Summary In this episode, Andy interviews Laura Mae Martin, Google's productivity expert and author of the book Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing. They discuss the concept of productivity and how it is often misunderstood. Laura shares her perspective on productivity, emphasizing the importance of intention and execution. She introduces the five C's of productivity and explains the concept of the list funnel. They also discuss the challenges of procrastination and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say no. Throughout the conversation, Laura provi ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy Kaufman interviews Ryan Hawk, host of the Learning Leader podcast and author of the book The Score That Matters: Growing Excellence in Yourself and Those You Lead. They discuss the importance of valuing excellence and pursuing personal growth, as well as the dangers of comparing oneself to others and keeping score based on external metrics. They also explore the role of self-awareness and fear in leadership, and the importance of surrounding oneself with people who provide honest feedback. The conversation highlights the need for leaders to lead themselves first a ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy talks with K. Scott Griffith about his new book, The Leader's Guide to Managing Risk. The book explores the importance of building resilience and reliability in projects, teams, and life. The conversation delves into the social and technical aspects of producing results, the need for human-resilient systems, and the impact of at-risk choices and cutting corners. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing risks, as well as creating a culture of safety and employee engagement. In this conversation, Scott discusses the importance of managing risk ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy welcomes Paul Falcone to discuss his book The First-Time Manager: Leading Through Crisis. The conversation dives into common challenges faced by managers such as performance conversations, dealing with dysfunctional teams or bosses, and navigating situations like having to fire an employee or dealing with a younger (or older) manager scenario. Whether you're a new manager or been around for a while, there's insight in this episode for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:38 Start of Interview 03:02 Dealing with Performance Issues 10:10 Terminating Employment 13:54 ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy Kaufman interviews Gil Broza about his new book, Deliver Better Results: How to Unlock Your Organization's Potential. They discuss the importance of systems thinking in value delivery and the six aspects of system fitness. Gil shares practical strategies for improving value delivery and emphasizes the significance of mindset over tactics. He also provides examples of successful transformations and offers resources available on the book's website. Takeaways Value delivery should be viewed as a system, not a collection of practices. Systems thinking helps identify ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy interviews author Anne Morris about key concepts from her book Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems. She emphasizes the importance of building trust and moving fast in change initiatives. Morris introduces the FIX Map, which illustrates the relationship between trust and speed. She also explores the significance of inclusion and the power of storytelling in driving successful change. Additionally, Morris addresses common misconceptions about speed and shares insights on applying Agile principles to change management. Chapte ..read more

Summary In this episode, Andy Kaufman interviews Kayla McGuire, a seasoned project manager and coach who runs a boot camp to help people learn and prepare for becoming a freelancer. They discuss Kayla's journey to project management and freelancing, lessons in leading projects, practical tips for running projects, reasons for pursuing freelancing, common mistakes in freelancing, and the importance of mentors. Kayla also shares insights on using LinkedIn effectively and the value of continual learning and personal development. The episode concludes with information about Kayla's freelancer boot ..read more

Summary In this in-depth discussion, Andy is joined by Eduardo Briceño, author of The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset Into Action, to delve into the concepts of a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. The conversation covers how these mindsets are not as binary or mutually exclusive as we may think, but rather can be found within us at different times and in different contexts. The theme of maintaining a balance between having a growth mindset, which holds the belief in the potential for change and improvement, and knowing when to lean into a fixed mindset, is explored. Edua ..read more

Summary In this conversation, Andy Kaufman interviews Micah Solomon, author of the book Can Your Customer Service Do This? Create an Anticipatory Customer Experience that Builds Loyalty Forever. They discuss the importance of customer service and how it applies to project managers and leaders, not just people in hospitality or retail. They explore examples of good and bad customer service experiences, debunk myths about customer service, and provide strategies for improving customer service. They also discuss the concept of gold touch customer service and how it can be applied to internal cust ..read more

Project Manager Burnout There is so much focus these days on getting more done with less. Delivering faster. Increasing efficiency. Being excellent at work while rocking it all well at home too, right? And though I’m all for staying focused and productive, here’s something I’ve observed. One consequence of trying to stay hyper-productive and being everything you can possibly be--or feel like you should be--can be increased stress. Less downtime. More hours. More caffeine. Less sleep. And all of that can lead to burnout. So what can we do about that? Today I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Ne ..read more