Projects Pivot
With decades of experience managing all types of projects, we're ready to share our invaluable tips, tricks, and tidbits. Don't just tick boxes—master the art of managing people and projects. Sign up now!
Things We Don't Notice
Hi Reader, Many years ago, I had a very predictable job as a health care provider. I left for work at the exact same time and had the same commute. Like clockwork, my colleague Maria would merge onto the freeway just ahead of me every single morning. She drove at a very relaxed pace. I did not. So I would pass her, give a cheerful wave, and continue on my way. And every single day, she had absolutely no idea it was me. Because she never noticed me waving at her. Fast forward to now. I’m in my...
Manage Yourself
Hi Reader, "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." Oscar Wilde I've been interested in the concept of “self-management”, which is the idea that people are fully capable of managing their own behavior, time, tasks, and emotions in order to achieve goals without constant supervision. In theory, it sounds super efficient. Teams rely on peer relationships, shared information, and distributed decision-making to get work done without heavy oversight. In other words, people take care of their...
How To Fish
Hi Reader, This past week, someone I was working with said, “You are teaching me how to fish”. Now before you picture me in waders, standing in a river somewhere with a fly fishing rod and project plan, let me clarify that no actual fish were involved. We were tackling a complex problem, one that the organization had never faced before. And we had nothing to start with, just a blank page. I knew the direction we needed to go, and it would have been faster for me to hand over a potential...
Different Ways of Seeing
Hi Reader, Early in my project management career, I worked with a colleague who happened to share my name. Barbara. We were affectionately referred to by our coworkers as “The Barbs”. Barb had a way of gently challenging how I approached things. I remember once showing her a program tracker I had spent hours perfecting, feeling quite proud of it. She took one look, smiled, then proceeded to make changes. I started to resist, then she said something that stuck with me: “Barb, there are...
The Truth About Camps, Cottages, and “Relaxation”
Hi Reader, Do you know those places by the lake that people flock to in warm weather to relax? Around here in Ontario, Canada we call them camps or cottages, depending on which side of the province you grew up on. Head over to Quebec and they become chalets. Out on the East Coast, those folks take it one step further and give them their places names like Fundy View, Puffin’s Perch, or my personal favourite, the Money Pit. Whatever you call them, one thing is certain. They feel like an escape....
Beyond Coffee: Discovering What Really Energizes You
Hi Reader, Do you know what truly energizes you? I mean really energizes you. Your first answer might be coffee. Fair enough. It deserves some recognition. But beyond caffeine, what gives you that boost that helps you focus, create, and get things done? I ask because I experience a 3:00 p.m. slump regularly. My day is far from over, my deliverable list is still waiting, and yet my productivity seems to quietly leave the building. As a natural morning person, I save my most complex work for...
Thinking Out Loud
Hi Reader, I get a lot of feedback from readers, and it usually falls into two camps. Some are die-hard project managers who want me to dive deeper into the weeds: WBS structures, RACI vs. RASCI, and all the beautifully complex, slightly geeky pieces of what PMs do. I get it. The geeky stuff matters. But that’s not what I like writing about, because you can find endless articles, templates, and dialog online that break those project topics down in detail. Just as often, I hear from readers...
Alone Time
Hi Reader, How often do you truly spend time alone, without distractions competing for your attention? I enjoy being around people, but I’ll admit it can be exhausting. Time alone gives me space to think, reset and, if I am being honest, to have some surprisingly good conversations with myself. Occasionally, those moments also include singing out loud and some funky dance moves. No stakeholder approval needed. There is a strategic side of taking time to yourself. It’s not stepping away from...
I Forgot Water
Hi Reader, It’s summer in North America, which for many people means camping. For me, it means remembering how much I dislike sleeping in a tent. After many restless nights sleeping in tents with rocks wedged under my shoulder, I finally decided to do something about it. Enter my latest project: a do-it-yourself camper van that is currently taking over my driveway. Her name is Mary. Apparently, naming your van is a requirement now. Mary felt right for a van project that’s part optimism and...
Let's Listen
Hi Reader, “Listen like you may be wrong.“ Noah Eckstein, Harvard University Commencement, 2026 Most of us spend a lot of time talking, but struggle with actually listening. Last Sunday, on a rainy afternoon, I found myself revisiting a film I hadn’t watched since high school: Twelve Angry Men. What struck me all over again wasn’t just the story, but how clearly it captures something we see every day. People are quick to speak, to fill the silence, to make their point. But listening, really...
With decades of experience managing all types of projects, we're ready to share our invaluable tips, tricks, and tidbits. Don't just tick boxes—master the art of managing people and projects. Sign up now!