113 - Top Shelf Replay: Stage direction in the boardroom
Project Management Happy Hour
What happens when you drop a senior project manager into a room full of attorneys, tribal leaders, political operators, and massive personalities? In this Top Shelf Replay, Kate & Kim revisit one of the most beloved—and re-listened—episodes in PM Happy Hour history: “Stage Direction in the Boardroom” featuring master facilitator Sheila Morago. If you’ve ever wondered how elite leaders steer complicated, high-stakes conversations without losing their cool (or losing six months of work with one careless comment), this episode is your new playbook. Sheila shares the tools, tactics,...
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112 - Burnout: when a 500k job isn't worth it, with Norlander Wilson
Project Management Happy Hour
Kate didn’t plan to measure their burnout by the number of bags of pink-and-purple Mother’s animal cookies consumed at their desk…but here we are. Kim’s clue was a rotating cycle of stomach aches and “maybe these aren’t panic attacks but the room is definitely spinning.” And our guest, Norlander Wilson, talks about showing up to work without showering or brushing her teeth for days because she literally couldn’t. This one is about burnout at work — not the “I need a weekend off” kind, but the kind that rewires your nervous system and convinces you you’re the problem....
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111 - Top Shelf Replay: How do you start a hard conversation?
Project Management Happy Hour
Ever freeze up in a tough project conversation? Or worse—blow it up? In this episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kim and Kate revisit their all-time favorite: Crucial Conversations by the team at VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning). This book completely changed how they lead, negotiate, and manage conflict. Learn how to spot when a conversation turns “crucial,” stay in dialogue instead of defensiveness, and use “don’t-do statements” and “start with heart” to navigate conflict like a pro. We’re not sponsored—just obsessed. If you lead projects or people, this book will...
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110 - Are you defining project success wrong? Most PM’s do! With PMI’s Dave Garrett
Project Management Happy Hour
Are you defining project success the wrong way? Most project managers are — at least according to PMI’s Dave Garrett. Project Management Happy Hour hosts Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson sit down with Dave — Senior Advisor at the Project Management Institute (PMI) and co-founder of ProjectManagement.com — for a frank and real conversation about PMI’s new definition of project success to talk about how realistic it is, and what it means for the future of our profession. For decades, project success was judged by the “iron triangle” — scope, schedule, and budget. But PMI has...
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109 - Top Shelf Replay: The Wolf - how to take over broken projects
Project Management Happy Hour
Ever been dropped into a troubled project that’s already gone off the rails? Welcome to life as “The Wolf.” Inspired by the fixer from Pulp Fiction, Kim and Kate revisit one of our most popular episodes—now a PMI Global talk! —and break down how to step in, take charge, and rescue a broken project without losing your cool. Kim shares his new 3-part formula for project recovery: People first – You aren’t just fixing a plan, you’re fixing an organization. Calm – Calm is contagious, and you can only control yourself. Clarity & Courage – Seek out misalignment, bring...
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108 - Why Risk Management? Future You Will Thank You
Project Management Happy Hour
Why bother with risk management when you can just deal with problems as they happen? In this episode, Kim and Kate dig into the heart of that question—and the answer might just save your future self a world of pain. You’ll hear: Hard-hitting stats: 1 in 6 projects go 200% over budget (Harvard Business Review), 17% of major IT projects threaten company survival (McKinsey), and why 69% of projects don’t succeed. Firefighting vs. fire prevention: why controlled burns (boring, thankless prep) prevent disasters while the “heroes” just put out fires. ROI of risk management: the...
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107 - Top Shelf Replay: The Closer - Avoiding Project Acceptance Exception
Project Management Happy Hour
Please. Let it end. PLEASE! A defining characteristic of a project is that it ends. Finally. Just finish it, right? If it were only that easy! In another Top Shelf Replay, Kate and Kim revisit one of their classic past episodes, “The Closer.” We play highlights from the original Closer episode as they talk about how to build up to a crisp conclusion to your project, making it a win for everyone. Then, Kate and Kim talk through their revised perspectives and learnings since the original airing of the Closer - and some of their hard learned lessons since then! JOIN THE...
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106 - Finish Strong: Why the End of Your Project Matters Most
Project Management Happy Hour
Projects aren’t remembered for how they started—they’re remembered for how they ended. In this PM Happy Hour episode, Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson unpack why finishing strong is critical to your reputation and your project’s legacy. Drawing on real project stories, they explore the axiom that people will remember your project the way it ended—and two key corollaries every project manager needs to know: Corollary 1: People naturally forget past wins and focus on the most recent problems. Corollary 2: People will redefine success to fit the outcome—if it gives them a win. ...
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105 - Top Shelf Replay: How to Deal with Stupid Executive Asks
Project Management Happy Hour
Ah, executives. They fund your project, cheer you on, and sometimes… ask for things that make you want to slam your head into your Gantt chart. Like: “The project’s almost done—let’s change everything!” “I read about [X] in CIO Magazine—can we bolt that on?” “Why are we doing it this way? Let’s redo it completely differently… and badly.” In this Top Shelf Replay, we revisit the best parts of this classic episode, then Kate & Kim reflect on what they’ve learned since—especially now that they're the execs making the asks (hopefully less stupidly). Oh,...
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104 - The one meeting that will make or break your project
Project Management Happy Hour
“Well begun is half done” — Aristotle (or Mary Poppins, depending who you ask) The beginning of a project is a time when all stakeholders THINK they know what they want, and maybe the team thinks they know what they are supposed to do. Or maybe they are just wondering, “what the heck is this new madness that I’m getting drug into?!” Regardless, it’s a near certainty that your team, your stakeholders and your sponsors - someone is NOT on the same page. And if you launch your project with that misalignment, you are lighting the fuse on project troubles. Enter the...
info_outlineAUDIO QUALITY NOTICE! Apologies, we have a little static on one of the mics during our recording - sorry for the occasional audio issue.
As a project manager, an organizational structure that will have a big impact on your life is the PMO. But if you aren’t used to working with a PMO, what should you expect? Are they going to make your life and projects easier, or crush you with red tape? If you are interviewing for a job where they have a PMO, what questions should you ask to get a better understanding of how they work? And, what should you expect from a PMO - and what are they expecting from you?
With all these questions, we thought we should reach out to a couple of the most well known minds in PMO: Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden. Their UK based “House of PMO” organization does some great things in the PMO space (plus they are a lot of fun!) so we feel very fortunate that Linsay and Eileen agreed to join us and help us understand a bit more about whether PMO’s are our friends or foes.
About our amazing guests, Lindsay Scott and Eileen Roden
Lindsay has worked in and around project management and PMO for over 20 years and is a Director at PMO Learning, a training company focused on PMO. She is Co-Founder of the House of PMO, a professional membership organisation for PMO practitioners.
Lindsay is the co-author of the PMO Competency Framework and editor of the Handbook of People in Project Management. She speaks regularly on project management and PMO career topics – and provides 1-2-1 coaching for those looking to advance their careers in PMO.
Eileen has 15 years practitioner experience in a variety of project management roles (predominantly PMO management) along with IT and functional HR roles, with a variety of UK, EMEA and global responsibilities.
Her practical experience is supported by both academic and professional certifications including a Masters in Applied Project Management (with distinction), AIPMO-E, PRINCE2®, MSP®, MoP®, Managing Benefits®, Better Business Cases®, Programme and Project Sponsorship®. She is now a Consulting Director of PMO Learning and co-founder of the House of PMO.
She is the author of P3O® Best Management Practice and lead author of the PMO Competency Framework, co-author of Knowledge Management in a Project Environment, along with contribution to many APM publications. She is a frequent conference speaker throughout UK and Europe.
You can learn more about all the amazing things that Lindsay and Eileen are doing around PMO and even join their great community at https://houseofpmo.com/
JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!
Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership