature in your project management skills.

13:53 Your responsibility as project managers to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, and to create an environment where your teams can excel.

16:05 The role of the project manager in developing a culture of adaptability and flexibility within the team, of showing a quiet confidence to your teams and your stakeholders.

17:58 As project managers, it is incumbent on you to stay abreast of the fast pace of change in our industry.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the critical role of emotional intelligence in project management by sharing personal anecdotes and insights on developing social skills, empathy, and motivation within project teams. Hear stories from their careers and learn practical strategies to enhance team cohesion and project outcomes. This engaging discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing emotions to achieve exceptional project delivery. Don't miss tips on how humor, empathy, and shared experiences can transform your approach to project management.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today's story lessons help your understanding of the importance of motivation, empathy, and social skills both in your personal and professional lives:

• the importance of social skills in team settings to not let the team down
• the power of a sense of humor
• the importance of empathy in client situations
• the importance of picking up on clues from those around us
• the need to understand where frustration is coming from and how to handle those situations
• the benefit of putting technical team members into their end-users' work sites
• the goodwill achieved from spending time over a meal

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches of Emotional Intelligence – Learning Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills

00:29 Introducing the topic of storytelling from the experiences of your hosts as they recount various situations that affected their understanding of the need to develop emotional intelligence.

00:52 Tim begins with a story of how he came to truly understand the importance and power of social skills when he was an undergrad in college. He realized how his connection with his peers motivated him to do well in order to not let them down.

02:29 Merv had a very similar experience with his study group in grad school as the only study group of many to stay intact throughout the entire length of attaining their degrees. He attributes this success to the empathy and social skills they developed within their group.

04:31 Merv tells of how he understood, as early as the tenth grade, the power of having a sense of humor. He credits his sense of humor for enhancing his social skills and ability to create environments that foster motivation.

06:59 Tim remembers a client situation that brought home to him the importance of empathy in action, especially when working with customers.

09:34 Merv suggests that you don't ignore sources that give you clues as to how you are coming across in areas of empathy or social skills. He illustrates with an example of his younger daughter as a teenager admonishing him with her tone of voice.

10:39 Tim recounts the time when he left project work to teach project management to new project leads. From the perspective of general emotional intelligence insights, he learned that much of the pushback he received as a teacher was a deflection from his students' on-the-job frustrations. It taught him new perspectives on how to deal with people.

13:33 Merv provides an example of taking his project teams into the end-users' work sites to give them a better understanding of how the system they were building would change the way the users would work in the future. It provided much needed empathy and new motivation for building the best system possible.

15:18 Tim uses team gatherings over meals as a way of creating a motivational environment for better team building. This has worked for him even in virtual team settings with many time zones separating individuals.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the importance of emotional intelligence in project management, focusing on motivation, empathy, and social skills. They share practical tips, techniques, and personal stories to help managers improve their team interactions and project outcomes. Key strategies include leading by example, developing a sense of responsibility, using rewards, practicing self-reflection, active listening, and fostering team commonalities. Recommendations also include studying Dan Goleman's book, 'Working with Emotional Intelligence', and considering emotional intelligence certifications.

Main Take-Aways

Tips, tools, and techniques that project leaders can utilize to help them become more adept at motivation, empathy, and social skills:

1) understand human behavior and develop trust with team members

2) lead by example

3) develop a sense of responsibility

4) give yourself mini rewards as you complete tasks

5) learn to ask questions

6) use the acronym T.H.I.N.K. whenever formulating a response

7) find commonalities among the team members

8) put yourself in the other person's situation

9) provide a meaningful distraction to help a team member who is frustrated

10) learn to "navel gaze" or self-reflect

11) be an active listener

12) practice social skills

13) study the book by Daniel Goleman, 'Working With Emotional Intelligence'

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Strengthen Motivation, Empathy, Social Awareness

00:28 Introducing tips, tools, and techniques for the externally focused emotional intelligence traits of motivation, empathy, and social skills.

01:02 Tim begins with a story from his youth that taught him how understanding human behavior, and developing trust with your team members, helps influence and motivate the team to perform well together.

03:17 Merv adds onto Tim's thoughts the power of leading by example in displaying empathy, in using your social skills, in establishing an environment for motivation.

04:03 Merv continues by encouraging you to develop a sense of responsibility within yourself to help motivate you to fully contribute to the group effort so as not to let the others down.

05:44 Merv provides another tip, that of giving yourself mini rewards as you work on longer tasks to continue to motivate yourself.

07:28 Tim offers that developing the ability to ask good questions helps to develop social skills and helps show empathy.

09:36 Merv provides the acronym T.H.I.N.K. as a technique for reminding yourself how to respond to another person in any social or work situation.

11:23 Tim talks about finding commonalities within the team to help bring them together as a collaboratively working group.

12:41 Merv adds that putting yourself into the other person's situation is critical to empathy and understanding as you deal with that person.

13:36 Tim has a variation of Merv's tip in that he observes when an individual is frustrated or overwhelmed and offers to take them for a walk or some other distraction to get them away from the situation for a brief time to help them recalibrate.

14:28 Merv recalls a tip he shared on an earlier podcast – that of navel gazing or self-reflection, and how he uses it to understand his own reactions or how he came across in situations. He uses both self-reflection and bouncing the situation off his mentor.

17:03 Tim likes to use active listening to validate the other person's feelings and provide a deeper level of empathy.

18:10 Merv speaks about practicing social interactions to prepare yourself for situations where social skills really count.

19:30 Merv adds one of his favorite emotional intelligence tools by recommending a book by Daniel Goleman, 'Working With Emotional Intelligence'>.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the importance of social skills as a key component of emotional intelligence in project management. They explore how these skills help build trust, foster relationships, and create a happier work environment. The conversation highlights practices to develop social skills, the impact of strong relationships on teamwork, and the challenges IT professionals face in this area. Their discussion incorporates historical context, personal experiences, and actionable advice for improving project delivery by focusing on the human aspects of project management.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader will be more successful in his or her endeavors by continued improvement in emotional intelligence. Social skills are critical in developing strong relationships and creating a pleasant working environment for team success:

• the importance of social skills in fostering relationships
• emotional intelligence components – like social skills – are as important as technical qualifications and process skills for the project manager and team members
• benefits of developing strong social skills
• challenges of developing social skills
• practice social skills and seek mentorship in this area

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Emotionally Agile Project Manager – The Importance of Social Skills

00:29 Introducing a third component of emotional intelligence, the importance of developing social skills.

00:45 A working definition of social skills to guide today's discussion.

01:26 The importance of social skills to foster relationships to get work done.

02:36 Emotional intelligence should be taught alongside the more technical aspects of our technical education.

03:28 Social skills as critical components of fostering personal and professional relationships.

04:04 The benefits of developing social skills:

04:18 … building trust and deeper connection,

05:18 … developing pleasant, inviting work environments,

07:21 … building consensus and facing obstacles,

09:14 … covering for each other.

10:21 Social skills include the ability to verbally (and non-verbally) relate to one another, showing empathy and care for the other person.

11:33 The challenges of developing and exhibiting social skills as IT professionals:

11:46 … setting aside personal opinions and perceptions (biases),

12:13 … lacking in self-awareness,

12:43 … acting for a selfish purpose,

13:14 … tying one's identity to their credentials,

14:36 … one's upbringing,

15:55 … fear of failure, fear of criticism.

16:44 Practical ideas on how to develop social skills: practice those you are lacking, and

18:11 … seek mentorship.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they explore emotional intelligence, the importance of active listening, and building strong team and client relationships. They discuss Dale Carnegie's timeless principles on interpersonal skills and address challenges such as technology overload and emotional exhaustion. Featuring practical strategies and real-life examples, this episode is a comprehensive guide to enhancing project management through better human interactions.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader will be more successful in his or her endeavors by continued improvement in emotional intelligence. Empathy goes a long way in establishing deeper connections within the project team for greater productivity:

• acting on excellent advice from Dale Carnegie from almost 100 years ago
• active listening
• putting yourself in the other person's situation
• effective communication
• challenges to being able to develop empathy as part of your emotional intelligence arsenal
• technology overload
• emotional exhaustion

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Emotionally Agile Project Manager – The Importance of Empathy

00:27 Exploring empathy in project management – defining empathy, and dispelling the myth that IT professionals are not empathetic.

03:08 Referencing Dale Carnegie's advice on how to influence others, by addressing each person with whom you interact with empathy.

04:10 Individuals addressed with empathy are more motivated to work more diligently, develop deeper connections, communicate more effectively, listen actively, and cooperate and collaborate with the team.

05:12 The importance of active listening.

06:25 Putting yourself into the other person's situation to build stronger relationships on the project.

07:11 The importance of effective communication.

09:00 Another benefit of exhibiting empathy in your interactions with others – accelerated personal development.

10:25 Challenges in developing empathy: natural tendency to come across as uncaring, biases, perceptions, technology overload, and emotional exhaustion.

12:27 Going deeper into technology overload and its negative effect on our ability to exhibit empathy.

17:40 Going deeper into emotional exhaustion and its negative effect on our ability to exhibit empathy.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they explore the critical role of emotional intelligence in project management. This episode delves into the concept of motivation, examining both self-motivation and the ability to create an environment where team members can motivate themselves. The discussion includes definitions, benefits, and practical tips for boosting both personal and team performance. Tune in for an insightful conversation that promises to enhance your project management skills and improve your project outcomes.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader will be more successful in his or her endeavors by continued improvement in emotional intelligence. Motivation – both self-motivation and creating an environment for team members to motivate themselves – is an essential element of developing emotional intelligence:

• self-motivation and motivation of team
• positive results of being self-motivated
• benefits of motivation
• self-learning and motivation
• challenges to developing and sustaining motivation
• practical ideas to building motivation

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Emotionally Agile Project Manager – The Importance of Motivation

00:29 Introducing the topic of Emotional Intelligence, week 2, with a focus on the external practice of applying emotional intelligence to our relationships through motivation.

03:11 Kicking off this week's podcasts with a focus on the emotional intelligence component of motivation.

03:43 A look at self-motivation and establishing an environment for your team members to motivate themselves.

04:11 A working definition of what motivation means for yourself and the driving force behind what motivates you.

06:54 The positive results of a healthy sense of being self-motivated: improved productivity, self-esteem, confidence, resilience, adaptability, creativity, relationships, communication, sense of fulfillment.

09:50 The benefits of motivation include job satisfaction, sense of control, significance, better time management, responsibility, accountability, improved quality, meeting your needs.

13:58 The importance of self-learning as an outcome of a strong sense of motivation.

15:06 Some challenges in developing and maintaining motivation within self and the team: loss of a previously established motivator, lack of clear goals, fear of failure, making mistakes, long work hours.

18:28 Some ideas on developing and sustaining motivation to include focusing on the purpose behind your efforts and celebrating milestones along the way.