https://www.pm-podcast.com/541 - Project leadership is more than delivering on time and budget. It is about leading people with honesty, awareness, and courage. In this episode, leadership coach and author Susanne Madsen joins Cornelius Fichtner to discuss how project managers can transform their project outcomes by developing authentic leadership. Drawing from her acclaimed book, *The Power of Project Leadership*, Susanne explains the Project Leadership Matrix, how to assess whether we are proactive or reactive, and how self-awareness is the foundation of great leadership. She also unpacks how leaders can balance people and task focus while recognizing that reactivity often stems from corporate culture rather than personality.

Susanne highlights that leadership begins with self-awareness, courage, and emotional intelligence. Using real-world examples, she shows how leaders can "feel the fear and do it anyway" when faced with tough decisions, and how to develop a deeper understanding of what drives people by recognizing their six human needs: certainty, variety, significance, connection, growth, and contribution. Together, Cornelius and Susanne discuss the natural tensions between humility and confidence, empathy and decisiveness, and how combining these traits helps leaders inspire trust and foster team alignment.

Other key insights include the importance of congruence—aligning one's purpose, values, and behaviors—and how leaders can influence upwards by building trust and communicating authentically. Susanne also shares hands-on advice for leading remote teams, maintaining human connection in virtual environments, and creating empowering team cultures. The conversation closes with three timeless takeaways: develop self-awareness, empower your team, and lead with courage even when the path isn't easy. As Susanne says, project leaders aren't in the game to take the path of least resistance—they are there to make a difference.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/540 - When stakeholders doubt the schedule, they doubt the leader behind it. Project schedules are more than a collection of dates... they are instruments of leadership that can either inspire confidence or create skepticism. In this conversation, Michael Pink, CEO of SmartPM Technologies, joins Cornelius Fichtner to explain how schedule visibility enables project leaders to see risks early, prevent overruns, and lead with credibility. Drawing from his experience in analyzing thousands of construction projects, Michael explains how transparent and data-driven schedules elevate leadership trust, keep teams aligned, and ensure projects stay on course.

Michael discusses why "seeing is leading," emphasizing that project managers who make performance data visible can prevent small delays from escalating into unmanageable risks. He identifies common misconceptions about schedule performance, such as relying on overly optimistic plans or ignoring aggregated data that reveal patterns hidden from daily firefighting. By reframing visibility as a leadership behavior, he shows how understanding the data helps teams spend time where it truly matters, rather than just running through walls hoping for the best.

The discussion continues with practical strategies to turn visibility into action. Michael outlines three foundational practices: building a schedule worthy of managing the job, gauging performance objectively, and updating schedules frequently enough to make timely decisions. His advice is both pragmatic and slightly humorous (reminding listeners that losing "a week per week" is far better than losing "a month per month.") The episode concludes with insights on how technology like SmartPM helps project managers bridge the gap between data analysis and decision-making, making schedule visibility not just a reporting tool but a genuine leadership advantage.

https://www.pm-podcast.com/538 -

Managing more than one project at a time can feel like a constant balancing act, and for many project managers it is part of everyday life. In this conversation, Elizabeth Harrin joins Cornelius Fichtner to discuss the updated second edition of Managing Multiple Projects and the changes it brings. The discussion highlights how Chapter 7 has been reframed as "Practices," offering practical approaches for building sustainable success. Listeners will gain clear advice on where to start, how to set boundaries, and which methods can lighten the workload without sacrificing quality.

The conversation covers a range of practical techniques that project managers can apply immediately. These include using checklists and templates to save time, establishing governance structures that provide oversight without overwhelming the team, and applying prioritization practices that help determine what must be done first. Elizabeth also talks about the systems that support day-to-day control, from simple status reports to personal productivity habits that keep everything aligned. The discussion remains firmly rooted in actionable steps that project managers can put to work in their own environments.

Alongside structured practices, Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of sustainable habits. Project managers need methods that work not just for the next deadline but over the long term. Topics like managing personal energy, setting realistic expectations, and learning when to say no appear throughout the discussion. While these may sound obvious, they are often overlooked when the pressure is on. The episode leaves listeners with the confidence that managing multiple projects does not have to mean being constantly overwhelmed, but instead can be approached with systems and strategies that truly work.