As a professional in today’s working environment, you are constantly bombarded by things that demand your attention, your action, the very limited moments in your finite life. (wow, heavy).

OK, so there are infinite demands on our time, but finite time. How do we balance those? SWOT analysis?! Of course not!

To help us understand how to effectively prioritize in today’s crazy world, Kate and Kim are joined by James Louttit, author of Leading Impactful teams. We talk about prickly pears, paw-paws, and practical ways to prioritize in today’s demanding world. Spoiler: It’s not SWOT, MoSCoW or the Eisenhower matrix ;-)

About our amazing guest, James Louttit

James Louttit knows what it’s like to have to deliver complex projects under pressure, and what it costs when we get it wrong. In 2016 he ended up in hospital because he was trying to run his projects with effort rather than IMPACT. That story, which forms the introduction to his book “Leading Impactful Teams”, inspired him to figure out how to deliver projects better. He learned everything he could around the subject, from the PMP and Agile worlds that we all know and love, to Design Thinking, Facilitation Techniques, Psychology and Human Nature and everything that might be useful to people delivering projects. His career took off. He became the Head of Project management Competency at a large Bank and then Chief Information Officer of a major PLC in Ireland.

What he learned, and put into practice made a huge difference to the effectiveness and stress levels in his teams. People kept asking him for help, so he found an artist and started drawing cartoons to explain the concepts in more human, memorable and fun ways. He wrote “Leading Impactful Teams” to help anyone who is managing any type of work or project that involves real, imperfect people in real, imperfect organizations.

Now he works with the biggest companies in Ireland to help their teams cut through the noise, and build a toolbox of practical techniques and approaches that reduce stress, improve outcomes and help people face the challenges of project delivery with confidence and positivity.

You can connect with James and check out all his amazing content and the knowledge he shares at the links below:

James’ book Leading Impactful teams:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0DN7GP2XB?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdpv

And on Amazon: https://a.co/d/9rFmDwt

James Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-louttit/

His website: https://www.impactfulpm.com/

The Brilliant Beaver Guidebook - https://a.co/d/hM4gfz7

The Brilliant Beaver Audiobook (😊) - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Brilliant-Beaver-Guidebook-Audiobook/B0DKZ7G93J?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

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AUDIO 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/

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In this episode, Kat and Kim talk to Erik Rueter about design thinking in our projects.

What’s design thinking, you may be thinking? Design thinking is a methodology that focuses on the end users of a system when we are problem solving. Erik will share 5 different design thinking methods for understanding user needs in a way that not only helps your project provide better deliverables but can also help build a better project team.

About our amazing guest, Erik Rueter

Erik K. Rueter, PMP, PMI-ACP, has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries, including tech startups, academia, healthcare, and entertainment. Currently, he serves as a senior project manager at the American Marketing Association and has held multiple senior staff positions at various organizations. Erik holds a BA in neuroscience from Wesleyan University, with further education in digital design, Irish studies, and MicroMasters in Design Thinking and Project Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also certified in diversity and inclusion by Cornell.

Erik's contributions to the field include co-authoring papers on health inequity, lecturing at Boston and Emerson Colleges, and advocating for diversity and inclusion with organizations like Medtronic, VSP, and the San Antonio Spurs. He has spoken, in person and virtually, at PMI Greece, PMI Michiana, and PMI Western Michigan, among others. He has appeared on podcasts such as “Confessions of a Higher Education CMO”; and “I Wanna Work There!” and contributed to “The Evolution of the PMO”, a key resource for project managers. He founded Human-Centered Success LLC to promote inclusive leadership which is National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce certified as an LGBTQIA+-owned business.

Residing outside Pittsburgh with his husband and two dachshunds, Erik enjoys marathons, gaming, and sharing his insights. Contact: erik@humancenteredsuccess.com.

To learn more about the amazing things Erik is up to:

Check out his website at: www.humancenteredsuccess.com

Learn about solution delivery: Mastering Solution Delivery

Erik’s Upcoming Speaking Engagement:

PMI Global Summit 2024

Rock Lobster Leadership: Lessons from The B-52s

Resilience and Relatability: A New Paradigm for Project Leadership (With Jake McGaffin and Olivia Montgomery)

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STUMP THE PM’S!

We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com or on Linkedin and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.