What if I told you there was a really simple tool that you could use that could help you predict project success every time? And that this tool works on mega big projects as well as small projects? And that you can complete it in 10 minutes or less? In this week's podcast, I introduce this simple tool and tell you how to use it.

How can you be consistently more productive, yet also happier, less stressed, and more rewarded over the long term? And how do you achieve all that while maintaining your focus, your energy, and your balance in life? Research shows that high performers are more productive: they constantly look to find new ways to improve their productivity, and are very deliberate in how they approach planning and undertaking their days, projects and tasks. But Neuroscience research also shows that this is all ridiculously easier if you understand some basic principles about how the brain works. These principles hold true for individuals in any setting, as well as for teams. These principles help you: Understand how your brain approaches work How you focus How your brain uses energy How you can cut down on boredom to achieve more In this podcast, I will briefly explain the important characteristics of productivity, and 10 principles based on neuroscience. I also provide tactical ideas so that you can apply these principles to improve your productivity today.

Today’s Topic Achieving high performance requires planning, launching and managing projects. Most projects live or die on how well the people on your team do. But what do you do if your people fall of track on the project? This is more important for non project managers who aren’t used to managing people, but really anyone will benefit from this The principles and ideas in this episode works for smaller projects with 1 or 2 people reporting into you for the project, especially if they don’t report into you regularly. Reason This is so Important: Project success is really based on people more than process or tools Principles:  What do they want out of it, what do you want  Plan  Make them accountable Set process to hold feet to fire Communicate Action Steps Get visible senior approval and visibility Share the Load and Be Transparent   Use Project plan Regular Project meetings Keep things regular and consistent Help your team succeed Work together when things go wrong Communicate often  Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

Just about every project goes off the rails at some point in time. Maybe its due to technology issues, or your team isn't clicking, or you end up taking longer than expected to reach milestones. But what do you do once you realize the project has fallen off track? Throw up your hands in despair? Grin and bear it? Dig in? I n this episode, we will give you the 4 main principles to think about when dealing with out-of-control projects, plus 7 steps you can take to get them back on track, in gear and humming along like a well oiled machine. These tips and tricks will work for any size project in any industry! Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

I have found most community orgs can improve processes by up to 20%. But what does it really mean when you break it down? I have found 3 main ways to improve processes. You can use Lean Six Sigma for at least one of them, but you don’t have to. You can mix and match to some degree, but any way you slice you have to do at least one of these to get results. In this episode, I walk through the 3 main ways you can improve services in your organization. These 3 ways aren't very sexy, but they work regardless of size of the service or what it is you do. Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

Transformation projects exist on a continuum of increasing change: from service improvement, to optimization, to introducing a whole new service model to the queen bee herself, a transformation project that completely rewrites how you deliver services. On the surface, it sounds hard. But over the last 22+ years I have come to realize that there are really only 4 areas where you can improve, optimize, or transform your operations or services. Each of these areas can give you from 12% to 20% improvement. Today I am going to tell you about each of them. These are the places where you can start looking now, to improve performance. Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

There is a very good reason why I spend so much time talking to Community organization staff about project management. Good project management skills help lead to successful projects, which in turn has direct and indirect benefits to your clients. Listen in to this week’s episode to learn the 6 main reasons why and how project management skills are so important for organizations. Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

In this episode we go over how to start your project off with a bang. It is important to take a moment or two and set things up properly so that your project can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.  To achieve this, I start every project – regardless of size – with a “Project Foundations” stage. In this episode, we describe what this first phase is, and give you five really solid reasons why you should start with this preparation stage versus starting off with the fun project work you are dying to get to. We also make suggestions on the main activities in this stage, and we talk about the main outcomes you should be achieving. Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

In this weeks episode, I provide a little magic fairy dust. I help you find time to work on your project! This is typically one of the biggest constraints that busy people have when taking on projects. I go through the main reasons why you don't have time, but more importantly I provide 5 tried and tested ways to make managing project work take less time. Want Some Powerful Tools and Tips to Reduce Costs and Improve Services? Sign up for our weekly email blast  to get the latest podcasts, blogs, and surprise content that helps community and broader public sector staff to plan and manage change and do more with what you have. If you sign up now, you will receive our free resource on the 4 main ways to improve services, cut costs, and improve service effectiveness.

Did you know there is one tool that can help you succeed at projects more so than just about any other? This unsung approach and tool is one of the least talked about control tools in project management circles, but is one of the most important reasons any of my projects have succeeded or failed. I am talking about a stakeholder analysis and engagement tool. It is simple to build, easy to use, but oh so highly effective. In this episode we dive into what it is, why it is so important, and how to use it.