https://www.pm-podcast.com/534

Earn PDUs for This Episode: Visit https://www.pm-podcast.com/Earn-PDUs to see how many PDUs you can claim for your PMI certification renewal.

Leadership expert Shyam Ramanathan joins Cornelius Fichtner to unpack what great leadership looks like for project managers. Shyam brings over two decades in IT, an extensive leadership blog with 400 plus posts, and two books, “Maximise Potential” and “Maximise Potential 2.” He outlines a clear, three-part foundation for leading well, then connects it to day-to-day project work. You hear how vision sets the direction, how the ability to inspire moves people to act, and how leading by example creates credibility. Shyam ties these principles to project realities like reading the charter, clarifying scope and budget, selecting and positioning the right people, and building a balanced team through honest self-awareness.

• Sports as a leadership laboratory, including preparation habits, how top performers handle losses, and why grace in defeat signals true strength.
• Team leadership in practice, from “brilliant on the basics” to mentoring, using candor with management, and applying “disagree and commit.”
• Competition and winning, setting meaningful benchmarks, celebrating others, and keeping the cause bigger than the individual.
• How leaders slip, where greed overtakes ambition, and practical safeguards like journaling, early escalation, and mentorship.
• Ethics and accountability, financial integrity, respecting laws and culture, and why cross-cultural teams benefit from careful listening and example.
• The one trait Shyam puts at the top of the list, practical optimism, plus simple routines that keep it alive when crises hit.
• Stepping up beyond projects by asking for opportunities, strengthening communication, and, most of all, enjoying helping people succeed.

Throughout, Shyam uses memorable stories and clear language to make leadership actionable. You get direct guidance you can apply on your next project status call, during your next scope debate, or when you must ask for a team change. No tennis racket required.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/533.

Many project managers are trained to manage scope, schedule, and cost. But what happens when the project itself is the business? In this solo episode, Cornelius Fichtner introduces the Project Business Professional (PBP) certification and explains why it fills a major gap in traditional project management education. Drawing on his own recent experience earning the PBP credential, Cornelius walks through what makes project business fundamentally different from internal project delivery and why nearly half of all project managers are already operating in this external, client-facing space—whether they realize it or not.

You’ll hear how external projects introduce legal risk, contract complexity, financial exposure, and reputational stakes that are not typically addressed in PMP, CSM, or PMI-ACP training. Cornelius explains the scope and purpose of the PBP certification, which is designed to support those managing outsourced, client-facing, and cross-corporate projects. He shares his motivation for becoming certified, highlights what he learned, and outlines the value this certification brings to any project manager working at the intersection of business and delivery.

If you’ve ever been the prime contractor, the subcontractor, or customer in a multi-party delivery structure, the PBP equips you with the mindset and practical tools to lead confidently. And yes, it really does help when the client suddenly wants to "talk contract terms" and you know exactly what you're doing.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/532.

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.

Using the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme, we revisit Amire Amirmazaheri's advice on moving from tactical to strategic PMOs. Gene Wilder’s sarcasm helps us remember Rich Maltzman and Jim Stewart’s warning about pointless meetings. Bernie Sanders reminds us through Barbara Kephart’s lens that stakeholder feedback must be consistently pursued. The Distracted Boyfriend helps explain Kory Kogon’s tips for unofficial project managers juggling dual roles. Gru’s evil plan teaches why power skills are hard but essential, thanks to Neal Whitten. Morpheus breaks the myth that remote leadership is just Zoom logistics, highlighting Wayne Turmel’s guidance. Finally, Roll Safe reminds us through Marcus Glowasz that data literacy is the foundational skill before applying AI.

The episode closes with the “This is fine” meme, summarizing everything with the message that humor, used wisely, can be a fast and effective project recovery tool. So if your project is teetering on chaos, this episode might just be the motivational jolt you didn’t know you needed.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/531

Earn PDUs for This Episode: Visit https://www.pm-podcast.com/earn-pdus

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.

Mario outlines simple tactics that keep momentum strong: run quick user readiness surveys, pair training with hands-on workshops, and celebrate early wins that prove value. A lively section breaks down his stakeholder radar approach, which helps teams visualize shifting attitudes throughout the project. Late in the episode, Cornelius shares a two-button meme (“Engage stakeholders early” versus “Avoid awkward conversation until go-live”) and Mario explains why the first button always wins.

The conversation closes with advice on sustaining support after launch. Mario urges project managers to track login trends, refresh training content, and keep feedback channels open so resistance cannot rebuild. The result is a practical checklist listeners can apply on their next change initiative.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/530

Earn PDUs for This Episode: Visit https://www.pm-podcast.com/Earn-PDUs to see how many PDUs you can claim for your PMI certification renewal.

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.

Anisha breaks down six cornerstone skills: defining vision, speaking “Earth language,” validating plans, treating AI as a sidekick, empowering teams through stealth guidance, and nurturing a change-ready mindset. She offers concrete tactics such as mapping project objectives to a single executive OKR, opening meetings with questions instead of directives, running pre-mortems to surface hidden risks, and using large-language-model clustering to triage stakeholder feedback in minutes. Humor surfaces when Cornelius admits that "So many words..." was a succinct reply he recently received to a rather long email he sent out.

Whether you manage global AI rollouts or small internal upgrades, these insights help you influence without fanfare, measure progress with purpose, and celebrate wins that belong to the whole team. Invisible leadership is not about hiding; it is about clearing the stage so high-performing results can take the spotlight.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/529

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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.

The discussion offers practical coaching advice and ethical insights that translate directly to project environments. Listeners learn to reframe risk, communicate with empathy, and cultivate resilience to navigate scope shifts, stakeholder conflict, and fast-changing markets. Rahim’s personal journey illustrates how empathy, integrity, and a focus on people drive high-performing teams, while his anecdotes—from coaching reluctant experts to managing virtual communication breakdowns—provide actionable techniques you can apply immediately. Whether you need fresh ideas for earning PDUs or a roadmap for turning adversity into project success, these lessons will strengthen your leadership toolkit.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/528

This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Visit https://www.pm-podcast.com/premium for details.

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.

Host Cornelius Fichtner guides a practical conversation that ranges from the “Stop, Breathe, Activate” technique for managing stress in real time to using spontaneous play to ignite innovation. Jackie shares ways to reduce fear, handle chronic negativity, and cultivate coherence—an energy state that boosts cognitive power for everyone in the room. You will hear stories of transforming “permanent complainers” into productive contributors, learn how mirror neurons help you sense hidden tension, and see why small changes in emotional habits ripple outward to clients and stakeholders. If you want to earn PDUs while gaining actionable insight on emotionally intelligent leadership, this interview delivers fresh tools you can apply on your next project.

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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.

Key takeaways you can apply immediately:

• Several leadership flexors that let you pivot style without losing consistency.
• Real stories of project managers who used flexibility to rescue schedules, calm chaos, and keep sponsors smiling.
• Why remote and hybrid environments amplify the need for agility, and how to meet that challenge head-on.

If the word “flex” conjures images of gym selfies, don’t worry because this episode sticks to mindset over muscle. Eikenberry walks through some of his nineteen “flexors”, which are behaviours like curiosity, humility, and decisiveness, which let leaders stay consistent while still adjusting to the moment. He explains how to read the room, choose the flexor that best fits the situation, and communicate that choice so the team sees a clear through-line rather than mood swings. Real examples from his consulting work show how applying the humility flexor turned a tense status meeting into a collaborative problem-solving session, while a quick shift to the decisiveness flexor kept a software rollout from stalling when scope turbulence hit.

By the end, you’ll have a clear action list for assessing your current flexibility, choosing one flexor to practice this week, and measuring the payoff in team engagement and on-time delivery. Grab your earbuds, a notepad, and maybe a stress ball, because leading change just became a little easier.