The Project Management Podcast

This episode flips the script on traditional project management education by using memes to deliver real, applicable insights. Cornelius Fichtner selects seven past podcast interviews and distills their core lessons into memorable memes. Each meme acts as a springboard into deeper project truths, making this a visually rich episode that’s equal parts fun and functional. Topics span remote leadership, stakeholder communication, power skills, data literacy, and more. This creative format makes complex ideas stick and gives project managers simple reminders they can laugh at and learn from.

Project teams often finish on time and on budget only to face silent rejection from users. Change-management practitioner Mario González joins Cornelius Fichtner to map out the “adoption gap” and how to close it. Mario manages public-sector projects and brings fifteen years of leading agile transformations. He explains practical ways to detect early signs of low adoption, measure real usage with crisp KPIs, and listen for informal feedback that exposes hidden concerns. Listeners learn why classifying stakeholders as supporters, neutrals, or resistors creates clarity and how to move each group toward active buy-in.

For many project managers, the urge to command every meeting and own every milestone feels natural. But veteran program manager Anisha Manvatkar proves that the most effective leaders often work in silence. In this conversation with Cornelius Fichtner she shares how “invisible leadership” unites purpose, communication, and AI-powered efficiency to deliver high-performing projects at Nvidia and beyond. Listeners hear why stepping out of the spotlight lets teams step up, how a clear “why” keeps momentum when priorities shift, and where AI can shoulder the busywork so people focus on innovation.

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Genocide survivor, educator, and leadership consultant Dr. Emad Rahim joins host Cornelius Fichtner to share the S.A.L.T. model—Survive, Adaptation, Love, Transformation—a framework he forged while rebuilding his life from the Khmer Rouge killing fields to the executive boardroom. Rahim explains why acknowledging a “survival state” is the first step toward meaningful change and how project managers can move beyond firefighting into strategic growth by embracing adaptation through value-based decisions. He highlights the critical role of supportive networks (“love”) in sustaining momentum and shows how transformation becomes attainable when leaders combine clear goals with short- and long-term wins.

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Project managers know that clear schedules and smart strategies cannot guarantee success. Jackie Barretta, award-winning CIO and author of Primal Teams, shows how emotion sits at the heart of team performance and why leaders who understand this outpace those who ignore it. Drawing on twenty-five years in Fortune 500 IT leadership and consulting, Jackie explains how authentic emotional awareness activates sharper thinking, faster creativity, and stronger collaboration, turning ordinary groups into high-performance engines.

Constant change, evolving stakeholder needs, and dispersed teams can twist even the best-planned projects into knots. Leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry (Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group and author of Flexible Leadership) joins Cornelius Fichtner to unpack a practical roadmap for staying effective when everything around you shifts. Drawing on three decades of coaching leaders in more than 50 countries, Kevin explains why rigid command-and-control approaches snap under real-world pressure, how “flexors” help you bend without breaking, and where to start if your calendar already looks like a game of Tetris.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has introduced a new validation rule in the Continuing Certification Requirements System (CCRS) self-reporting form that automatically treats any number in the activity title as a PDU claim code. When the rule is triggered, for example by “Episode 525 - The Unofficial Project Manager” or “PMO Symposium 2025,” the form displays an error and blocks submission until the title is edited. This affects all self-reported learning activities whose names contain digits.

Follow these steps to submit your Project Management Podcast PDUs without triggering the error:

Project environments rarely slow down, yet outstanding leaders keep schedules intact, teams motivated, and stakeholders confident even when interruptions pile up. Leadership strategist Robert Heath Sr. joins the show to explain how he transforms shifting priorities into opportunities for greater impact. A former Marine officer and combat-tested communications expert, Robert now advises Fortune 500 firms on building cultures that thrive under pressure. He shares field-tested techniques that help project managers cut through noise, protect focus, and make decisions at speed while maintaining team morale.

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