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Hosted by danny brewer
Hosted by danny brewer
24 episodes with danny brewer
13 episodes with danny brewer
7 episodes with danny brewer
Louie is live at Breeders' Cup '24! He was joined by Sean Collins of Bloodhorse, and Danny Brewer of WGNS Nashville to preview the BC Classic. Storylines, Classic contenders, and some upset plays.
Greg Pogue with Danny Brewer, talking horse racing.
Ever considered what it takes to run an excavation business without credit lines? In this engaging episode of the Skid Steer Nation Podcast, Ryan Deemer talks with Danny Brewer, owner of Bijou Grading Inc in Colorado, who has taken an unconventional approach to growth by running his entire operation on cash. Danny shares the ups and downs of his journey, from tight payroll weeks to creating a family-focused business culture that values loyalty over rapid expansion. This episode is packed with real-life advice on financing, partnerships, and building a resilient business. Key Insights: ✅Cash-Only Growth: Danny explains his cash-only approach and how it's helped him keep his business resilient and independent. ✅Network-Driven Expansion: Learn how Danny's strong local network allows him to expand services without overextending resources. ✅Family-Focused Operations: Discover Danny's commitment to creating stability for his team, including paid winters and healthcare coverage. ✅Why Saying “Yes” Matters: Hear why Danny's “never say no” mindset has opened doors to some of his most profitable projects. Why This Episode Matters: This episode is invaluable for land management and excavation professionals who are looking to grow without taking on debt, as well as those striving to create a business culture that prioritizes family and loyalty. Whether you're a small business owner or part of a team, Danny's story offers inspiring takeaways for building stability and resilience.
Louie hosts the KY Racing Spotlight for July 26, 2024. Trainer Wayne Catalano joins to discuss his 3,000th training win, and Danny Brewer joins to handicap the weekend's big races.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Are your projects truly delivering the promised benefits? Rasmus Rytter explains the often overlooked realm of Benefits Realization. He explains why so many projects miss the mark on delivering measurable benefits and shares strategies to implement to maximize value. Hear about the significance of engaging with sponsors, tracking progress, and analyzing outcomes for future improvements. Table of Contents 02:37 … Why Benefits Management?03:54 … What is Benefits Realization?04:34 … Why Projects Fail to Deliver?07:55 … Other Reasons for Failure09:41 … How to Create Value14:17 … Looking Beyond Deliverables17:19 … Reassessing Throughout the Life of the Project20:27 … How Benefits Change over Time22:18 … Kevin and Kyle23:35 … A Cause-and-Effect Relationship25:42 … Project Sponsor Relationship28:37 … Successful Project Closure32:12 … Challenges to Change Implementation35:19 … The Benefits Realization Book36:50 … Contact Rasmus37:36 … Closing RASMUS RYTTER: And you keep having those conversations up until a point where you say, okay, now we've done some analysis. We have sort of a fair idea about, you know, what's the IT part going to cost, and how expensive this change part is going to be, and then also what benefits can we realize? And then the sponsor can say, yes, it's still an excellent project. Let's go. Or, no, it's probably better that we spend some of our efforts on another project. So we want to do some analysis to begin with, to have that conversation with the sponsors to make sure that we are not initiating projects that can't really create the benefits that we dreamt of. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer, our sound guy. Our guest today is Rasmus Rytter. He is a partner, a consultant, and advisor from Implement Consulting Group, and he is the author of the book “Benefits Realisation: The Change-Driven Approach to Project Success.” Rasmus is an author, a speaker, and a renowned expert within benefits realization and organizational change. Before joining Implement, he worked for 10 years as a project manager, program manager, and people manager; and he is definitely well versed in benefits realization. We've really enjoyed getting to meet Rasmus. If you're rethinking benefits in business projects, and you want to dive into why so many projects miss the mark on delivering expected benefits, we're going to shift the focus from mere deliverables to real value creation in this podcast. We want to explore the project manager's perspective on benefits realization and discover strategies for maximizing project value. And Rasmus has excellent advice in all of that. BILL YATES: He does. He's so down to earth with this advice, too. He started out as a project manager, and he has delivered, I'm using air quotes, “successful projects” where he looked back on it and went, “They never used the thing that we built.” You know, I've experienced that, too; and that's a very frustrating, it's a deflating feeling. And through that, I think it spurred his interest in looking at the long-term impact of a project, which is really what are the benefits after that project is done, the team has finished, the project manager has moved on to the next project. What are they doing with the outcome? So we're going to focus on that. He's going to share great advice for us so that we can make sure that our projects have a lasting impact. WENDY GROUNDS: Rasmus, welcome to Manage This. We're so glad you're with us today. RASMUS RYTTER: I'm so glad that you would have me. Why Benefits Management? WENDY GROUNDS: The first thing is just tell us a bit about your passion for benefits management. Tell us about your “why” behind this. RASMUS RYTTER: Well, I think we should start by, you know,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. We are taking a fresh look at project estimation. Topics include the estimation obstacles project managers commonly face, key factors essential for accurate projections, the impact of organizational culture, implementing cost management strategies, and navigating the risks of underestimating or overestimating project estimates. Table of Contents 02:10 … Project Estimating Course03:56 … What do We Estimate?04:46 … Factors in a Project Estimate06:26 … Ensuring Accurate Estimates08:30 … Experience and Experiment10:26 … Choosing the Best Approach11:41 … Estimating Tools12:38 … The Problem with Culture14:27 … Who Participates in the Estimating Process?15:55 … The People Side17:31 … Significance of Historical Information20:16 … Managing Costs22:17 … Underestimating your Project Estimates23:44 … The Issue of Risk Management25:26 … Dangers of Overestimating27:56 … How to Combat Overestimating29:03 … Implementing an Estimating Process33:54 … Closing BOB MAHLER: ...every time you sign your name on the dotted line, your credibility as a project manager is going to be in question and scrutinized. And the larger the project, the more visible, the more scrutiny you're going to have. You should welcome that, and you should rise to that challenge. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I am Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and our sound guy, Danny Brewer. We're so happy you're joining us today because today we're going to dive into the world of project estimation. We're going to discover the essential elements that demand estimation and the crucial factors driving accurate projections. With our guests, we're going to navigate the landscape of estimation tools and strategies as we discover a seamless approach for crafting dependable estimates. Now, the experts we're going to talk to on project estimating are Ren Love and Bob Mahler. You all know Ren. She is part of our Velociteach team. She also does our Projects from the Past snippets that we sometimes include in our podcasts. And she is the manager of curriculum development at Velociteach. She's also worked in zoos, science centers, and Disney's Animal Kingdom before she joined one of the Big Four accounting firms; and she has 10 years of unique management experiences. We're so glad to have Ren on the team. BILL YATES: Now let me tell you just a bit about Bob Mahler. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah, it's been a while since we've talked to Bob. BILL YATES: Yeah, Bob started his career with Velociteach similar to what I did, as an instructor. So he taught for a number of years. And then he migrated into sales, a natural role for him. He's director of business development with Velociteach now. His background, he started out with the military. As a matter of fact, he served our country as a Green Beret through the U.S. Army; served in Egypt, Kenya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, many places. After 12 years of service with the military, he moved back into the private sector and was a telecommunications specialist there. Project Estimating Course WENDY GROUNDS: Bob and Ren have developed a project estimating course which you can find on our website. This is an instructor-led course for group or corporate training. This course will teach students the most common and effective practices, tools and techniques for project estimating. You can email manage_this@velociteach.com if you would like more information or you can find a link to this course on our transcript. WENDY GROUNDS: Ren and Bob, it's so good to have you both back on the podcast. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the course. You developed a course for Velociteach on project estimating. Can you give us some background to that? BOB MAHLER: Well, of course. First and foremost, it's always a pleasure to be here with the Velociteach team, my home, my family,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Burnout and resilience. How can we move beyond viewing resilience as a buzzword and dispel the notion that it involves only toughing it out or maintaining a positive attitude? Balancing project success with avoiding burnout is a real challenge in high-stress environments Dr. Marie-Helene (MH) Pelletier discusses the necessity of adopting a strategic approach to resilience by integrating psychology and strategy. Table of Contents 02:39 … Why Resilience Is Important03:45 … Do We “Tough it Out”?04:57 … If the Context is Changing, Change Your Approach08:23 … What “The Resilience Plan” Offers11:56 … Helix Shape Resilience Plan Model13:28 … Being Strategic about Resilience15:11 … Creating a Resilience Plan19:04 … Kevin and Kyle20:10 … Burnout24:10 … Can Resilience Cause Burnout?28:20 … Striking a Balance31:20 … Taking Care of Yourself34:15 … Team Resilience37:30 … Contact MH38:07 … Closing MH PELLETIER: ...most project managers, would not be in a situation where on the daily basis have to explore how everyone's feeling about everything, obviously. But they're also managing a project, managing people who are within this project, and managing themselves supporting this project. So the more we can incorporate in our observations, the very normal expected demands and expected impacts that these may have on all of us as we navigate this timeline, the more we can, again, proactively manage and be prepared to reactively manage when any one of us, to your point, feels like we need to hit the pause button. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome, resilient leaders, to a special edition of Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. Stay tuned with us today for a conversation that will reshape the way you approach challenges in project management. I'm Wendy Grounds. My co-host, who is the expert in the arena of project management, is Bill Yates; and joining us is our unflappable sound guy, Danny Brewer. Today we're delving into a topic that's the bedrock of success in the face of adversity: resilience. In the high stakes arena of project management, where challenges loom around every corner, resilience isn't just a buzzword, it's actually the secret sauce that turns your setbacks into stepping stones. If you are navigating a stormy project or just seeking to fortify your professional resilience, this episode is your compass to success because in project management, the resilient not only survive, but thrive. We're excited to introduce our guest, who is a true champion in the realm of resilient project leadership, Marie-Hélène Pelletier. BILL YATES: Yes, we are so fortunate to have her joining us as our guest. And she goes by MH, which is appropriate. It's a handy reference to mental health. The short form really is a great fit there. We love that. So you'll hear us refer to our guest as MH. She's a psychologist with a systems mind. She has both a PhD and an MBA. She has over 20 years of experience as a practicing psychologist and as a senior leader in the corporate insurance, governance, and healthcare sectors. MH's unique talent is bringing together workplace and psychology, translating concepts into key takeaways that listeners can put into action the minute they finish the episode. WENDY GROUNDS: Yes, definitely. There are many takeaways from this conversation, so let's get talking. Hi, MH. Welcome to Manage This. MH PELLETIER: I'm thrilled to be here. Why Resilience Is Important WENDY GROUNDS: We really appreciate you being with us. You released “The Resilience Plan.” It's a strategic approach to optimizing your work performance and mental health. Why is resilience so important? Why does it matter to you? MH PELLETIER: Great question, and let me provide a definition because we hear the word, we use the word. What is mostly the definition, even if we go to literature?
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Discover how project managers leverage their skills to navigate the multifaceted sales role. Harold Samson, shares insights on developing diverse sales-oriented skills. From the art of securing resources, fostering team alignment, and building client relationships, hear about the pillars of successful project management in a sales-oriented role. Table of Contents 03:10 … The Project Manager Salesperson06:32 … Internal Sales10:26 … Successful Salesperson Qualities14:30 … Opportunity Bulletin16:56 … External Sales Strategies19:57 … Kevin and Kyle21:00 … Selling to Senior Management25:36 … Real-World Situations29:03 … Look for Opportunities30:43 … Ethical Considerations in Sales34:11 … Contact Harold35:56 … Closing HAROLD SAMSON: One of the earliest things that I learned was that every person in the world since the dawn of time, everybody makes decisions that are in their own best interest. It's as simple as that. And all you need to figure out is what are their best interests? WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and in the studio with me are Bill Yates and Danny Brewer, our sound guy. We're so excited that you are joining us. If you like what you hear, please consider rating our show with five stars, and you can also leave a review on our website or whichever podcast listening app you use. This helps us immensely in bringing the podcast to the attention of others, and we want to reach as many project managers as we can to be able to help the community. One question I have for you listeners: How does your experience as a project manager translate into your ability to sell a product or an idea to stakeholders, to your clients, or even to your team members? BILL YATES: The sales aspect. You know, just as we were preparing for our conversation with Harold, just this week there was a blog that I read by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, a guest of ours on an earlier podcast, and here's a quote: “Traditionally project management has been viewed as a support function, a facilitator of a predefined business strategy. However, in my experience as a project management expert” - this is Antonio speaking, not Bill – “modern project management isn't just a facilitator, but an enabler and driver of business growth.” So this is very interesting that Antonio just wrote about this. There is a sales side to what we do as project managers. We have to sell it to the team, we have to sell it internally to get the resources, and then sometimes we have to sell to our external customers. There's nobody better to talk to us about it than Harold. He's had such great experience with that. I've known Harold since 2006, have been working with him since 2006, and he's just got a vast amount of experience and knowledge on, not just project management, but different industries and how consulting practices work and how project managers get things done. WENDY GROUNDS: So today we're talking with Harold Samson, who is one of our instructors at Velociteach. Harold has been with us for many, many years. He has more than 25 years experience in application systems development, and 20 of those involved all aspects of project management. As a senior principal and co-founder of C.W. Costello & Associates, which is a national provider of business systems consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, Harold gained hands-on experience managing project teams in all phases of the system development lifecycle within many different industries. We just realized we have not yet had the opportunity to talk to Harold on a podcast. BILL YATES: We need to make that straight. We need to fix that. WENDY GROUNDS: Yes, yes. Hi, Harold. Welcome to Manage This. Thank you for being our guest today. HAROLD SAMSON: Well, thanks for inviting me. I'm looking forward to the conversation.
The podcast by project managers, for project managers. Project C.U.R.E. has become the world's largest distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment and services to doctors and nurses serving the sick and dying in more than 135 countries. Dave Maddux, shares invaluable project insights on addressing the critical shortage of medical resources worldwide. Table of Contents 02:15 … Project C.U.R.E.03:59 … Dave's Role as Special Projects Manager05:14 … International Projects07:06 … Switching Between Strategic and Urgent09:59 … International Teams12:12 … Team Highlights and Lowlights14:24 … Selling the “Why” behind C.U.R.E17:03 … Establishing Long-Term Volunteer Loyalty18:34 … Sponsor Relationships21:13 … Spreading the Word23:51 … Assessing the Project Scope25:54 … Meeting the Customer's Needs29:18 … Technical Support for Equipment31:25 … Dave's Lessons Learned on Projects33:23 … “What I wish I had Known”35:07 … Find Out More36:40 … Closing DAVE MADDUX: ...there's a giant difference between agreement and alignment. You know, we can all agree on what our end goal is, but I think if we're not all aligned in the same goal, the results aren't nearly the same. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This the podcast by project managers, for project managers, I'm Wendy Grounds. With me are Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We love bringing you project stories and today's project story is one that we are so excited to share with you. Our guest's name is Dave Maddux, and Dave is the special project manager at Project C.U.R.E. Before that, he spent eight years as a field project supervisor for the Home Office of Sam's Club and Walmart doing new store rebuilds and remodels. We're excited to hear his story about Project C.U.R.E. Now Project C.U.R.E. “C U R E” stands for Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment. Project C.U.R.E has become the world's largest distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment and services to doctors and nurses serving the sick and the dying in more than 135 countries. One of the things I found on the website that they say is ultimately they believe where you live shouldn't determine whether you live. BILL YATES: That's impactful. Project C.U.R.E.'s Cargo program delivers 40 foot cargo containers that are stuffed to the top. Sometimes the value is between 350,000 and 400,000 dollars worth of donated medical supplies and equipment. Dave will describe more about what's in there. And it's being sent to under-resourced hospitals, clinics and community health centers in developing countries. One of the things that Dave shares with us is over the lifetime, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered over 1 billion in medical supplies to these needy locations. Dave has a background with the Navy. He's done a lot of project management work, as we mentioned, Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. He brings a unique perspective to this not for profit role that he's in now. We're going to hear some great advice from Dave. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Dave. Welcome to Manage This. We are thrilled to have you here. Thank you so much for being our guest. DAVE MADDUX: Thank you very much for having me. Project C.U.R.E. WENDY GROUNDS: Can you describe for our listeners a little bit about what Project C.U.R.E. is and just the scope and the reach of your programs? DAVE MADDUX: Project C.U.R.E. got started in 1987 by Jim Jackson, who did wealth Management similar, and he went to this little neighborhood in Brazil on one of his trips and just realized in one of the medical clinics that they had nothing. They were rerolling Band-Aids and they were reusing needles and things like that. He came back to Denver and got with a friend of his. And they started with $50,000 in a garage full of medical supplies and decided to start shipping all over the world. At this point, what we focus on is 40 foot Conexes for everything that we do. And we've been to 135 countries around the world. Everything comes from hospitals,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Foundational power skills encompass soft skills, behavioral competencies, and personality traits essential for leaders, aspiring leaders, and team members alike. By embracing these power skills, individuals can elevate their capabilities, leading to enhanced organizational performance and fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture within organizations. Table of Contents 02:47 … Neal's Motivation03:54 … Targeting the Audience05:31 … A Power Skill08:21 … The 24 Power Skills12:07 … Pick Your Top Three13:25 … Manage Daily Your Top Three Priorities18:11 … A Project Story21:30 … Feedback on Focusing on Top Three23:13 … Treat All Project Managers Equally27:45 … Setting Expectations29:33 … Kevin and Kyle30:52 … Power Sills for the Team32:29 … Who Teaches the Power Skills?33:58 … Informing Your Leaders37:09 … Make Your Leaders Look Good42:37 … Contact Neal44:22 … Closing NEAL WHITTEN: Power skills give you the real power to get your job done effectively and efficiently. It places the accountability for your actions squarely on you. I'm very big on accountability. I think it's something we're missing in this world quite a bit. And I find also that most people would rather have the authority and accountability that these power skills support. So when you unleash this power in the non-management ranks, I assert your organization and company are going to prosper like never before. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds. And here with me in the studio is Bill Yates, and our sound guy is Danny Brewer. We're excited to bring this episode to you. We're talking with someone who is well known and loved by all the Velociteach team. This is Neal Whitten. He's a trainer, he's a consultant, mentor, author, speaker in the areas of power skills and leadership, as well as project management, team building, and employee development. He has authored eight books and has written over 150 articles for professional magazines and was a contributing editor of PMI's PM Network Magazine for over 15 years. He has developed 20 online products through Velociteach. And Bill, you're going to tell us a little bit more about Neal, too. BILL YATES: Yeah. You know, there are certain relationships that you have at work, partnerships like this, that just take your game to the next level. We are so honored to partner with Neal. And I think it's been nearly 10 years that we've been working with Neal. And yeah, we have a number of InSite courses that are in the voice of Neal Whitten. It's actually his voice, it's his content, and it's in our InSite self-paced platform. We also are thrilled to offer, if somebody wants Neal to come onsite and present one of his workshops, he even has a two-day workshop on the content that we're going to go through with this Power Skills book. You can contact us. We have that relationship with Neal, and we can set that up, as well. One of my highlights in working here at Velociteach has been this partnership with Neal Whitten. We've got so much respect for him. WENDY GROUNDS: And we are going to be talking about his book, “Power Skills That Lead to Exceptional Performance.” It's a new book that's just come out this year. And, hey, if you're looking for a gift that you want to give to everybody on your team or to a project manager that you know and love, this is an excellent idea for a wonderful Christmas gift, and you've just got a few days to go out and get yours. Hi, Neal. Welcome to Manage This. We're excited to have you back again. NEAL WHITTEN: Thank you, I'm honored to be here. Neal's Motivation WENDY GROUNDS: So we're going to jump right in and talk about your book, “Power Skills That Lead to Exceptional Performance.” And Bill and I were very excited that we got to read it early. It's a very good book.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Constance Dierickx lays out a new paradigm for leadership that offers a way to synthesize thinking, emotion, and behavior. Meta-leadership goes beyond conventional leadership attributes, emphasizing not only the possession of knowledge and skills but also a keen sense of observation and discernment. Table of Contents 02:29 … Meta-Leadership04:42 … Adopting a Meta-Leadership Strategy07:24 … Meta-Leadership Enables Decision-Making10:12 … Factors that Drive our Decisions14:36 … A Tension between Certainty and Uncertainty18:45 … Dealing with Unprofessional Behavior24:35 … Meta-Level Awareness26:16 … Kevin & Kyle27:22 … The Courage to Fail32:23 … Listen, Learn, and be Curious36:55 … Connect with Constance38:42 … Closing CONSTANCE DIERICKX: And I can't stress the importance of showing sincere interest in other people. Don't say it. Don't say, “I'm a people person.” No one believes you. Don't say, “People are our greatest asset.” No one believes you. Public relations, vanilla pudding. Do not spew the typical stuff. Say things that are sincere and memorable and uniquely yours. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds. In the studio with me is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We're so excited you're joining us today. We're talking with Constance Dierickx, and she is the author of a book that we have read called “Meta-Leadership: How to See What Others Don't and Make Great Decisions.” Constance is really fun to talk to and has excellent advice. I think you're going to enjoy this conversation. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology focusing on decision science and crisis intervention. She's an internationally recognized expert in high-stakes decision-making, and she has advised leaders and delivered speeches in more than 20 countries. She's the founder and president of CD Consulting Group. And we're going to be looking at her book “Meta-Leadership.” One of the things that comes out of her book that I thought was really interesting was good leaders become great in part because they recognize that their own thinking, emotions, and habits of behavior can be a source of error. So this is time for a lot of introspection. We're going to be looking at ourselves, looking a little deeper and how are we being meta-leaders? BILL YATES: Even to decision-making. And here's an example of how Constance applies this idea of meta-leadership. Let's say I'm contemplating a significant decision. Here are questions that I should answer. Who am I trying to please? Or who do I not want to disappoint or annoy? What pressures am I experiencing to make one decision or another? Are there opinions that I am minimizing or dismissing because I don't like that person that they're coming from? Am I being closed-minded? Those are some of the questions that we're going to be prompted to consider as we look at this topic and discuss it further with Constance. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Constance. Welcome to Manage This. CONSTANCE DIERICKX: Thank you, Wendy. It's delightful to see you and Bill on my screen. Meta-Leadership WENDY GROUNDS: Can you describe for our audience what you mean by meta-leadership? CONSTANCE DIERICKX: Yes, yes. So “meta” is a prefix from the Greek. Someone needs to tell Mark Zuckerberg that it's not a word unto itself, although I doubt he'll listen. “Meta” means above or beyond. And so we think about metacognition, which means thinking about your thinking, which I write about in the book. I have a whole section on thinking. We think about meta-analysis. So researchers will sometimes take a group of studies that have something in common. Maybe they're all studying the effects of a new antidepressant, and they collapse the data and do what's called the “meta-analysis.” And so you get the “meta‑study.” I have worked with boards and CEOs for 25 years.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Learn from the intriguing parallels between a jazz ensemble and an effective project team. Gerald J. Leonard demonstrates that music and project management share common principles as he offers a unique perspective on fostering a high-performing project team through the integration of music, productivity, workplace culture, and neuroscience. Table of Contents 01:41 … Combining Jazz and Project Management05:12 … Gerald the Author07:31 … Incorporating Jazz and Project Management09:39 … A Cadence to Managing Projects11:50 … Recognizing the Traits13:57 … Mentoring and Coaching14:52 … Kevin and Kyle16:10 … Jazz and Productivity20:01 … Gerald's Recovery Story23:04 … The Pomodoro Technique and Flow26:03 … Motivation and Accountability31:23 … Employee Burnout34:33 … Getting into the Right Rhythm36:08 … Contact Gerald37:42 … Closing GERALD LEONARD: ...it's like playing jazz where things are moving quickly, meeting every day, things are happening. Every two weeks you're delivering something. So things are happening really rapidly, and they can adjust because the customers say, “Hey, I don't want that. Let's move to this one. I want this requirement now.” And you have to move and adjust. Well, that's like playing jazz. Again, the song is moving pretty quickly. So everyone has to, one, know their part, but also really lean in and listen. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome, fellow project champions, to Manage This! I'm Wendy Grounds, and joining me in the harmonious studio adventure today is Bill Yates, and Danny Brewer, our sound guy. Hold onto your project plans, because today we're diving headfirst into a fusion of beats and business. You heard it right – jazz and project management are about to collide in a symphony of ideas with a trailblazing maestro of maximizing potential, Gerald J. Leonard. Gerald is an IT project management consultant; but he also has two degrees in music and is an accomplished bass guitarist. As a professional bassist, he uses jazz metaphors to illustrate how to build supportive and effective team cultures. Creating successful projects and high-performing teams is much like building a jazz ensemble. This isn't your average podcast – it's a symphony of ideas, where project management meets the jazzed-up art of success. So, buckle up, hit play, and let the show begin! Hi, Gerald. Welcome to Manage This. Thank you so much for being our guest. GERALD LEONARD: Wendy and Bill, thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here. Combining Jazz and Project Management WENDY GROUNDS: Can you tell us, just as an introduction, how you've combined your dual careers as a professional jazz musician and as a project management consultant? GERALD LEONARD: Yes. I had done my bachelor's and master's in music, studied through the Manhattan School of Music with a gentleman at Juilliard, and played professionally in the city. And then I did some ministry work back in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and I wanted to get back into music, but now I was married with two kids. I was kind of done with clubs and those kinds of things and thought, “Okay, so how can I keep playing and also make a good living and raise my kids?” So I got into IT at a time where, if you could spell IT, they were letting you in. And so I got in. You know, and I had my master's already, so I thought, “I'm not going to go back to school for another degree.” And then I realized they had all these certifications out there, the Novell certifications, the Microsoft certifications, the MCSE certifications, and all these different things like that. So I just started going that route. That led me to a place where for years I was doing project work, became a project management consultant with a number of different companies, did work for the National Archives and major corporations, helping them at the enterprise level. And then I would go and play shows,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. In this episode we dive deep into the world of dyslexia and how it impacts a team's productivity and success. Carlene Szostak and Madeline Szostak Hoge discuss the challenges dyslexic employees face and how to harness the unrealized potential of a diverse workforce. Table of Contents 03:10 … Defining Dyslexia03:59 … Dyslexia and Dysgraphia04:54 … Indicators of Dyslexia06:20 … Carlene's Motivation10:06 … The Impact of Dyslexia in the Workplace12:07 … Fostering Communication around Dyslexia13:16 … Managing Disclosure14:49 … Ren Love: Projects of the Past17:11 … Leveraging Dyslexic Strengths20:22 … Addressing the Stereotypes22:25 … Strategies to Help Dyslexic Employees24:00 … Inclusive Communication25:44 … Promote Awareness and Educate Team Members27:59 … Performance Evaluations and Performance Metrics30:32 … Get in Touch31:20 … Closing CARLENE SZOSTAK: I've worked with a lot of project managers that have dyslexia, and they are so innovative and bring a unique perspective to the solutions that others don't even think about. Which is interesting because project management is so rigid. You would think that this would not be a place that a dyslexic person could thrive, but in fact they can. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and in the studio with me are Bill Yates and our sound guy, Danny Brewer. We love having you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories and leadership lessons, and advice from industry experts from all around the world. BILL YATES: Hey, Wendy, I've got a trivia question for you. Try to connect these people. Tell me what they have in common. Let's go with George Washington, Picasso, Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Holland. He's the Spider-Man. WENDY GROUNDS: The Spider-Man, yes, I know. BILL YATES: What do they have in common? WENDY GROUNDS: They are really varied. I have no idea. BILL YATES: They all have dyslexia. WENDY GROUNDS: Oh, my goodness. And they were incredible people, and are incredible people, very creative, and have done amazing things in the world. So, folks, we're talking dyslexia today. BILL YATES: Wendy, you remember our conversation that we had on Episode 163 with Hiren Shukla. He's with EY and leading up a fantastic effort to not just accommodate, but reach out to those who are neurodiverse. To his point, 15 to 20% of the adult population is neurodiverse, and they wanted to tap into those resources, source them, skill them, support them so that they could be contributors to EY. Fantastic program there. What's interesting is, okay, 20% of the adult population is neurodiverse. 80% of that population is diagnosed with dyslexia. WENDY GROUNDS: Oh, wow. We have two sisters joining us. One of the ladies is a guest that we've had on before. Carlene Szostak joined us a little while ago to talk about negotiation. And you've probably heard her name around PMI circles. She's a seasoned business leader, a consultant, an author, and educator known for her expertise in project management leadership and creating inclusive workplaces that understand and support individuals with dyslexia. And her sister is Madeline Szostak Hoge. She's the founder of Belle-Hampton Consulting, which works with family enterprises to optimize effective governance practices and long-term success mapping. Madeline also has valuable experience in facilitating project and project leaders within her role. She and her two sisters are bringing awareness that one in five people have the gift of dyslexia. And this diagnosis, it was once considered an invisible disability, is now a celebrated attribute in the world of neurodiversity. She understands the challenges of dyslexia due to navigating two of her three sons through the school system with a diagnosis of dyslexia, dysgraphia,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. A project story about a massive initiative focused on an EPIC implementation at University Hospitals in Cleveland. Hear why this project to streamline patient information, enhance care, and improve operations has the tagline "Best Implementation of all time." Table of Contents 04:29 … University Hospitals of Cleveland05:11 … The EPIC Integration07:18 … The Size of the Initiative09:51 … The Cost11:21 … Convey Calmness and the Right Mindset14:47 … The Guiding Principles18:38 … “Best implementation of all time.”21:48 … Kevin and Kyle23:17 … Risk Management28:09 … Time to Pivot31:31 … Big Bang Go Lives32:41 … Project Team Selection34:23 … Enterprise Program Management Office Perspective35:54 … PMO Resources38:15 … Takeaways from the Project42:56 … Find out More44:03 … Update44:36 … Closing WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer, our sound guy. Thank you so much for joining us today. We have three guests, which is something new for us, and we're quite excited to have a really full house on the Zoom studio today. Our first guest is Sami Othman. He is an operations and IT leader who designs and executes breakthrough IT solutions that optimize financial performance and efficiency in organizations. Sami is currently the IT leader assigned to the effort of the project that we're going to tell you about today. He's leading the transformative initiative to move University Hospitals of Cleveland to an integrated electronic health record system. This is what they call Epic, and it is certainly an epic 600 million investment project that will standardize all hospitals into a common system and streamlining processes and consolidating one patient record. Another person involved on this project is Lora Niazov, and she's currently the director of the Enterprise Program Management Office at University Hospitals. Lora has also just become is an Adjunct Instructor of Project Management at the John Carroll University She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing industries. And then the other person on the project is Gubran Ahmed, and he is an experienced program management office leader with demonstrated success and strength in strategic planning, process improvement and problem solving, change management, and relationship building across many functional areas in organizations. Currently Gubran is working at University Hospitals and is leading the Enterprise Program Management Office with a portfolio carrying a budget of over $200 million, encompassing 150 active projects. And he tells us a little bit about that, as well, in the podcast. BILL YATES: Yeah. Yeah he does. And all three guests are going to provide a unique perspective on what they're doing with this massive program and how they're seeing it unfold. And this is big. WENDY GROUNDS: This is Epic. BILL YATES: This is Epic. The name of the software is so appropriate. There are 29,000 users. We're talking 22 terabytes of data and 3 million patient records that are a part of this conversion and implementation. I can't wait to get into it, hear some of the nitty-gritty from them, and hear some of their takeaways, their advice from implementation of this size. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah, their project tagline is “Best implementation of all time.” We really do think so. BILL YATES: Yeah, I can't wait for our listeners to weigh in and say, “Yeah, that does sound like it.” Or “No, mine's better. I'm going to tell Wendy about it.” WENDY GROUNDS: Yes. And listeners, if you have an epic project, if you are working on a project that you think the story is worth sharing, that you've got some incredible lessons learned, or you've got a project that you think you'd like our audience to hear about,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Mastering effective meetings is essential for project managers, as successful meetings contribute significantly to project success. Rich Maltzman and Jim Stewart say we should apply the same strategic mindset to meetings as we do to projects, and they offer insights to enhance your facilitation skills to conduct successful meetings. Table of Contents 03:07 … Great Meetings Build Great Teams04:30 … Criteria for a Good Meeting05:44 … Allow Humor to Influence Meetings06:46 … Making a Sad Meeting Better08:32 … Why People are Attending a Meeting09:55 … Project Manage Meetings13:27 … A Meeting Planning Mindset15:12 … Don't Worry about Being Liked17:06 … Kevin and Kyle18:12 … Dealing with Conflict in a Meeting21:12 … Goa the Garrulous23:16 … Pat the Passive-Aggressive25:56 … The Fear of Forage28:29 … Risk Register29:45 … Virtual Meeting Success34:01 … Get in Touch35:00 … Closing JIM STEWART: If you blow the meeting, you get to make first impressions once. So the level of planning should be commensurate with the meeting. WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio are Bill Yates and our sound guy Danny Brewer. You can catch us wherever you listen to podcasts. One of the apps that we've come across is Podurama. It's a free app for podcast lovers, and we are also there. If you want to listen to us, take a listen on Podurama. You'll find a link to them on our transcript. We love having you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories, leadership lessons, and advice from industry experts. One little thing to mention is we got an email from Feedspot, which is a content reader that helps people keep up with their websites. And they told me that we are one of the Top 30 podcasts for managers on the web. So we were very excited to hear that. Shout out to Feedspot. Thank you for voting for us. And we have some industry experts joining us today. We're very excited to bring you Jim Stewart, as well as a previous guest, Rich Maltzman. Since 2003, Jim has been the principal of JP Stewart Consulting, and he's a certified PMP, and he possesses multiple agile certifications. He is a longtime member of the Project Management Institute and served for several years on the board of the local chapter. With Rich Maltzman, he also is the co-author of the book “How to Facilitate Productive Project Planning Meetings” and its update, “Great Meetings Build Great Teams: A Guide for Project Leaders and Agilists.” Rich Maltzman also has his PMP. He has been an engineer since 1978 and a project management supervisor since 1988, including a two-year assignment in the Netherlands. Rich is also focused on consulting and teaching, and has developed curricula and taught at several universities. But we're very excited about their book “Great Meetings Build Great Teams,” and that's what we're talking about today. BILL YATES: Yes. This is a key to success for project managers is being able to successfully facilitate effective meetings. So this is going to be a great conversation. Plus, just reading through the book, there are so many familiar names and concepts that are there. They make reference to Andy Crowe and the “Alpha Project Management Study” in his book. They make reference to Alan Zucker, our instructor, who's fabulous, and some of the blogs and research that he's done. And they also talk a bit about Wayne Turmel and virtual meetings. We had him on Episode 64. Wayne was terrific. And also Carole Osterweil. She was on number 90, Episode 90 with us, talking about facing uncertainty. So lot of familiar folks that are being referenced here, and we look forward to talking about having more effective meetings. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Rich; and hi, Jim. Thank you so much for being with us today.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Projects are instrumental in defining an organization's vision for a more sustainable future. Dr. Joel Carboni talks about Sustainable Project Management, and the goal to achieve a stated objective while considering the project outcome's entire lifecycle to ensure a net positive environmental, social, and economic impact. Table of Contents 02:23 … Green Project Management03:41 … Multifaceted Sustainability04:42 … The UN Sustainable Development Goals08:35 … Green vs. Sustainable Projects09:51 … The Lifecycle Impact of Projects12:09 … Barriers to Sustainability Adoption13:25 … Questions to Ask on a Project Kickoff15:40 … Ren Love: Projects of the Past17:49 … Changing Role of the Project Manager18:54 … Raising Awareness20:54 … How to Influence Stakeholders22:47 … How to Evaluate Impact24:30 … PRiSM Project Delivery Methodology26:02 … The P527:42 … P5 in Action30:24 … Project Managers can Affect Change31:37 … Contact Joel32:18 … Closing JOEL CARBONI: We're not being taught to think outside the box of initiate to close. It's what is the impact of our work, and what happens beyond handover? What happens at the end of the asset's lifecycle? So when we look at green projects, it's are you taking a total asset lifecycle focus? And that's what we have to do. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds. With me in the studio are Bill Yates and our sound guy, Danny Brewer. We're so excited that you're joining us, and we have a really interesting conversation today. We're talking about Green Project Management. Our guest is Dr. Joel Carboni. He holds a Ph.D. in sustainable development and environment, and he has over 25 years of experience in various areas of project management including government, finance, consulting, manufacturing, and education. In addition to serving as president emeritus of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) in the United States, Dr. Carboni is also the founder of GPM, Green Project Management. And he's the GPM representative to the United Nations Global Compact, where he was a founding signatory of the Business for Peace initiative and the Anti-Corruption Call to Action. And he's a contributor to the development of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. BILL YATES: SDG is a Sustainable Development Goal. We'll hear from Dr. Carboni that he actually worked with the United Nations to define those 17. Just some quick examples of some of those. One of those is climate action; another is clean water; another is no poverty. A final example, quality education. So those are some of the sustainable development goals that we'll refer to. Also Dr. Carboni is the creator of the PRiSM project delivery methodology. We'll make reference to that and the P5 standard for sustainability in project management. He's written training programs on green and sustainable project management that are offered to more than 145 countries. He's the lead author of the book Sustainable Project Management, and he is a well-traveled man. We are fortunate to catch up with him and get to talk to him today. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Joel. Welcome to Manage This. JOEL CARBONI: Thank you. It's good to be here. Green Project Management WENDY GROUNDS: We are looking forward to getting into this topic. I've been watching your website and been looking at Green Project Management for a while. And I've always said, “Hey, I want to have Joel on the podcast.” So I appreciate you being here. Now, you've done a lot of work in sustainability. You established Green Project Management. Can you tell us a little bit more about your organization? JOEL CARBONI: Yeah, sure. So GPM, Green Project Management, we're a social enterprise. And that sits in between a nonprofit and a for-profit company. So what makes us unique is that a large portion of our income ...
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Amy King is a champion for the homeless! Hear how she boldly addresses the need for safe, rapidly deployable, living shelters, to deliver the dignity of private space for the homeless. This is a complex project which integrates social services to provide a healing community environment in each village, and also seeks to debunk adverse public perception towards homelessness. Table of Contents 02:28 … Meet Amy04:00 … The Homeless Problem05:11 … Homelessness Data06:41 … Designing the Shelters09:27 … Looking at a Pallet Home10:47 … The Prototyping Phase13:29 … Pitching the Project14:59 … The First Client16:35 … Talk to People with Lived Experience17:32 … Impact Stories19:38 … Returning Home21:15 … COVID as a Catalyst22:43 … The Impact of a Pallet Village25:30 … Forming a Team27:33 … Kevin and Kyle28:53 … Overcoming Obstacles33:01 … Requests from Cities33:30 … Overseas Market34:55 … The Goal to End Homelessness37:39 … “What I Wish I Had Known”40:55 … Where to Next for Pallet?42:32 … Access to Housing for the Homeless43:43 … Intrinsic Motivation for the Project45:36 … Find Out More46:06 … Closing AMY KING: So housing, there's this really popular American narrative which is homelessness is a housing problem. I 100% disagree with that. ... A house, four walls and a roof, do not solve a person's homelessness crisis. Giving them keys to an apartment does not solve their homelessness. You have to address the root cause issue. That person will end up homeless again. WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds. With me in the studio are Bill Yates and our sound guy Danny Brewer. We are so excited you're joining us today. We have an incredible project story. Our guest is Amy King, and she is the founder and CEO of Pallet. This is a public benefit corporation working to end unsheltered homelessness and give fair chance employment opportunities to people of all backgrounds. Pallet has deployed more than a hundred villages across 85 U.S. cities. Amy also co-founded Weld Seattle, which is a nonprofit that equips systems-impacted individuals with housing, employment, and other resources conducive to reintegration back into society. And her passion is just incredible. I think you're really going to enjoy her story. BILL YATES: Yeah, when you take a husband and a wife – and Amy has a background in psychology. She is a psychologist by education. Her husband is a master builder engineer. When you take those two and combine them and take the passion they have, you end up with something amazing like Pallet. Just getting back to it, Pallet offers short-term shelter, community rooms, and private stall bathrooms. A large interim housing community can be set up in a matter of days with minimal tools using this Pallet system. Each Pallet structure is versatile. Units can be used for a variety of purposes from sheltering evacuees to building command-and-support centers or for temporary housing for recovery workers. Their motto is “No one should go unsheltered when shelter can be built in a day.” WENDY GROUNDS: And they've done so much more than just build shelters. When you hear Amy talk, what started as a small project, it grew, and it became more and more, and they got involved in the community. They got involved in the lives of the people who were living in these shelters. BILL YATES: And as we'll hear from Amy, many of those that have experienced homelessness are now vibrant workers and contributors to Pallet. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Amy. Welcome to Manage This. AMY KING: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Meet Amy WENDY GROUNDS: We are really looking forward to getting into this topic and to hearing about the incredible work that you're doing. But won't you first tell us a little bit about your background, your career,
The podcast by project managers for project managers. How can agile project managers create conditions for self-organizing teams to thrive? In the agile world of a self-organizing team, the trend is to empower the team so the individuals doing the work can make decisions. So, what role do project managers play? Hear about the three responsibilities of the new agile leader and some important skills to level up in order to lead an agile project. Table of Contents 03:03 … Humanizing Work03:50 … Empowering Decision-Makers05:21 … Changing the Role of Managers08:20 … Challenges for Project Managers09:32 … Complex Systems11:33 … Defining the PM Role13:58 … Coordinate and Collaborate16:35 … Who Does It Well?18:29 … What's in a Title?20:33 … The Three Jobs of Agile Management23:49 … Project Manager Skills27:25 … Visualization Skills33:10 … Is Agile Right for Me?36:39 … Contact Peter and Richard38:19 … Closing PETER GREEN: ... one of the things that has been an underlying theme to these amplifier skills we've talked about – coaching, facilitation – is a real trust that the people doing the work can figure out how to solve it if I do the three jobs well. If I create clarity, if I increase capability, and if I improve the system for them, they will be able to knock this project out. They don't need me to manage it... WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio are Bill Yates and our sound guy, Danny Brewer. We're so excited that you're joining us, and we want to say thank you to our listeners who reach out to us and leave comments on our website or on social media. We love hearing from you, and we always appreciate your positive ratings. You will also earn PDUs for listening to this podcast. Just listen up at the end, and we'll give you instructions on how to claim your PDUs from PMI. Our two guests today are from Colorado and from Arizona, so we're kind of jumping around the place. But we're very excited to have Richard Lawrence and Peter Green from Humanizing Work join us. Richard's superpower is bringing together seemingly unrelated fields and ideas to create new possibilities. Richard draws on a diverse background in software development, engineering, anthropology, design, and political science. He's a Scrum Alliance certified enterprise coach and a certified scrum trainer. His book “Behavior-Driven Development with Cucumber” was published in 2019. Our other guest is Richard's co-worker, Peter Green. At Adobe Systems, Peter led an agile transformation and he co-developed the certified agile leadership program from the Scrum Alliance. He's also a certified scrum trainer, a graduate of the ORSC coaching system, a certified leadership agility and leadership circle coach, and the co-founder of Humanizing Work. What I found interesting was, with all his other creative activities, Peter is also an in-demand trumpet player and recording engineer. BILL YATES: Which will appeal to Andy Crowe, our founder, because he loves to play the trumpet. Wendy, we are delighted to have Richard and Peter join us. We've had conversations planning for this today with them, and they bring so much knowledge and experience to the table. Here's the thing. Project managers traditionally are taught to direct and control team members. So what role does management play in the agile world of a self-organizing team? If my team's self-organizing, what am I supposed to do; right? How can they create conditions for self-organizing teams to thrive? What is the function of managers in this new world, and what does an agile organization need from its management team? Those are some of the questions that we want to tease out with them today. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, guys. Thank you so much for joining us. RICHARD LAWRENCE: It's great to be here. Humanizing Work WENDY GROUNDS: We first want to find out a litt...
The podcast by project managers for project managers. If we can identify the reasons why people say no, we can be more effective in getting them to follow our requests. Patrick Veroneau introduces an acronym called GREAT to understand the resistance we may be facing from our team. An offshoot of effective leadership is being able to inspire other people to say yes to our requests. Table of Contents 00:32 … Rise Against Hunger01:57 … Meet Patrick03:39 … Six Principles of Influence05:49 … Signs of Resistance07:02 … Goodwill09:21 … SCARF13:07 … Reactance14:56 … Self-Awareness16:41 … Expertise18:46 … Build Credibility20:55 … Kevin and Kyle22:02 … Apathy24:51 … Trust and CABLES26:16 … Congruence27:22 … Appreciation27:35 … Belongingness27:48 … Listening28:22 … Empathy28:37 … Specifics30:45 … Contact Patrick32:15 … Closing Rise Against Hunger WENDY GROUNDS: We visited Rise Against Hunger as a company, Velociteach, and we did some meal packing there. We packed over 1,080 meals that were sent to – I think these ones were going to Zimbabwe. BILL YATES: Nice. WENDY GROUNDS: But it was going to people who are not in the position to just be able to get food as easily as it is for us. Rise Against Hunger is an amazing organization. They target remote communities with hunger pockets, and they send their packages of food there. BILL YATES: We had such a great time as a team preparing these, you know, helping put these meals together, packaging them. And we ended up with all these boxes of packaged meals ready to go. It was so fun for the team to be together. It was a team-building event with a purpose. Those are our favorites. WENDY GROUNDS: I highly recommend it as a team-building event. I think that was really fun. Everybody really pulled together. We packaged a bit too quickly, almost. We were so excited about doing this that we got finished too quickly, and then we had to wash dishes; didn't we. BILL YATES: Yeah. But there's nothing better in terms of bonding than seeing your coworkers wearing hair nets. It was just... WENDY GROUNDS: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. ____________________________________________________________ WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We're talking to Patrick Veroneau today. And he's the founder of the Emery Leadership and Sales Group, and they focus on helping employees and organizations bridge the gap between engagement and excellence. He had his first management position with a division of Van Heusen Corporation, and he spent over 15 years in the biopharma industry in sales training and leadership development. He continues to develop and refine leadership and sales models that blend evidence-based research and theory with what happens in the real world. And what happens in the real world is often we're trying to lead or to manage people on our projects, and we get resistance. And so we're going to be talking about that resistance today. Meet Patrick Hi, Patrick. Welcome to Manage This. We're so glad you're here today. PATRICK VERONEAU: Oh, thank you so much for the opportunity to be on the podcast. Always great to talk about resistance. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah. First of all, tell us about your company, Emery Leadership Group, and what inspired you to start it. PATRICK VERONEAU: So Emery Leadership Group is primarily an organization that helps other organizations to develop better leaders and really to become more productive. If you don't have good leaders, right, if you don't have people that can inspire other people to say yes to requests, then it's very difficult to, I think, be as effective as you could be. And there's a lot of research in terms of what are the things that inspire individuals to want to say yes to our requests. And that's all that leadership is.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Selecting contractors and negotiating the terms of a major project is one of the most difficult aspects of project management. In this episode Ed Merrow sheds light on fairness in contracting relationships, for the relationships to be self-enforcing, and how not to unwittingly set your contractors up to fail. Table of Contents 02:53 … Meet Ed05:28 … Contract Strategies for Major Projects06:59 … Hiring Contractors is Never Easy07:55 … Key Principle #209:12 … #1 There is No Free Lunch10:20 … TINSTAAFL11:28 … #3 Complex Projects Need Simple Contracting Strategies13:03 … Collaboration15:07 … #4 Owners and Contractors are Different17:44 … #5 Large Risk Transfers are More Illusion than Reality19:25 … Importance of Scoping21:29 … #6 Contractors have Shareholders23:14 … Ren25:29 … #7 Contracting Games are Rough Sport27:05 … #8 Assigning a Risk to Someone Who Cannot Control that Risk is Foolish29:07 … #9 All Contracts are Incentivized33:20 … #10 Economize on The Need for Trust36:40 … The Value of Prequalifying Contractors40:13 … Getting the A-Team or the B-Team42:48 … Get in Touch with Ed44:02 … Closing ED MERROW: ...both owners and contractors play games. Contractors usually win those games. My advice is try to keep games out of your contracts. Try not to put in a bunch of complex provisions whereby you think that the contractor will “have skin in the game.” I want owners to remember that skin in the game is almost always owner skin. WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This. This podcast is by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio are Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We love having you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories, leadership lessons, as well as advice from industry experts from all around the world. We want to bring you some support as you navigate your projects. If you like what you hear, please consider rating our show with five stars and leaving a brief review on our website or whichever podcast listening app you use. This helps us immensely in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. You can also claim free Professional Development Units from PMI by listening to this episode. Listen up at the end of the show, and we'll tell you how to do that. Today our guest is Ed Merrow. Ed is the founder, president, and CEO of Independent Project Analysis, the global industry leader in quantitative analysis and benchmarking of project management systems. Ed received his degrees from Dartmouth College and Princeton University; and he began his career as an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He followed that with 14 years as a research scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he directed the Energy Research Program. We're talking to Ed particularly today about his most recent major research effort which is centered on the quantitative analysis of how contracting strategies and delivery systems shape project results. His new book is on this subject, and it's titled “Contract Strategies for Major Projects.” BILL YATES: In our conversation with Ed on procurement and contract strategies, Ed is going to share with us the key principles of contracting that all those involved with planning and executing major projects should know. Here are three things to listen out for on this episode. One, contractors may make convenient scapegoats, but they are rarely to blame for bad projects. Number two, we depend heavily on trust, yet trust is not a contracting strategy. And number three, contractors are almost always more skilled at playing those contracting games than those owners are. WENDY GROUNDS: Hey, Ed. Welcome to Manage This. Thank you so much for joining us today. ED MERROW: Well, thank you, Wendy. I'm glad to be here. Meet Ed WENDY GROUNDS: We are looking forward to getting into this topic.
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Will your project's documentation pass the test of time once the project is done and the people are gone? Documentation is at the intersection of information management, organizational design, and personal productivity. Accurate documentation makes teams more efficient and effective. Table of Contents 01:23 … Essential Project Documents03:43 … Defining Information Management04:34 … Adrienne's Story05:59 … Performing an Information Audit09:19 … Signs Your System is Out of Control11:33 … Dynamic Documentation12:44 … Improve Your Documentation15:19 … Budget for Closing Documentation16:57 … Finding the Right Balance19:12 … Kevin and Kyle20:27 … Strategies for Meeting Notes23:49 … Have a System25:54 … Getting Everyone Onboard27:25 … Documentation No-Nos30:06 … Personal Productivity31:06 … “The 24-Hour Rule”31:41 … Contact Adrienne32:43 … Closing ADRIENNE BELLEHUMEUR: I actually say documentation is at the intersection of information management, organizational design, and personal productivity. So documentation kind of underpins these three major disciplines, but the personal productivity is often forgotten. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We're talking today to Adrienne Bellehumeur, and she is the founder of Bellehumeur Company and co-partner of Risk Oversight. She's based in Calgary, Alberta. She's also an expert on productivity, documentation, governance, risk, and compliance; and has delivered 15 years' experience as an auditor, accountant, analyst, problem solver, and independent consultant. Adrienne developed a documentation approach called “dynamic documentation,” and she's a published author of the book “The 24 Hour Rule,” and she's going to tell us more about that book, as well. Adrienne likes to talk about processes, tools, and methods, and some of the best strategies to use to maintain effective, efficient, and timely documentation. So as you may have gathered, we're talking about documentation and information management. So Bill, my question to you is what are some essential project documents that project managers should be maintaining? Essential Project Documents BILL YATES: Oh boy, the list goes on and on. They're all essential, every one of them. Let me start with the legal stuff first. I think project managers who've ever done work with, either with outside contractors or their customers, an external customer, they would agree anything related to contracts, addendums, agreements, even the email threads where those may have been negotiated or key decisions were made, those should be considered mandatory. You've got to have those backed up. They can't just be living on your hard drive. They need to be backed up. Also things like the project charter, anything with signatures that gives authority to the project. And then kind of going down the list, there's scope things like requirements, scope statement, the product roadmap, the backlog, change requests, logs that keep up with things, task lists, or issue logs. These are dynamic. These need to live. So you have to document them almost with a date stamp on them. That's true with a risk log or risk register, as well. Major communications, major rollouts, maybe you hit a milestone or something significant, you want to keep those documents. Think about, okay, could someone who doesn't know anything about this project take a look at it six months, two years later and go, “Oh, okay. Yeah, I get it. I see why you guys made that decision. I see who was involved in it and then what action took place after.” And then one of the biggest challenges, and I think we'll hear this from Adrienne as well, when you're getting ready to wrap up your project, that is one of the most difficult times to make sure that you're doing good docum...
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Ren Love is the newest member of our Velociteach team and the Manager of Curriculum Development. Hear about her unique management experiences as she talks about leadership, interviewing, the PMP exam, and coping with testing anxiety. Table of Contents 02:19 … Meet Ren02:53 … Ren's Project Management Journey06:20 … Memorable Success at Projects10:16 … Mammals and COVID11:34 … Preparing for Leadership14:08 … Routes to Project Management16:31 … Leadership Styles for PMs18:16 … Interviewing Tips19:58 … Be Confident in what You Know22:41 … Encouragement to New PMs24:37 … Ren's Advice Wish List26:03 … Kevin and Kyle27:11 … When the Job is Different to the PMP Training30:35 … Common Questions about the PMP Exam31:54 … Overcoming Exam Anxiety34:47 … Contact Ren35:56 … Closing REN LOVE: ...be confident in what you know, and confident in how you'll grow. You don't have to know everything about everything. A well-rounded project manager is a lifelong learner. ...Be confident that your past life experiences have made you who you are and will make you good at project management in the situation you're in. And then also be prepared to say, there are things that I'm going to grow, and in this company. What kind of opportunities can your company offer me to help me grow? WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We're so excited that you're joining us, and we want to say thank you to our listeners who reach out to us and leave comments on our website or on social media. We love hearing from you, and we always appreciate your positive ratings. You will also earn PDUs for listening to this podcast. Just listen up at the end, and we'll give you instructions on how to claim your PDUs from PMI. Today we're talking to one of our co-workers. Her name is Ren Love, and Ren has a very interesting educational background which is almost as diverse as her professional one. She has done many, many things in her exciting career before joining us at Velociteach. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, she has an M.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Instructional Design and Learning Technologies. And she has worked in zoos, science centers, Disney's Animal Kingdom, as well as one of the Big Four accounting firms. So she's really had fingers in the pie all over the place, and she has also earned her PMP. She's a Certified SAFe Agilist as well, as a Certified Scrum Master. So she's got some well-rounded advice. BILL YATES: Yes, she does. I can't wait to have this conversation with Ren. She joined us full-time in fall of 2022 as the Manager of Curriculum Development, and it's just been a delight working with her, both as an instructor and now full-time on the team. And we just wanted our listeners to be able to hear from Ren and hear about her experience. WENDY GROUNDS: And questions about the PMP exam, as well. BILL YATES: Yes, yes. WENDY GROUNDS: She addresses some of that. So we're looking forward to this conversation. Hey, Ren, thank you so much for joining us today. Meet Ren REN LOVE: I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me. WENDY GROUNDS: We want to jump right in and ask you what your current position is. REN LOVE: So here at Velociteach I am the Manager of Curriculum Development. So I started off as an instructor for Velociteach for about seven months before being hired full-time. And I'm in charge of updating and maintaining all of the course materials that we have here at Velociteach. BILL YATES: That's all. There's not much to that. REN LOVE: Yeah, it's a lot more than what it sounds. BILL YATES: Yeah, never a boring moment, that's for sure. Ren's Project Management Journey WENDY GROUNDS: Tell us a little bit about your career background,
Danny Brewer joins the show to discuss all things Belmont Stakes
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Sometimes a project can feel like a three-ringed circus! You are managing the schedule, the budget, and the requirements, and at the same time, you've got to consider the stakeholders, team members, and the organization. We are taking a look at the early 20th century traveling circus to see how they kept the circus performing as a “well-oiled machine.” Table of Contents 02:36 … Meet Jennifer03:42 … The Golden Age of the Traveling Circus05:04 … The Impact of the Railroad06:16 … The Project Manager of the Circus08:27 … The Daily Schedule12:13 … Logistical Magic14:07 … Maximize Impact and Profit Margin15:07 … Leveraging the Business Model16:43 … Strategic Planning18:45 … Planning Routes21:56 … Thinking Holistically24:36 … Kevin and Kyle25:42 … Procurement and Inventory Control28:22 … Managing Resources29:31 … Network of Support31:02 … Communicating Lessons Learned34:00 … Planning for Risk Episodes37:07 … Company Culture39:49 … The Satisfaction of a Common Purpose41:02 … Clarity of Roles Builds Trust43:38 … Find Out More45:24 … Closing JENNIFER LEMMER POSEY: ...if you are in this project with me, if you are trying to make this outcome the best that it can be, just like I am, then we're together, and everything else doesn't matter. This is about what we're trying to accomplish. I love that attitude. I think it's one that we all could learn from. Put aside your personal differences and get this thing done. WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and in the studio with me is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We're excited to talk to you today about the circus. Our guest is Jennifer Lemmer Posey. She is the Tibbals Curator of Circus at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. And she's been working with circus collections and the international circus community for 20 years. Jennifer's also served as editor for Bandwagon, the Journal of the Circus Historical Society, and was an advisory scholar for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrating the circus arts in 2017. You may be wondering why are we talking about a circus when we are a project management podcast. If we listen carefully to the story of the circus, we tie in so many lessons for project management, from building community, to planning and coordination, for being resourceful. BILL YATES: Some of you may be thinking, “My project is a lot like a circus.” WENDY GROUNDS: That's what we were thinking. BILL YATES: You know, Wendy, the traveling circus back in the early 1900s resembled a small city. It's like a traveling city. It entirely packs up and moves to another city every day or every few days. The performance and movement of the circus must have required great discipline and carefully executed planning. But it was so impressive that the U.S. Army sent a number of officers to study Barnum & Bailey Circus for a week. The report the officers sent back praised the complex logistical operation of this massive project. Here's a quote: “It is a kingdom on wheels, a city that folds itself up like an umbrella. Quietly and swiftly every night it does the work of Aladdin's lamp, picking up in its magician's arms theater, hotel, schoolroom, barracks, home, whisking them all miles away and setting them down before sunrise in a new place.” It is magical what they did with the circus. And there are so many tiebacks, so many points that we can connect with the projects that we run. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Jennifer, welcome to Manage This. Thank you so much for being our guest. JENNIFER LEMMER POSEY: Hi, I'm delighted to be here. Meet Jennifer WENDY GROUNDS: So we want to dig in and find out more about the circus. But you have a very interesting job. What was your career path? How did you become the Curator of the Circus at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art?
Danny Brewer joins the show to discuss the Preakness this weekend
Who's going to win the 2023 Preakness Stakes? Danny Brewer gives us the scoop on a few worthy contenders for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Back a horse and get paid!
The podcast by project managers for project managers. When it comes to problem solving or innovation, the goal is to generate ideas, make those ideas better, and then implement them to work better together. Dr. Teresa Lawrence talks about understanding cognitive diversity, managing our thinking preferences to the stages of the creative problem-solving process, and how our preferences influence project team interactions. Table of Contents 01:50 … FourSight Thinking Profile03:43 … Teresa's Start in Cognitive Diversity06:45 … What is Cognitive Diversity?09:44 … Learning Thinking Tools11:13 … 15 Individual Thinking Preferences12:46 … Creating a Healthy Diversity15:40 … Keeping Everyone Engaged18:21 … Bill and Wendy's Team Profile20:43 … Holding Ourselves Accountable22:50 … Communicating Thinking Preferences to Your Team27:35 … William's Story30:44 … Find out More32:31 … Closing TERESA LAWRENCE: The more that we know our preferences, the better teams we make. And again, just to underscore this notion of this unconscious bias that we have. It doesn't matter that I like you or not like you. When it comes to problem-solving, I'm probably going to find myself moving toward the people who solve it the similar way. And isn't that great? And isn't that dangerous? WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and in the studio with me are Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. Today we're talking to Dr. Teresa Lawrence. She is recognized as a subject matter expert on the integration of creative problem-solving into project management. Since 2017 over 80,000 people have participated in her trainings, workshops, keynote facilitated sessions. She is a master facilitator of FourSight, the industry leading assessment that shows people their team preferences towards problem-solving and innovation. And she's going to describe what FourSight is and go into a little more detail in our conversation. And we're very excited to have her with us today. She's also the president and owner of International Deliverables. BILL YATES: Yeah, Teresa is going to be a great guest. She's going to take some of the elements that we talked about back on Episode 170 with Amy Climer, and she's going to go further with it. With Amy we talked about the creative problem-solving process, and there are four stages that we'll refer to in the podcast: clarify, ideate, develop, and implement. Well, what Teresa's going to say is, hey, we all have a preference for one of those four stages, or maybe a couple. And our preferences can influence how we interact with a team. So she's going to dive into that and raise our awareness as project leaders so that we can be better with our teams. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Teresa. Welcome to Manage This. We're grateful you're here with us today. TERESA LAWRENCE: Thank you. It's a privilege, and it's great fun to be with you this morning. Thank you for having me. FourSight Thinking Profile WENDY GROUNDS: Teresa, could you tell us what is the FourSight Thinking Profile, and just a little bit about the science behind it. TERESA LAWRENCE: So the FourSight assessment, typically known as FourSight, is a research-based assessment authored by Gerard Puccio, who is the department chair in what was formerly known as the International Center for Studies and Creativity, now recognized by title the Center for Applied Imagination, based on six years of research. And so Gerard, masterful in the creative problem-solving process, said to himself, there are these stages of the creative problem-solving process. Do people have a preference toward the stages? And the answer is yes. And so it has been validated by more than 20 academic journals. It's a reliable instrument that measures our thinking preferences. It is an online assessment. You can do it pen and paper, but it's just quicker to do it online. 39 questions takes about 10 minutes.
Danny Brewer joins the show to discuss the Kentucky Derby
The podcast by project manager for project managers. A great leader strikes a balance between warmth and strength. If it's time for you to conduct an honest assessment of your leadership style to connect better with your teams and understand your stakeholders more effectively, take a listen to hear how to connect, then lead. Table of Contents 02:47 … Meet Matt04:44 … Social Power and Personal Power06:38 … Knowing your Likeability09:17 … Strength and Warmth12:12 … Strength and Warmth Matrix15:04 … Changing Your Impact17:51 … Make a Stronger Team Connection.20:02 … How Not to Compromise Warmth21:54 … Snap Judgements and First Impressions24:23 … Kevin and Kyle25:20 … Connect with Your Audience27:25 … Preparation is Vital29:44 … Be Your Authentic Self33:03 … Connecting Remotely36:26 … Keeping Energy Levels Stable37:33 … Communicating to Highly Skilled Professionals39:18 … Using Analogies40:05 … Speaking Truth to Positions of Power42:13 … Contact Matt43:57 … Closing MATT KOHUT: Some people tend to go with their strength first, and they backfill on the warmth. Some people lead with warmth first, and they backfill on the strength. And it's sort of like being left-handed or right-handed. Everybody's just got a dominant hand. And as long as you can pick up objects with both of them and not drop them, it's okay. WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We love having you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories, leadership lessons, and advice from industry experts from all around the world. Our aim is to bring you some support as you navigate your projects. You can also claim free PDUs, Professional Development Units from PMI by listening to our show. At the end of the show we will give you advice on how to do that. Today we're talking to Matt Kohut. Matt is a co-founder of KNP Communications, and he has 20 years of professional experience writing and preparing speakers for both general and expert audience. In addition, he has served as a communications consultant to organizations including NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Harvard University. Matt is currently a fellow at the Center for Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College, and he's previously worked at Harvard University as research specialist to the dean of Kennedy School. Now, this is an interesting conversation, and we are very excited to bring it to you because it follows on so well to our conversation we had with Vanessa Druskat on emotional intelligence. BILL YATES: Yes, this is an area that I think because of my own experience, I feel like this is an area that a project manager, certainly me, should and can grow in throughout their career. It's amazing talking with Matt. He knows so much about social science. That's the background experience he has. But the advice that he gives is so practical. Not only did he write speeches, he coached those who were delivering the speeches as to how to make a good first impression, how to connect with their audience, how to not overpower them with too much information. These are things that project managers struggle with. These are things that we have to be aware of. So the advice that Matt gives in our conversation is really going to help us be better at our jobs, connect better with our teams, understand our customers better, and amp up our performance. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Matt. Welcome to Manage This. Thank you for being our guest today. MATT KOHUT: Thanks for having me. Meet Matt WENDY GROUNDS: We are excited to talk to you about communication and leadership and all of those good things; but I am really intrigued by your other career, the side of you that is a professional bassist. Can you tell us a little bit about that and your passion for music? ...
The podcast by project managers for project managers. Transformations fail because we are failing to transform our people. In a successful transformation project, it is crucial to manage human behavior and pay attention to aligning culture and strategy. To lead a successful transformation project cultivate a healthy environment that inspires people to follow. Table of Contents 02:06 … Ricardo's Story04:40 … Transforming Passion into Profession06:20 … Brightline Initiative10:44 … The Failure Rate on Digital Transformations15:54 … When Strong Leadership is a Liability20:18 … Effective Team Collaboration24:32 … Kevin and Kyle25:37 … Aligning Culture and Strategy30:39 … Diversity is More Effective33:26 … Cultivate a Healthy Culture36:17 … Getting Stakeholders Onboard41:33 … Contact Ricardo44:16 … Closing RICARDO VARGAS: So what happens on digital transformation? The company say, “We are doing this. We are transformed.” And the employee that is there saying, “And so what? What is in there for me? What is in there for me?” And if I don't see that, what I do? I will say, you know, “I don't want to be part of that.” WENDY GROUNDS: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. I'm Wendy Grounds, and in the studio with me is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We love having you join us twice a month to hear about project stories and leadership lessons, as well as advice from industry experts from all around the world. And we want to bring you some support as you navigate your projects. We have one such leadership expert with us today. BILL YATES: We are fortunate to have Ricardo giving us the time and sharing his experience and knowledge with us. It's going to be phenomenal. WENDY GROUNDS: I'm sure many of you have heard of Ricardo Vargas. He's an experienced leader in global operations, project management, business transformation, as well as crisis management. He's the founder and managing director of Macro Solutions. And he's also a former chairman of the Project Management Institute, as well as a PMI fellow. He also tells us a little bit about being the director of project management and infrastructure of the United Nations, leading more than 1,000 projects in humanitarian development projects. And we talk to him about the Brightline Initiative. Ricardo created and led this initiative from 2016 to 2020. He has the Five Minutes podcast, and he gives some excellent project management advice on his podcast. BILL YATES: Wendy, it's going to be great to talk with Ricardo and get his input on the human side on digital transformation projects, complex projects, where sometimes we get a bit fascinated with the technology. And as Ricardo points out, it's all about the people. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Ricardo. Welcome to Manage This. RICARDO VARGAS: Thank you very much. I'm very glad to be here with you today. Ricardo's Story WENDY GROUNDS: We are really honored to have you. I think it's been a long time coming that we wanted to talk with you, so we're honored to have you with us today. Can you look back and tell me how you got into project management? What's your story? RICARDO VARGAS: No, that's very interesting because you know my background, I'm a chemical engineer. And when I was a student of chemical engineering, this was in the early ‘90s. One of the disciplines I was studying was operational research. So how do you put things in order, you know, on the production line, on the project. And that was the first time I met the concept of critical path, of you know, resource leveling. And coincidentally, at that exact time I was working with Microsoft. I was owner of a partner of Microsoft in Brazil. And Microsoft was putting an effort on a new tool that they want to roll out in Brazil that was called Microsoft Project. And they didn't want anyone to say, “Okay, who can help us to leverage that?” Because, Excel has mathematics,
For this edition of Danny Brewer's Friday Pony Picks, we will head over to Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial and then to Keeneland Racecourse for the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Finally, Danny gives his picks for the Santa Anita Derby at—you guessed it—Santa Anita Park. Back a horse and get paid!
The podcast by project managers for project managers. The need for optimal emotional intelligence is even more pronounced in project management and Dr. Vanessa Druskat, who is married to a project manager, shares insights on emotional and team intelligence on how to improve your own EQ. If we can get in touch with an emotion, we can manage it, and the more emotionally and self-aware we are the more we can build emotionally intelligent teams. Table of Contents 02:37 … What is Emotional Intelligence?05:43 … Developing Your Emotional Intelligence07:07 … A Work in Progress08:25 … EQ and Cognitive Intelligence09:20 … The Need for Emotional Intelligence in Projects11:03 … EQ Research Study of Project Managers12:48 … Self-Confidence15:50 … Kevin and Kyle16:54 … Emotional Intelligence Starts with Self-Awareness19:09 … The Brain Science behind Emotional Intelligence21:03 … The Emotional Brain at the Unconscious Level23:53 … No Motivation without Emotion25:59 … Managing Oneself29:44 … Social Harmony34:45 … Find Out More36:42 … Closing VANESSA DRUSKAT: And so the kind of norms that create space for people so that everyone can have the synergy, the kind of habits you create build an emotionally intelligent environment, and are more likely to have harmony and synergy and really produce. You can produce results without that, but they're not going to be synergistic. They're not going to be as good, WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and Danny Brewer. We love to have you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories and leadership lessons and advice from industry experts from around the world. And just one of those industry experts is Vanessa Druskat. Vanessa is a multi-award-winning behavioral scientist, and she's an internationally recognized expert on leadership and team development. She has a research program examining the differences between the behavioral strategies of high- and average-performing work teams. And this led her to pioneer the concept of team emotional intelligence. Vanessa has a popular Harvard Business Review article with S. Wolff on emotionally intelligent teams. She's a member of the board of directors of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, and she talks a little bit about that at the end of the podcast. And she's also an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire's Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. So you may have gathered we're talking about emotional intelligence. BILL YATES: Yes, we are. This is such a critical skill for project leaders, for project managers because we all know it. We can't do this on our own. We've got to work with a team. Sometimes that team, each one of the team members brings their own issues to the table. We've got our own issues. You bring in the issues of our customer, the issues of our contractors, and there's just a lot to manage. WENDY GROUNDS: There's a lot of issues. BILL YATES: There's a lot of issues. So we need to be more emotionally intelligent and figure out how to get things done. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Vanessa. Welcome to Manage This. VANESSA DRUSKAT: Thank you. It's wonderful to be here with you, Wendy. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah, we're very happy to have you as our guest, and this is definitely a topic we've wanted to talk about again. And I think you bring such a fresh perspective. And Bill and I were very excited when we found out your husband was a project manager. BILL YATES: Yeah. WENDY GROUNDS: So you definitely speak with some authority on this topic. VANESSA DRUSKAT: Yes, indeed. I've heard plenty of stories from my husband. BILL YATES: I'll bet. VANESSA DRUSKAT: Some difficult times. BILL YATES: Yes. What is Emotional Intelligence? WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah.
On this edition of Danny Brewer's Friday Pony Picks, we are heading to New Orleans for the Fair Grounds Oaks, a major stepping stone to the Kentucky Oaks! Then Danny gives his superfecta picks for the million-dollar Louisiana Derby. Back a horse and get paid!
The podcast by project managers for project managers. The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. With billions of people tuning in to view the games, we wondered if anyone noticed the grass! In this unique project story, John Holmes explains how he navigated the selection process and became the exclusive supplier of turfgrass for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We share the planning, logistics, challenges, constraints and lessons learned in this remarkable project. Table of Contents 02:18 … Meet John03:41 … Atlas Turf Production05:22 … Sustainable Solutions06:53 … The Bid for The FIFA World Cup Turf09:23 … Transporting the Turf11:46 … Project Coordination and Planning14:12 … Kevin and Kyle15:41 … Project Budget16:57 … Project Timeline18:47 … Biggest Risk Factor19:39 … Collaborations and Cultural Differences21:43 … Government Restrictions22:38 … Lessons Learned23:56 … Soccer vs. Golf Turf25:52 … Leadership Advice from John27:30 … Find out More28:33 … Closing JOHN HOLMES: I've been really fortunate to travel to some very unique places. And it's really helped me grow as a person, and meeting folks from different cultures, nationalities, different beliefs than me. But at the end of the day, everybody's a human being and has the same struggles, similar struggles. I try to be very respectful, too. And I think that's so important when you're dealing with different cultures. Well, at the end of the day in a business deal, everybody's trying to get to the same point and having a successful project. And figuring out a way to do it without animosity, without any issues is so important and makes things go very smoothly. WENDY GROUNDS: You're listening to Manage This, the podcast for project managers by project managers. My name is Wendy Grounds, and with me in the studio is Bill Yates and our engineer, Danny Brewer. We love having you join us twice a month to be motivated and inspired by project stories, leadership lessons, and advice from industry experts from all around the world; and we love to bring you some support as you navigate your projects. You can also claim free Professional Development Units from PMI by listening to our show. Listen up at the end of the show for advice on how to do that. Now, Bill, we have an interesting conversation with John Holmes today. BILL YATES: Yes. WENDY GROUNDS: He's from Atlas Turf. Atlas Turf produced the grass for some of the world's premier golf associations. And I love the story that he was responsible for the turf that was used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. BILL YATES: Isn't that amazing, yeah. And he happens to be – their company is headquartered here in Georgia. But he has delivered product and solutions all over the globe. He's had a lot of personal travel. I'd like to see his passport and see some of the stamps in that. WENDY GROUNDS: And he also has been in places like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, the Maldives, New Caledonia, Seychelles. It's all over the world into very interesting places he's taking his grass. BILL YATES: That's true. He delivers. WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, John. Welcome to Manage This. Thank you so much for joining us today. JOHN HOLMES: So glad to be here and able to share our unique story. Meet John WENDY GROUNDS: Have you always worked with turf? What was your career path? JOHN HOLMES: I have a degree in turf grass management. But my career started when I was a teenager working on the local golf course in our town. And in doing so I discovered that you could actually go to college and get a degree in managing turf grass, and I did that and became a golf course superintendent, managing the turf grass on a golf course, almost 32 years ago. BILL YATES: How about that. So you've been working with grass for 30-something years. And then how did you come to Atlas, you know, what was that transition? JOHN HOLMES: My career as a golf course superintendent took me and my wife to Mexico and...
Kentucky Derby 2023 preps at four tracks this weekend are the focus of this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher talks about the return of Eclipse Award winner Forte in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Longtime Tennessee turf talker Danny Brewer offers his unique perspective on the move of Bob Baffert's Derby prospects to other trainers as well as his thoughts about this weekend's points races. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has weekend handicapping advice on the Davona Dale, the Mac Diarmida and the Fountain of Youth. There is listener and reader feedback, too. The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher as well as HorseRacingNation.com.
Happy Thanksgiving! Mike & Louis welcome Danny Brewer of HorseRacingScoop.com to preview Clark Stakes day card at Churchill Downs. Presented by Green Sheet Racing. Get yours at GreenSheetRacing.com. Saturday's edition will feature Louis's most likely winner, the favorite he's against, as well as his favorite sequence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/horseracinghappyhour/message
Get ready for a Saturday full of racing with Danny Brewer's Friday Pony Picks. In this edition, we will discuss Danny's picks for the grade one Alfred Vanderbilt and Jim Dandy at Saratoga and the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.
Danny Brewer joins the show to preview the Belmont Stakes
Danny Brewer joins the show to discuss all things Horse racing
Danny Brewer joins the show to discuss the Kentucky Derby
Danny Brewer joins the show to preview the Kentucky Derby
Come join us as we talk Kentucky Derby 148. Long considered one of the most fabulous days in sports, this edition of the Run for the Roses promises more of the same. Enjoy a little insight from Tennessee turf writer Danny Brewer as he provides a hillbilly viewpoint on the greatest two minutes in sports.
Today I speak with Stephen Mattson. Stephen wrote one of my favorite books “The Great Reckoning: Surviving a Christianity That Looks Nothing Like Christ” Mattson attended Moody Bible Institute which moved him out of suburban St. Paul where he grew up and placed him in Downtown Chicago. Stephen Shares being challenged to better understand the complexities and varieties of the human experience there. He found his start writing in a writers club called The Burnside Writers Collective, which was founded by Donald Miller another one of my favorite authors. His first piece was picked up by Sojourners, a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication. We talk about dealing with the blowback from evangelical culture when offering a critique. Check out his new book “On Love & Mercy : A Social Justice Devotional “ https://www.amazon.com/Love-Mercy-Social-Justice-Devotional/dp/1513809377Find out more about Stephen! https://sojo.net/biography/stephen-mattsonIf you'd like to connect with Danny Brewer follow this link : https://linktr.ee/DannyBrewerCommon topics of this podcast include #SurvivingChristianity #Exvangelical #DeconstructingMyReligion #ReligiousAbuse #CPTSD, #ChristianNationalism #Afterlife #Christianity #ChristianUniversalism #theology #whiteevangelical #deconstruction #JesusChrist #trauma #podcast #podcasting #podcastersofinstagram #podcasts #spotify #podcastlife #podcaster #youtube #podcasters #applepodcasts #itunes #podcastshow #interview #newpodcast #spotifypodcast #applepodcast #motivation #artandculture #radioshow #entertainment #moodybibleinstitute #mdiv #J&JW #KristinKobesDuMez
Looking for some basic wagering advice on the Breeders' Cup? Join us in this edition of the Horse Racing Scoop podcast as we explore ways to invest in the greatest two days of Thoroughbred racing the world has to offer. As your host Danny Brewer frequently says, “Back a horse and get paid!!!”
What do Tom Waits, Abraham Heschel, & Chaim Potok all have in common? They are all loved by today's guest Jason Campbell. In this episode I am talking with my good erudite pal Jason, he is scholarly, well read, creative, curious, and an all around hoot to talk to. If you enjoy writing, reading, or thinking then this episode is for you. Check out Jason's Blog links belowhttps://jaypercival.blogspot.com/https://jaypercival.blogspot.com/p/the-good-samerican.htmlhttps://jaypercival.blogspot.com/p/selections-from-tailspin.htmlAlso some fun links to a few folks mentioned in this conversationWendell BerryAbraham HeschelChaim Potok Tom WaitsThis is The Curious Companion Podcast, conversations celebrating empathy, curiosity, and adventure.If you'd like to connect with Danny Brewer follow this link : https://linktr.ee/DannyBrewerTAGS : Exvangelical, Deconstructing My Religion, Religious Abuse, PTSD, Christian Nationalism, Afterlife, Christian Universalism, theology, white evangelical, MDIV, deconstruction, Jesus Christ, Wendell Berry, Tom Waits, Abraham Heschel, Chaim Potok, Jason Campbell, Danny Brewer
Join Tennessee turf writer Danny Brewer as he offers insight and info about the Breeder's Cup for both the newcomer and the veteran railbird. Offering excitement for the ages, this event truly is the World Championships of the sport of kings.
This is The Curious Companion Podcast, conversations celebrating empathy, curiosity, and adventure. In this episode, I talk with Neal Giedd. Neal loves theology. He graduated from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary where he received his MDIV. We talk about evangelical culture, the afterlife, and Christian Universalism. I hope this episode blows your hair back. If you would like to contact Neal or get a copy of Neal's Hell paper you can email him at nealgiedd@gmail.comIf you'd like to connect with Danny Brewer follow this link : https://linktr.ee/DannyBrewerPopular Tags : Exvangelical, Deconstructing My Religion, Religious Abuse, PTSD, Christian Nationalism, Afterlife, Christian Universalism, theology, white evangelical, MDIV, deconstruction, Jesus Christ, Danny Brewer,
In this episode, I talk with Timothy Walker. Timothy and I met sometime in 2008 and spent time touring and playing music together over the years. Currently, he's lives in Davis, California where he is finishing up his PhD in English Literature at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on the politics of spirit, the socio-political and cultural significance of Christian conversion, specifically before the Civil War, as well as the roots of Christian nationalism in 19th-century antebellum U.S. literature. Thanks for listening!If you'd like to follow Timothy on instagram find him under his artist name @threadbarebrotherIt you'd like to connect with Danny Brewer you can do that at https://linktr.ee/DannyBrewer
Danny Brewer (@SportzBrew) of https://horseracingscoop.com/ Joined The @ThePoguester & @JonBurton32 Show-
Danny Brewer (@SportzBrew) of https://horseracingscoop.com/ Joined The @ThePoguester & @JonBurton32 Show To Preview #KentuckyDerby
Danny Brewer (@SportzBrew) of Horse Racing Scoop Joined The @ThePoguester & @JonBurton32 Show To Talk #BreedersCup
Danny Brewer (@SportzBrew) of http://HorseRacingScoop.com Joined The @ThePoguester & @JonBurton32 Show To Preview #KentuckyDerby2020-
The Greg Pogue & Jon Burton Show 9-3-20 Jim Wyatt on Titans, Danny Brewer on Kentucky Derby, & So Much MOre Presented By The Omni Nashville Hotel!
Danny Brewer, a Birmingham resident and owner of many Birmingham businesses says he was skeptical about how real Corona was, and then he got it. He's out of the Hospital now, and he's sharing the story of his journey with the Corona Virus.
Danny Brewer (@SportzBrew) Joined The @ThePoguester & @JonBurton32 Show To Preview The @BelmontStakes-
Ever since she was a toddler, Jennifer sang and danced around the house with her siblings daily. Her mom says "she sang before she talked and danced before she walked". There has always been a spark and love for music in her heart. Now, being able to learn piano, guitar and ukulele, and learn how to use her voice, she has been writing more original music for her solo gig as Jennifer Barger (@jenniferbargermusic)! In 2016 she and her sister competed in a local GA competition at which the sister duo "Jenny & Sky" was born. They made it to the finals at the Madlife Stage & Studios "Undiscovered Artists Showcase" (2016-2017), and through that met some amazing people and musicians! Jenny & Sky performed locally in North GA/Atl area from 2016 till spring 2019 and recorded an EP ("Nonsense" by Jenny & Sky) and were honored to work with amazing artists such as Kate Coleman, Highbeams, and opened for Irish singer-songwriter Keith Harkin. Since May 2019 (after Sky's wedding and move over seas), Jennifer has performed solo and has continued collaborating and working with talented local artists such as Jonathan Peyton, Danny Brewer, again with Kate Coleman and Highbeams, and others! Now, fall 2019, she is in the studio recording a lullaby album, and also hosting a new video series called "The Tiny House Sessions" (@thetinyhousesessions) which is an opportunity for local artists to work on music collaborations and share their original music and upcoming projects with the world! The road has seemed uncertain at times, but with God's help and the encouragement of her family and friends, she is ready to share the true love, joy and passion she has for music with others. Thank you for joining her journey! Hope you enjoy the ride. -- Jennifer Barger Music jenniferbarger.music@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/jennafifimusic/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegeorgiasongbirds/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thegeorgiasongbirds/support
Union guru Danny Brewer comes back to celebrate Labor Day with a little history on the labor movement in America. We talk about why you should really have a union, but you probably can't because you've let all your rights as a worker get taken away. So good job on that one.
Danny Brewer, aka Besides Daniel, views the creative process of creating his new album, Teeming, as seasons. Aaron Fisher hopes to help educate folks about animal welfare and how we can improve the outcomes of finding forever homes for shelter animals.
On this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast you’re going to learn all about the power and importance of reviews on your Amazon products. Danny Brewer and Scott Voelker have a lot of experience soliciting and promoting reviews and both of them have tons to share about reviews and review groups and how they can help and hurt you when you’re trying to get your products out to the world. What do reviews accomplish for your products? Reviews are one of the most important parts of getting your product moved to the top of the page when someone searches for keywords related to your product. But there’s not a direct correlation. Reviews encourage potential customers to buy your product. Why? Because it appears to be more legitimate, more trustworthy. It’s THOSE sales that push your product higher in the organic search results. On this episode you’re going to hear two experienced Amazon sellers chat about the right and wrong ways to go about getting reviews for your Amazon products. What’s the biggest reason reviews are deleted by the Amazon powers? Amazon’s policies require reviews to be posted within certain guidelines. If your reviewers are not following those guidelines, the reviews they leave will eventually be deleted, which is of no benefit to you. The main reason for deletions is that people who receive a product for free (through one of your promotions) in exchange for a review do not say so in their review. Amazon requires that. On this episode you’re going to hear how you can encourage and even help you reviewers leave their response to your product without it being deleted. Be careful of the trolls that lurk in public review groups. When you post a free code for your product in an effort to promote it, you may get a great response. But consider what could happen (and often does). The people who see your free promo are not only potential customers, they could be potential competitors - and some of those competitors will do anything to hurt your sales, even buying your product using your promo, and leaving a bad review. It’s something that happens and that you should be very leary of. Today’s episode features some ideas you can put into place to make it where you don’t have to use public groups. How can you find good, quality places to ask for good reviews? Danny Brewer learned early on that promoting Amazon products with free or discounted coupons is problematic at best. Not only can trolls buy your product and give you bad reviews, people who are not serious about reviewing products can get in there, give you bad or lackluster reviews, and hurt your product in the end. Danny’s got a group that he’s been able to develop that is a powerful way to get quality reviews, and you can submit your products for consideration. The group doesn’t accept every product, so know that going in. Listen to this episode to get the details. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:25] Scott’s introduction to the podcast and his guest, Danny Brewer. [1:18] How you can get transcripts of the episodes. [2:53] Danny’s introduction… and his expertise surrounding Amazon reviews. [3:52] Why reviews are important for your products. [5:58] What is an Amazon promotion and how do they work? [6:31] One of the biggest reasons reviews are being deleted. [10:00] Why organic sales are the biggest goal. [11:41] How some review groups attract spies to your product. [17:28] Why low quality, short reviews are not beneficial. [23:38] The two types of promotions, including BSR boosts. [26:39] How to determine the number of products to give away. [31:20] What Danny does when he runs out of product: how to get his product back toward the top. [37:45] How clicks on your promotions can be a bad thing. [39:20] Don’t overdo the promotions. [48:47] How Danny has created his own review groups to promote his product reviews… and how you can get your products considered by the group. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.GetBSR.com - Danny’s review group www.TheAmazingSeller.com/live - Find out about Scott’s live events
One of the best things about Scott’s experience as an Amazon Private Label seller is that it’s been a great learning laboratory… not just for him but for you! Scott’s not shy about sharing what he’s doing in terms of profits and losses with his Amazon Sales business. He does it because he’s eager to show you what can really happen with an Amazon business and because he wants to help you improve yours to improve your own lifestyle. On this episode he’s going over his profits and losses for the month of November, 2015. Listen to Scott’s take on his numbers to learn how you can tweak your products, listings, and increase your profits. Not to impress you, but to impress upon you! Some people feel that for someone in Scott’s position to share the actual numbers of his profits and losses, they’re just bragging. But Scott doesn’t see it that way at all. His transparency is for a handful of great reasons: #1 - to show you that he’s a regular guy who’s able to do some amazing things because he’s taking action consistently. #2 - He genuinely wants to help you get your Amazon business rolling, and if you can learn how to do that by him sharing the details of his experience, he’s all for it! And finally, #3, he wants you to see the proof that making a great living from an Amazon private label business is entirely possible for anyone who is willing to put in the work. OUTLINE OF THIS BONUS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:05] Scott’s introduction to this BONUS episode. [1:31] The 4th quarter buzz and experience. [3:00] Black Friday and Cyber Monday comparisons. [4:33] Profits for the month of November 2015. [6:00] Scott’s goal for the future. [7:03] Bundling or differentiating are HUGE for future sales. [7:40] Why competing on price will hurt your bottom line. [10:55] How Scott’s bottom line was impacted by a pricing war he got into. [17:38] Scott’s current activity: including some new product launches. [19:26] Remember that every business will have its ups and downs. How do you weather them? LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/128 - Episode with Danny Brewer abotu “Lightning Deals” Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop
Today’s guest is no stranger to the Amazing Seller Podcast - not only has Danny Brewer listened to the show from almost the beginning, he’s also been featured on the show as a guest twice, back on episodes 17 and 100. Danny’s back today because he was able to take advantage of a special opportunity Amazon gave to certain sellers, called “Lightning Deals.” In this conversation Scott is going to ask Danny to walk us through the details of how this opportunity came about, how he took advantage of it, and what the results were from participating in this special Amazon promotion. You’re going to learn a lot from hearing these two guys dig into this topic. Prime Day was a great boost for many Amazon sellers. What can you learn from it? Both Scott Voelker and Danny Brewer participated in the Amazon Prime Day event - an opportunity for Amazon buyers to get special deals on lots of products all over the Amazon platform. Scott and Danny both participated, not necessarily giving discounts on their products and the sales were tremendous! Both of them saw much greater returns during a time of the year when sales are not typically the best. In this episode Scott and Danny spend a little bit of time discussing the pros and cons of the Prime Day event. Their chat could help you prepare for the opportunity the next time it comes around so be sure to listen. If you get an email from Amazon inviting you to part of a Lightning Deal, you could be in for a wild ride! Amazon’s newest approach to promotions is called “Lightning Deals” and it’s a way that the Amazon company is reaching out to private label sellers with an offer to participate in 4-hour promotions of your products that could increase your sales and possibly even boost your product visibility from that point on. The initial contact would come from Amazon via email and you’d be invited to participate. At that point you’ll be asked to fill out forms regarding your products, pricing you’re willing to offer, and other information. If you’re product qualifies and Amazon accepts you into the program, you’ll be assigned a specific day and time slot when your product will be offered as a “lightning deal.” You’ll have to have your inventory in Amazon’s warehouse 48 hours before the deal goes live. Find out more about these incredible opportunities for Amazon to promote your products on this episode. The power of building relationships that keep you moving forward. Danny Brewer, today’s guest on The Amazing Seller, is a great example of a person who takes action in partnership with other people who are doing the same kind of sales he is doing. He’s a very active member of the TAS Facebook community and also has been involved in a local meeting group of Amazon sellers who share information and keep each other accountable. If you are not part of a group that can help you push forward when you hit your own internal resistance, you have got to find that place. The TAS Facebook group is an amazing option where you’ll find people who are all about helping each other move their Amazon businesses forward. “TAKE ACTION!” It’s Scott’s favorite phrase. Many people listen to podcasts all day long and do nothing with the information they hear. Others buy online courses or books and devour them, but don’t move forward with any of the strategies they learn. Are you one of those people? If you are, you’re probably making excuses as to why what you’ve learned doesn’t apply to you, or why you can’t move forward into a business or life you feel you should have. That’s too bad because good things happen for those who take action. You don’t have to know everything, you only have to know the next thing. So find out what it is and get rolling. Take action to see your own Amazon Private Label business succeed! OUTLINE OF THIS INTERVIEW EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:05] Scott’s introduction of this episode with his guest, Danny “No B.S.” Brewer. [1:49] Introduction of Danny and how he and Scott connected. [6:38] Amazon’s “Prime Day” and how it impacted private label sales. [7:53] What is an “Amazon Lightning Deal?” [9:26] How Prime Day impacted Danny’s product and product line and how he would do it differently. [12:44] How the lowest average price is used and what pricing you have to offer to participate. [15:05] The benefit of having a rush of sales before the 4th quarter began. [16:53] Filling out the paperwork and getting an acceptance email. [19:04] How long a lightning deal runs. [19:20] The boosts Danny experienced on his product from the LD. [23:45] Summary of what a Lightning Deal is and how to make the decision if you want to be involved. [27:23] What Scott would do if he had to start all over. [33:50] Danny’s suggestions to increase sales and be ready for the 4th quarter. [41:10] Summary of this episode with Danny Brewer. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - the TAS Facebook Community Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop Danny’s original episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/17 Danny’s most recent episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/100 Scott’s story episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/125
You’d better buckle up for this episode of The Amazing Seller! It’s over one hour and 15 minutes long… and for great reason! Scott’s hosting a “round table” episode with 3 three other Amazing Sellers - Chris Schaeffer, Rich Kibble, and Danny Brewer. They’re talking about how to launch products, changes to Amazon’s algorithms, marketing strategies, setting up your own ecommerce site, and tons of other great stuff. You’ll want to take notes and listen to this one more than once because there’s just TOO MUCH information to digest at one time. Do you have the right mindset to be a successful Amazon seller? What kind of mindset is that? It’s one that believes in the Amazon model and that anyone can be successful if they follow the steps Scott outlines. It’s a mindset that won’t give up even when disappointments or setbacks come. It’s a mindset that doesn’t try shortcuts, but patiently does what needs to be done each step of the way. It’s a mindset that surrounds itself with other people who are doing the same things, to receive encouragement and be an encouragement. It’s a mindset that takes action, over and over again. Find out more about how to be an Amazing Amazon Seller on this episode. The fundamentals of building an Amazon Private Label business stay the same… but you have to learn to be flexible as some of the particulars change. Over the last few years Scott’s formula for product research and product launch has proven to still work. His strategies for using reviews and PPC still get results. But since the Amazon market is getting more crowded, you’ll need work harder at those things and also add more effort to differentiating your product from others. You’ve got to stay flexible and be creative to make it work, but it still works. What about the stuff going around that Amazon is cracking down on review groups? It is concerning to think that potentially hundreds of reviews for your products could vanish because Amazon deems them to have been “paid for” through a review group. But is it really something to be THAT concerned about? In this episode of The Amazing Seller Danny Brewer says that so far it’s all seemed like smoke without a lot of fire. He still uses review groups to do what he calls his “aggressive product launches.” But other people say that they’ve had reviews vanish without notice. What do you think? What does today’s guest panel think? Find out more by listening to this episode. You need to differentiate your Amazon products, but how do you go about doing that? There are many ways to make your products stand out, but one of the guests on today’s episodes has a great trick: He finds sellers that are offering products that are the same or similar to what he’s offering, and goes into their seller profile. There he can see everything they’re offering. He might decide to carry a product that is like something that competitor is doing, or he might get a great idea from browsing around the items they offer. Either way it expands his possibilities and helps him build a business not just a successful product. Hear more ways of making your company pop, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS INTERVIEW EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:05] Welcome to the big 100! Scott’s celebrating with a special episode. [1:54] Introduction of the participants: Chris Schaeffer Rich Kibble Danny Brewer [2:40] Why Scott invited these three guys - their experience and plans for the next year. [3:28] Chris - His background, his consulting work, and his work on Amazon. [5:36] Danny - How he started with Amazon and why he’s doing this kind of business. [7:44] The kind of mindset required to be a successful Amazon seller. [11:35] Rich - His Amazon story and outlook on his business. [14:01] The fundamentals of an Amazon business stay the same, but… [14:51] You can launch products simply from the free podcast episodes. [16:41] The importance of rubbing shoulders with other people who are doing the same thing you are doing. [17:35] How these 4 guys go about product selection… and what they predict regarding product selection for 2016. [19:40] Using the seller pages of successful sellers to find other products that can fit into your niche. [22:17] Additional steps to product selection. [27:00] Rick’s focus on finding ways to evolve his product niche. [28:10] What to do when you find 10 pages of people selling the product you’re considering. [29:00] How to use product reviews on existing products to set your products apart. [31:22] How to prevent hijacking of your products. [32:54] How to use the Amazon brand registry. [37:08] The importance of adapting your products and strategy as you go. [39:03] Trademarks? When should you apply for one? [41:40] How Rich took two complementary products and put them together. [42:26] The launch process once you have a product chosen. [45:54] The first push to get 5 or 10 reviews. [46:30] Using Pay Per click for your launch. [50:49] Following up your launch with PPC and customer follow up. [52:21] Danny’s “more aggressive” way of doing a product launch. [56:13] Danny’s thoughts on the new changes to Amazon regarding review groups. [58:31] When to make the move of setting up your own store or website to sell independent of Amazon. [1:00:00] Setting up a blog or website to funnel SEO traffic to your products on your site. [1:05:05] Why Danny believes Amazon is still the best channel even if you are going to build a site of your own. [1:08:22] Ecommerce comes down to 3 important things. [1:10:00] Why no real business would be single-channel dependent. Amazon can serve as the launching and testing ground for a broader business. [1:12:00] Advice for those just starting out with Private Label Amazon sales. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/23 - Chris Schaeffer’s previous episode Rich’s episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/53 Episode that features Jungle Scout - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/56 (with Greg Mercer… and includes a video showing how its used) The 500 dollar challenge episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/68 Karon Thaxton’s tips on benefits VS features - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/86 Find out about the 5 steps to launching your product in Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop Simple Keyword Inspector - http://www.keywordinspector.com/simple/index.php Episode with Steve Chou about ecommerce sites - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/93
Do you know how to evaluate the results of your Amazon PPC campaign? One of the listeners to TAS didn’t know… so he asked Scott what HE does to analyze the results of an Amazon PPC campaign. Scott’s answer is very enlightening, focusing on the value of PPC in the beginning to crank up your product’s ranking for its target keywords, which helps drive organic sales. It’s not about profit at the beginning, it’s about exposure. Once the organic sales start happening, there’s more than enough profit to be made. Scott goes into the details of how he goes about it in his response to this question, on this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast. How does BSR related to possible sales? A listener has heard Scott mention the BSR of a product (Best Seller Rank) and wonders how Scott knows that certain numbers in the BSR category will translate into a certain amount of sales. Scott’s answer focuses on the reality of each niche having a different set of BSR values and how those variables will impact the numbers on your particular target product. But at the heart of Scott’s recommendations is a piece of software that he’s found invaluable in doing the kind of product research needed to get numbers that give you confidence in introducing new products. That software? Jungle Scout. You can get a discount on JS by using Scott’s affiliate link - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/JS What if your product is part of a “kit” or grouping that doesn’t seem to have one particular keyword to target? It may be a bit frustrating at first to hone in on the right keywords to target when your product is part of a larger body of products or a “set” or “kit” that people may use. But in the end, it’s a good thing, and here’s why: Your product has the unique ability to target multiple keywords that may seem unrelated to the casual observer, and do so in a very relevant way. And the advantage to having your product as part of a kit (bundling products) is that people are often more prone to buy products that are part of a kit because it seems like a better value. And a bonus to you is that you are likely able to charge more for the kit than you would for the individual product. Hear Scott’s full explanation on this episode of The Amazing Seller. Amazon may be encouraging you to sign up to be an international seller, but should you? It’s a flattering feeling to have Amazon approach you via email about becoming an international seller. And it feels good to think of having a world-wide presence in your niche market. But doing so could be the worst thing you could do. Unless you’re already killing it in the U.S. marketplace, which is the largest Amazon Marketplace that exists, you’ll probably wind up distracting yourself from maximizing your sales in the U.S. Marketplace by becoming an international seller. Hear Scott’s reasoning for why you should carefully consider the step into international Amazon sales, in this episode. Live workshops on Private Label Amazon Sales, complete with Live Q & A One of Scott’s favorite things to do is host live workshops to help up and coming Amazon business people learn the ropes of Amazon Private Label sales. He holds these workshops once a week (most of the time) and would love for you to come be a part. You can reserve your spot on the next live workshop by going to www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - and get ready to ramp up your knowledge and confidence for doing Amazon sales. OUTLINE OF THIS Q & A EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:05] Welcome to this episode. [0:30] Update on Podcast Movement and the TAS meetup there. [3:20] Scott’s live workshop invite [4:11] QUESTION 1: How do you evaluate the results of a PPC campaign? [11:45] QUESTION 2: How do you know that a certain BSR will result in a certain amount of sales? [16:58] QUESTION 3: What is the best way to do keyword research on products that have many variations? [24:26] QUESTION 4: When is a good time to sign up for international selling through Amazon? [27:22] A short interview Danny Brewer did with a TAS listener who did a $500 start up on his private label business. [35:30] How to ask your question for possible inclusion in an Ask Scott episode. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop www.TheAmazingSeller.com/PPC - Scott’s system for doing PPC campaigns www.JungleScout.com - The Jungle Scout app - Get a discount at www.TheAmazingSeller.com/JS Interview with Greg Mercer, creator of Jungle Scout - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/56 Ask your own question - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Ask
7 stories of massive success to inspire you! Success in Amazon FBA is not a secret formula kind of thing. In this episode of The Amazing Seller Scott crunches together the success stories of 7 of his past guests to show you that everyday people taking action are able to create monstrous success through Amazon retail arbitrage and private labeling, and that you can do the same thing too. LIsten to this “cliff notes” version of these 7 success stories and check the link section in the show notes to go to the particular episodes where Scott interviewed each of them. Solve a problem - build a business That is exactly what Rich Turnbull did. He had a need in his own life and felt compelled to not only find a solution but to make that solution available for others. Through his research and hard work, Rich took action to make his business dreams come true by providing just such a product. It’s proof that if you pay attention to the real needs of people and put action behind your ideas surrounding those needs, there’s no telling how successful you might be. Listen to hear more about Rich’s success on this episode of The Amazing Seller. What good are late night infomercials? Lots - if you ask Danny Brewer. Danny is a regular guy. He says so. But he makes no excuses about his life or his business. He knows that it takes action to make things happen and that’s exactly what he did. One night as he sat up watching TV, he saw a late night infomercial that got him thinking about product possibilities for Amazon, and the rest is history. His hard work and research paid off and now his success story as an amazing Amazon seller is part of history. Listen to Scott’s tribute to Danny and find out where you can learn more about his success, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. What if you see an opportunity for your employer to make some big cash, but they won’t do it? That is exactly what happened in Ty Roney’s case. He was working for a company and saw an incredible opportunity for them to place their products on Amazon that would up the bottom line. But his employer decided not to take advantage of the opportunity. So what did Ty do? He took matters into his own hands by wholesaling those very products on Amazon and making a load of cash. It’s a story of ingenuity and hard work that is inspiring to those who truly want to make a business on Amazon. Ty’s story shows that potential profit-makers are all around, if you know how to look. Listen in to this episode to hear more about Ty’s amazing story. From wholesale, to private label, to software development Taking massive action to see things come about is one of the themes of The Amazing Seller Podcast, and guest Greg Mercer is a prime example of where that philosophy can take you. Greg started out like many people, wholesaling products for sale on Amazon. In time, he learned to research products to create his own private label business, but wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted to be able to find more products, faster, so he created a software app (Jungle Scout) that cut the time investment from that process tremendously. Now the software is available to other Amazon sellers, and Greg is proving that action is what it takes to make things happen in the Amazon FBA world. Hear more of Greg’s amazing story on this episode of The Amazing Seller Podcast. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER Welcome to the podcast, from Scott! Why Scott decided to produce this episode - a “cliff notes” version of the most successful people Scott’s interviewed in the past. Your invitation to a free workshop! Things to listen for that each of these successful people did and you can replicate. Rich Turnbull - Building a business based on products that solved his own problems. Tayson Whitaker - Using his experience to leverage large products to a successful business. Danny Brewer - a regular guy who made no excuses and built a business from an idea he got from a late night infomercial. Chris Schaffer - Working with existing businesses to use their products to sell on Amazon. Ty Roney - Stepping into an opportunity that his employer wouldn’t. Greg Mercer - From wholesaling to Amazon, to Private Labeling, to software. Andy Slamans - Retail arbitrage success through understanding hot markets. The traits these successful Amazon sellers have in common, and how you can do the same. The formula each of these guys used to maximize their success. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Amazing Seller Free Workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop Rich Turnbull’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/21 Tayson Whitaker’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/27 Danny Brewer’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/17 Chris Schaffer’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/23 Ty Roney’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/33 Greg Mercer’s episode - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/56 Andy Slamans’ episode - http://TheAmazingSeller.com/7 The Amazing Seller Facebook Community - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB *********************************************NEW To The Blog and Podcast? I created a Page Just for You called…START HERE! If you enjoyed this episode share the love with your friends…Click To Tweet the show. SubsSpcribe To Be The First To Receive Updates and NEW Podcast Episodes
In this episode of The Amazing Seller Podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing Danny Brewer who sold over $40,000 in one month and is on track to do even more. You will notice that Danny is a regular guy and tells it how it is. He also is a guy that Takes Action and […]
Danny Brewer, from Tapestries of Life Ministries, here to share his appreciations and give us a word of encoragement.
The Deep End Podcast features music from independent artists that are thoughtfully, creatively, and honestly exploring spiritual issues and themes. This episode features an interview with Danny Brewer from Besides Daniel. Danny shares his approach to songwriting and previews his upcoming Besides Daniel record for the Deep End listeners.
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