All Posts in Coaching

October 19, 2021 - 2 comments

My door is open

You’re walking down a hallway lined with doors. Some of those doors seem welcoming, some seem like they’re the gateway to your own personal hell. 

Suddenly, a friendly and familiar face steps out of a room and welcomes you in. You’re pretty happy where you are, but you’re curious about what’s happening in that room. You think, “Why not? Nothing to lose,” and  you agree to go in. 

Right away, the room feels familiar, but very different at the same time. You’re having fun, but after spending some time there, you realize that you weren’t meant to be there after all. 

After some time, you decide it’s best to make an exit. So you jump back out into the hallway and take a peek into some of the other rooms. You get concerned, because those other rooms all seem like another version of the rooms you didn’t want to enter. 

Then you realize. The room you want to be in is the one you built and left behind. You were actually really happy before you visited that last room, so why not just go back?

Going back can feel like you’re taking a step back, but it isn’t. In fact, while you’re going back to the same old room, you’re taking the experience you gained from the last room you were in. So, your old room is going to look, smell, and feel different. 

Sure, you might see some of the same old things, but they’re going to seem different. You’re going to seem different. That’s because you are different. Every day you spend experiencing life changes you, and the experience you gain in any room you visit will shape your outlook, your motivation, and your reason for being in any room. 

Sometimes, your career can feel like a meandering journey down a long hallway full of interesting rooms. While you’d probably do well in just about any room, you want to find the right space for you. What’s important to remember is that you don’t have to stay in that hallway, or even in that building. The world is large and full of opportunities that shouldn’t make you feel constrained. 

So what does all of this mean?

Well, I recently jumped back out in the hallway of my career and decided to return to my career in project management consulting and coaching. This is a space where I’m most comfortable, energized, and effective. It also happens to be a space where I know I can grow and explore, and make the greatest impact.

I spent 3 years creating educational content at TeamGantt, and while I’m very proud of the work we did together, I changed. I realized that while creating content is fun and something I will always want to do, it’s not where I want to devote all of my energy. I’m more fulfilled by the impact I can make working directly with teams and individuals to help them meet their goals, be more efficient, and get more out of their work.

That will be my focus moving forward, and I’m so excited about some of the projects I’m already working on. I’m working with some great clients, and I’ll continue to create content. In fact, we just recorded the first episode of Sprints & Milestones season 2, and I’m planning some exciting video content as well. 

So, maybe you’re here because you’re looking for resources. Those will be coming very soon!  Or maybe you’re wondering if we could work together at some point. I’d love to discuss that, of course. Here’s a quick rundown of how I might be able to help you:

Consulting

Working with teams and organizations to understand their challenges and helping them to craft efficient, scalable solutions is the core of my business. I’ve worked with several agencies and in-house teams in a variety of capacities that allow me to use my expertise to help them to transform the way they work, communicate, and deliver. 

If you’re looking for an outsider’s unbiased assessment and recommendations on your business operations and project management, or a leader to come in and oversee your team and operations, get in touch.

Coaching

I absolutely love my coaching clients, and I do everything to help them meet their goals. So, whether you’re looking to build a better system around your projects (and you’re willing to do it all on your own with some guidance), level up your PM skills, or find ways to get to that next promotion, I am here to help.

I’ve coached project managers, program managers, heads of operations and PM, and even agency owners. My approach is flexible, empathetic, and to-the-point. If you’re looking for business and career advice with a side of venting, get in touch. 

Delivery

This is where things get exciting. In addition to the work I’ve been doing for years (see above), I’m bringing back the work that got me here. If you’ve got a web or iOS project on your mind, let’s talk. I’ve had the benefit of working with some of the brightest minds in digital design and development, and would love to pull a team together to strategize, design, and launch your next big thing on time and within budget. 

We’re working with clients of all kinds: enterprise-level, start-up, non-profit, you name it. We can do it, and it will be fun getting it done. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Workshops

We’re still battling COVID-19, and I’m still doing workshops. Zoom has come a long way, and I’ve got a ton of experience presenting online. Two-hour online or full-day in-person workshops are a great opportunity to gather your team to discuss challenges and work through solutions, or even learn about new, more formalized ways of working.

I offer workshops through The Bureau of Digital fairly often, but also create customized workshops for organizations. Get in touch if you want to rally the team around the topic and get to work together. I’m a good facilitator and have a great time working through just about any topic with teams.

My door is always open. Come on in, let’s talk.

February 19, 2015 - No Comments!

Motivation First

I’ve been reading (and seeing) a lot of articles lately about productivity: How to be more productive, productivity killers, how managers can be more productive, how to help your employees to be more productive, and so on. Each article is full of really good tips on how to manage your day. Each article is written from the perspective of the author*. Obvious, I know. But they’re writing tips that are based on their own work, schedule, etc. And if there’s anything I’ve learned as a PM at various companies working with several personality types, it’s that there is no single solution for anything. What one person finds helpful, the next finds annoying. How we work is personal, and it should be.

It’s easy to follow some of the helpful guidelines that are out there, but you’ll never achieve true productivity if you aren’t motivated to do a great job. It’s simple: if you are motivated by an outcome or even a feeling that work gives you, you’ll find ways to be more productive, and it return, successful. When you’re excited about work, you’re willing to take more on. You want to work, because something about it excites you.

What does that mean if you’re in a job where you feel productive enough but not excited? It could mean that you should find something new. But before you jump ship, take the time to examine what makes you happy. Ask yourself some questions: Out of all of your tasks, what are the things that you really enjoy? What is it about those things that you enjoy? Why do you like them? Are there ideas, practices, or approaches that could cross-over to the tasks you don’t love as much? From there, take the time to think about ways to make the mundane tasks exciting, and maybe—JUST MAYBE—you’ll find a newfound love for them. Sometimes all we need to do is mix things up to rekindle the love we once had for something—even work.

So go on, read the next “productivity” article you see. Implement some new ideas. I’m pretty sure that the tips in those articles will help you! But be sure to think about what motivates you, and do what you love.

* I might be one of those authors.

February 3, 2015 - No Comments!

Love your work

It took me about 6 years and 3 jobs to realize that I wasn't fully happy with my work. Sure, I was working on great projects with really nice, smart people, but I wasn't in a role where I could do my best work. It wasn't until someone told me I should be a PM that I actually realized what I was meant to do. Ever since, I've found this drive to be a better project manager and help others be better as well. Now that I'm an independent consultant, I've made this a central goal for myself and my business. After all, this industry needs confident, happy digital project managers.

As a consultant, I'm helping companies to improve their project processes and communications, but I'm also offering one-on-one coaching services. A DPM can make or break profitability, set the tone for team and customer happiness, and they can facilitate processes that work. None of this comes over night, even for a seasoned project manager in a new role. We all need someone to turn to when we are facing an issue, want advice, or just need to vent. With some guidance, a good Digital PM can be great, and I would love to be the person to offer it.

So how would it work? Through a monthly retainer, I'm providing regular coaching through structured meetings and on an ad hoc basis to provide advice, direction, and encouragement. I'll take my clients under my wing and help them on a variety of topics, including but not limited to:

  • Estimating project and task time
  • Writing solid scopes of work
  • Creating reports to share overall data on project health
  • Understanding stakeholders
  • Best practices for project planning
  • Conducting project management research
  • Being confident with clients and not being afraid of difficult conversations
  • Working with a variety of personalities and backgrounds—from creative to technical
  • Taking stellar meeting notes (and sharing!)

I'm excited for the opportunity to work with a variety of project managers to help find what their best qualities, and work on the things they can improve on. It's kind of crazy, because at the same time, I'll get to do what I love. It's a win-win.

If you're interested in working with me, please get in touch.