The Power of Genuine Connection

The Power of Genuine Connection

Karla Mae Eidem [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-eidem-pmp/], Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at Project Management Institute, joins Trina and Mathew to talk about the experiences that shaped the way she leads projects. Her career has taken her across countries, cultures, industries, and unfamiliar roles, where she learned to read between the lines, understand different perspectives, and find common ground with the people around her. Her superpower, genuine connection, is at the heart of the conversation. Karla shares why project leaders need to understand not only the work, but also the business, the team dynamics, and the people responsible for making decisions. Those relationships take time to build, but they create the trust project leaders need to influence others, work through roadblocks, align teams with strategy, and earn a place at the decision table. Show Notes 00:16 Meet Karla Eidem, Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at PMI 01:21 What is the Project Management Institute? 03:19 What is the difference between a PMO, TMO, and EPMO? 06:40 How Karla began her career in project management 08:33 How PMI chapters help project professionals build community 10:00 Growing leadership skills through PMI volunteer roles 13:26 How Karla moved from PMI volunteer to PMI employee 16:34 The people skills that shaped Karla’s project leadership career 18:08 Why genuine connection is a project leadership superpower 20:00 How courage, problem-solving, and curiosity help project leaders grow 22:00 How PMOs can create more value for the business 24:10 Why PMOs must navigate complexity, not just document it 24:27 How PMOs move from support function to decision partner 25:05 Why becoming a trusted decision partner takes courage 27:56 What is the PMI Talent Triangle? 28:20 Why business acumen matters for project managers 30:57 How project leaders translate between teams and business functions 32:00 Leading projects across cultures and languages 34:13 How to connect with stakeholders who have different personalities 34:35 Why stakeholder trust begins with genuine connection 36:43 How project leaders keep learning as their responsibilities grow 36:53 How to adapt to a new leadership role without losing authenticity 38:00 What is PMI’s MORE framework? 39:35 How the role of the project professional is changing Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Leading with Your Strengths

In this special live episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, recorded at the PMI Orange County Chapter [https://pmi-oc.org/] in Anaheim, California, Trina Schaetz talks with Marjan Khan, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjan-khan/] HR Project Manager at Mazda North America Operations, and Tamas Vejsz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamasvejsz24391/], Senior Project and Program Leader at CTC Global.  Marjan and Tamas share how they discovered their leadership strengths, how those strengths were shaped by their career paths and life experiences, and why strong leaders do not have to be good at everything. The conversation explores structure, communication, consensus-building, career pivots, asking for help, and building the kind of network that helps cover blind spots.  01:15 Leading from authentic strengths, not an impossible ideal 01:32 Marjan’s nonlinear path into project management 02:22 Tamas’s path from engineering to project leadership 04:01 Recognizing the strengths people consistently come to you for 04:17 Marjan’s strength: bringing structure and clarity 04:42 How Marjan’s communication strength was shaped early in life 05:43 Tamas on leading technical teams through relationships and consensus 06:30 Your strengths may shift depending on the role or season 06:58 Tamas on honing strengths over the course of a career 08:06 Strong leaders know who helps them think better 08:20 The people who see your capability before you do 09:23 Mentors who help you grow through blind spots 10:07 Why trust matters when someone gives you hard feedback 10:25 Asking for help without treating it like weakness 11:24 Start small, learn, and grow from the support you receive 11:44 Marjan on building a project management network inside Mazda 13:00 Networking starts with people already close to you 14:10 Marjan on being brave enough to reach out 15:08 Different strengths, same strong leadership 15:42 Get brave, go out there, and build your network  Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

The Power of Decisive Leadership

In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina Schaetz and Mathew Sparkes talk with Misty Boyd, Senior Director of ePMO at LION, about the power of decisive leadership in project management. Misty shares how directness, action, and outcome-focused thinking can help PMO leaders move work forward, support executive decision-making, and keep project teams aligned to business strategy. This conversation explores what it means to be a decisive project leader without becoming overly command-and-control. Misty talks about learning to balance directness with communication, how PMO leaders can translate project realities into business impact, and why the best decisions often come from clear data, trusted relationships, and a shared understanding of priorities. In This Episode • How decisive leadership helps project teams move forward  • Why directness can be both a strength and a blind spot  • How PMO leaders support executive decision-making  • Why project work must connect to business value and strategy  • How to communicate tradeoffs, priorities, and project realities clearly  • What leaders rely on from the PMO when decisions need to be made  • How decisive people keep going when new information changes the plan  00:00 Meet Misty Boyd  02:05 From Trade Shows to Software Projects  03:00 Leading the ePMO at LION  05:20 Supporting the People Who Support First Responders  08:00 Learning to Lead in the Gray  11:10 Misty’s Superpower: Decisive Leadership  14:00 When Directness Becomes a Blind Spot  16:00 Untangling Years of Customization  19:15 Avoiding Analysis Paralysis  21:00 Balancing Speed, Buy-In, and Risk  22:15 Why Decisive Leadership Is Attractive  23:15 Helping Executives See Priorities Clearly  25:00 Connecting Project Work to Business Impact  27:10 Communicating Differently With Different Leaders  28:10 Showing Tradeoffs Before Decisions Are Made  31:15 When the Plan Changes  33:00 Picking the Work Back Up  34:15 Where Misty’s Leadership Strength Started  36:00 Final Thoughts on Decisive Leadership  This episode is especially helpful for project managers, PMO leaders, program directors, and operations leaders who want to lead with clarity, communicate value to executives, and make better decisions across complex project work. About Project Insight Project Insight is project and portfolio management software for growing companies that need better visibility across projects, resources, budgets, priorities, and work happening in multiple tools. Project Insight helps PMOs and project leaders centralize project data, reduce manual reporting, and give executives a clearer picture of organizational work. Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

The Curious Yes

In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina Schaetz talks with Ashley Simmons, VP of PMO at Summit Seven [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlee-simmons-mba-pmp-92726249/], about PMO leadership, stakeholder management, organizational strategy, and leading change with curiosity. Trina first heard Ashley speak on a panel at PMO UnCon in San Diego [https://pmoga.pmi.org/pmouncon] in spring 2026, where Ashley’s talent for stakeholder management, organizational strategy, and change stood out right away. In “The Curious Yes,” Ashley shares how she developed that strength across her career, from project specialist to PMO executive, and how some of the mindset behind it started even earlier, back when she was playing national team soccer. This conversation is especially valuable for project managers, PMO leaders, and business leaders who want to build trust, support executive decision-making, and drive business value. Topics include: * PMO value  * Stakeholder management  * Executive decision-making  * Business acumen  * Curiosity in leadership  * Project manager career growth  * Mentorship  * The power of a “curious yes” Watch the video version here  [https://youtu.be/gJYPm2YcAl8] Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Born with the Project Management Gene

In this episode, Trina and Mathew talk with Joe Pusz, better known as "PMO Joe," [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepusz] about discovering project management, learning from mentors, leading PMOs, and understanding the business value behind project work. Joe shares why project leaders need to stay focused on purpose, customer needs, executive priorities, and the people doing the work. He also reflects on how being unemployed during the recession shaped his mission and inspired the work behind PMO Squad Staffing. 1:45 | Joe’s project beginnings Joe shares how he first got started in project work. 5:00 | Preparing for Y2K Joe talks about where his career went next, including Y2K and learning from his first great mentor. 6:30 | Leading projects across industries Joe reflects on leading projects at Cessna Aircraft, Bell Helicopter, Textron Financial, and Wellstar Healthcare. 7:05 | First PMO leadership role Joe shares how he stepped into his first PMO leadership role. 8:25 | Projects have a purpose Joe talks about one of the most important lessons from his career. 10:30 | Earned-value management The conversation turns to earned-value management and project performance. Joe shares that it does not matter how well the project is running if the work is not meeting the customer’s need. 12:00 | Understanding the business Joe reflects on a mentor who helped him understand the business value of the project. 13:00 | Managing experienced teams Joe talks about motivating and managing people with more experience through coaching, feedback, motivation, and team focus. 14:25 | Not having all the answers Joe offers advice for PMO leaders managing big teams and large financial projects, including why you can never have too many mentors and why it is okay to say, “I don’t have all the answers.” 15:48 | Translating project information for executives Joe talks about translating project information so executives can make strategic decisions.  18:44 | Correction Trina mentions “Ashley Simpson,” but meant to say Ashley Simmons. 20:00 | Never forgetting that feeling Joe shares what it was like to be unemployed during the recession and never forgot the feeling of struggling to provide for his family. That experience helped inspire PMO Squad Staffing. 23:00 | PMO Squad Staffing Joe explains the special edge PMO Squad Staffing brings across tech, consulting, and staffing. 24:00 | Resume advice Joe shares why resumes need to show results and business acumen. Joe explains why project professionals should stop applying for jobs. 27:45 | Be a force multiplier Joe encourages people to connect with 10 PMO leaders for mentoring advice. 28:15 | Joe’s superpower Joe shares how staying connected to what people are going through, especially when it mirrors something he has gone through, has become one of his superpowers. 29:00 | Take a bite of everything Joe closes with the advice to take a bite of everything at the buffet. PMO Squad Staffing Website: https://www.thepmosquad.com/ Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]