People and Projects

“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…

We all know this person. They decide they’re finally going to renovate their bathroom. Not a full demolition, just a “quick refresh.” New vanity, maybe some tiles. Easy. So they start researching. And researching. And then researching better research. They compare grout colours like it’s a life-or-death decision. They read 47 reviews on faucets. They…

What happens after you have a good idea? Take something simple like starting a vegetable garden. You’ve got a tiny city patio, but you’re not letting that stop you. You research vertical container gardening, chat with a master gardener at the farmers’ market, sketch out a plan, buy all the supplies, haul everything home, and…

A friend told me recently that she’s planning to get some work done on her house next month. Naturally, the project manager in me asked what she was planning. “You know… stuff,” she said. I asked if she was planning to do the work herself or hire someone. She shrugged and said she’d probably have…

How many initiatives are currently living off the side of your desk? Or better question, how many are quietly falling off and you’re hoping no one notices? If you’re like most people I work with, the answer is somewhere between “just a few” and “should I be concerned?” For anyone new to the phrase, “side…

We all know a pushy person. The one who follows up… then follows up on the follow-ups, then circles back in case you missed the first two. They’re the ones who keep reminding you to do things you’re not ready to do. And when you tell them you’re not ready, they’re back the next day…

What are the things that your gut tells you? That you’re hungry, or you have an upset stomach? Or that you’re nervous? But what about the quieter signals, the subtle nudges that seem to come from somewhere deeper? The feeling that something is not quite right, or the sense that you need to lean in…

I recently learned that one of my earliest project management mentors has passed away. Fred was in his early 90s, and his life was filled with fascinating work, bold projects, and adventures that could fill volumes. But what I will remember most is not his resume. It is the steady presence he offered me over…

A few weeks ago, someone popped back into my life completely out of the blue. This was a person who meant a lot to me and who helped me through a pretty rough time. They were the one that helped me sort through things when my head was spinning. In a lot of ways, they…

I once knew a demolition project manager whose job was to bring buildings down safely in the middle of busy cities.  This is not the kind of work where you can afford to hit snooze. You have to be sharp. He used to admit that he would become so absorbed in planning details that he…