Episode 213 – Building Your IMPACT Engine: The Blueprint for High-Performance Teams

Manage This - The Project Management Podcast

Transform your project teams into high-performance delivery engines! In this episode, we talk with Laura Barnard, author of The IMPACT Engine, who shares her powerful framework for transforming project teams into top-performing teams. Listen in to learn Laura’s insights on creating low-stress, high-impact success in project management, building trust, and adopting valuable strategies for driving successful change and avoiding common project management pitfalls. Chapters 00:00 … Intro02:31 … Meet Laura05:36 … The IMPACT Engine09:23 … Having the Right Mindset13:02 … Leading with Patience15:20 … Setting the Pace for the Project18:31 … Changing the “Haters”19:58 … The “Can of Sean”23:31 … Kevin and Kyle24:33 … “Give Them What They Want”28:29 … The One-on-One Interview33:00 … The Five Why Technique37:48 … Common Mistakes with PM and PMO Integration43:58 … Connect with Laura46:13 … Closing Intro LAURA BARNARD: People do change all the time. What happens, though, is that we forget that the reason those changes are successful, usually, is because they are self-driven. Right? People feel they want autonomy, they want freedom, they want control over their lives. And so, what happens is we say, “Oh, well, those people are resistant to change.” No, buddy. You’re just shoving change at them and doingchange to them instead of bringing them with you to the process. WENDY GROUNDS: Hello, and welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. We’re so glad you’ve joined us today. I am Wendy Grounds, and in the studio is our project management expert, Bill Yates. If you’re enjoying the show we’d love to hear from you. If it’s on our website Velociteach.com, on social media, or your favorite podcast app, your feedback helps us keep inspiring and supporting project managers like you. And if you’ve got questions about our podcasts or project management certifications, we’re here to help. Today’s episode, we have a powerhouse guest lined up for you. This is Laura Barnard, the author of “The IMPACT Engine.” She’s been at the forefront of integrating PMOs and project management into organizational strategy for nearly 30 years. She founded her first PMO in 1999 and has spent nearly three decades driving strategy delivery and sustainable change for global giants. Through her company, PMO Strategies, she’s helped organizations unlock the full potential of project management. Laura is actually a good friend of Kendall Lott, and he’s someone we had on our podcast a long time ago, Episode 79. BILL YATES: Seventy-nine. WENDY GROUNDS: Seventy-nine, yeah. We had Kendall Lott and Selena Buchanan on our podcast, and they were talking about project management design volunteering, which was really a very interesting episode. BILL YATES: Yes, it was. Time flies. I can’t believe it’s that long ago. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah, it was 2019, mm-hmm. BILL YATES: Yeah. The book that we’re going to talk about with Laura, she actually mentioned, she makes a few references to Kendall and some of the work that the three of them have done together. This book is called “The Impact Engine,” and I’ve got to tell you, I enjoyed reading that book. I thought the one pen I was using was going to run out of ink because I kept underlining, making comments in the side. So, I look forward to being able to talk through some of these key ideas with Laura in this conversation. I can’t wait to dive into this. Meet Laura WENDY GROUNDS: Hi, Laura. Welcome to Manage This. We’re so thankful that you’re here, and you’re joining us today. We’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time, so thank you for being here today. LAURA BARNARD: Oh, thank you so much for having me. It’s such an honor to share some interesting insights with your audience. WENDY GROUNDS: Yeah. No, we’re looking forward to getting into talking more about your book. But let’s find out a little bit about you.