Episode Description:
In Episode 120 of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, Suzie Price interviews Tamara McLemore, a seasoned PMP instructor and executive consultant. Tamara shares how the PMP certification can empower professionals across industries, offering practical tools for project management and career advancement. She highlights the versatility of project management skills, emphasizing that everyone—from corporate professionals to homemakers—can benefit from them.

Tamara’s signature two-week PMP boot camp accelerates the learning process, helping participants pass the exam in 30 to 60 days. The episode also covers essential strategies for retaining information under pressure, such as creating a study schedule, embracing failure as part of learning, and leveraging community support. Tamara stresses the importance of balance and self-care, as well as finding the right community to support personal and professional growth.

This conversation will inspire anyone looking to elevate their project management skills and career trajectory.

Overview of Episode #120 ---

• How Project Management skills will enhance every area of your life.
• Learning strategies for individual and organizational success.
• Two actions and one focus area that can lead to Wake Up Eager work and a Wake Up Eager Life.

In this episode:

[00:06:16] Tamara McLemore: So the PMP is the project management professional certification and it is historically a certification for IT, government, military. HOWEVER, I have to say that with all caps, however, project management is for everybody. I mean healthcare, executive admins, education, you name it. Every industry is requiring project managers. Now you don't have to all get the certification if you don't want to. But my belief is that everybody is a project manager. The end. Period.

[00:07:52] Suzie Price: If you can't organize your day and your time, you're not waking up eager, which is my whole driver in life is to, you know, enjoy every day. And if everything is pure chaos, you're not going to enjoy every day and anything.

[00:09:25] Tamara McLemore: But what we found is project managers suck at managing people.

[00:18:32] Tamara McLemore: It is not about passing an exam. Yes, you're going to pass exam, but it is about showing up different. It is about utilizing your time. It is about working in your strengths. I'm a huge component of strength finders.

[00:21:25] Tamara McLemore: The first one is create a study schedule. Like we're scheduling everything. We're scheduling our vacations. We schedule what we're going to do on the weekends our kids, our nieces and nephews, our fur babies. We're scheduling everything. But for professional development, you're just going to wing it?

[00:22:05] Tamara McLemore: The second thing is, which is a project management methodology that I didn't realize I was doing until recently, is fail fast.

[00:30:16] Suzie Price: It becomes a part of the culture. And for executives and HR leaders thinking about this, make project management a part of the skill set for everybody.

[00:31:31] Tamara McLemore: So just doing things different, it's not a switch. You know how you flip a switch to turn a light off and on? It's a knob that we have to turn, and gradually, gradually, you know, change the way we're doing business.

[00:41:08] Tamara McLemore: I did know it. I just didn't know how to apply it. So I knew I could verbalize it, but the application, there was a disconnect and answering the questions.

[00:42:24] Tamara McLemore: I haven't had the Sunday night scaries in years and my people don't. Because with the PMP certification, the number one thing they have is options.

[00:51:51] Suzie Price: And your whole approach to PMP is outside the box. You know, that's a forward-looking approach that's working.

In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, Suzie Price sits down with Rene Critelli, Employee Success Manager at HUB International, to explore the leadership strategies that drive employee engagement and retention. Rene shares her journey, leadership tips, and how HUB International fosters a thriving, entrepreneurial culture even as it grows into a global powerhouse.

Overview of Episode #119 ---

• The Journey to Becoming an Employee Success Manager at HUB International
• Five Leadership Actions that Lead to Employee Success
• How and Why They Use TriMetrix in Hiring, Coaching and Team Building
• The One Thing Leaders Can Do That Makes the Biggest Difference in Employee Success

Episode 119 of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, Suzie Price interviews Rene Critelli, an Employee Success Manager at HUB International, who offers insightful advice on leadership and employee engagement. Rene discusses her unique role, emphasizing the importance of leadership development and how HUB International uses tools like Trimetrix to enhance hiring, coaching, and team building.

She highlights key leadership actions that contribute to employee success, including the significance of personalized communication, creating a feedback-rich environment, and maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit within a large organization.

Rene also shares how HUB's decentralized approach and commitment to integrity and growth have fostered a culture that supports continuous learning and community involvement. The episode provides practical takeaways for leaders looking to improve employee retention and engagement.

In this episode:

[00:04:52] Suzie on the job title of Employee Success Manager

[00:05:32] Rene shares what led her to this role and more on her career journey to HUB International.

[00:08:25] Rene on her top focus of leadership development, because that's really where she feels that most of that employee experience and retention trickles down from.

[00:12:31] Suzie shares outsiders perspective on HUB International's entrepreneurial, high energy workplace.

[00:16:42] Rene on appreciating HUB's decentralized approach, where each region can operate autonomously.

[00:20:43] Rene on importance of talking to your employees and really getting to know them on a personal level.

[00:24:59] Suzie and Rene discuss the ideal meeting cadence and how this differs among employees.

[00:26:26] Rene speaks on HUB International's employee recognition program.

[00:35:40] Rene on using the side-by-side reporting during onboarding, particularly with the producer and account manager relationship,

[00:45:14] Rene chats about her non-profit and volunteer passions.

[00:52:11] Susie asks Rene who has been the most influential individuals in her career progression.

In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, host Suzie Price dives into the realm of practical thinking. Discover how mastering the ability to get things done immediately, thoroughly, and cheerfully can transform your professional and personal life. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or looking to enhance your practical thinking skills, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable tips to help you achieve your goals with greater efficiency and joy.

Overview of Episode #118 ---

• What is Practical Thinking and Why It Matters
• Real Life Examples of the Impact of Having High and Low Scores
• Seven Competency Behavior-Based Interview Questions to Ask Your Candidates
• Coaching Improvement with Three 'Must-Haves', Eight Tools and Coaching Exercises and Thirteen Quick Tips

In Episode 118 of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, Suzie Price explores the critical skill of practical thinking, focusing on how to improve our ability to get things done immediately, thoroughly, and cheerfully. Practical thinking is one of the six key areas measured by the Trimetrix assessment, a tool used to enhance self-awareness and improve decision-making throughout the employee lifecycle.

Suzie begins by explaining the concept of practical thinking and why it matters. She emphasizes that practical thinking is essential for anyone feeling overwhelmed or looking to optimize their productivity. The episode provides a deep dive into real-life examples of individuals with high and low scores in practical thinking, including Suzie’s personal journey of transforming her own practical thinking skills.

Listeners are introduced to seven competency-based interview questions designed to assess practical thinking in candidates, along with three must-haves for coaching improvement: awareness, readiness, and knowledge. Suzie shares eight practical tools and exercises to enhance practical thinking, such as adopting a mindset mantra, maintaining an appreciation journal, and overcoming the planning fallacy.

One of the highlighted resources is David Allen’s "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity," a methodology that helps individuals manage tasks and projects effectively. Suzie discusses the benefits of implementing this system and how it has personally helped her achieve a more organized and stress-free workflow.

The episode concludes with a reminder of the importance of practical thinking in creating a wake-up eager life and workforce. Suzie encourages listeners to embrace the insights and tools shared to enhance their productivity and overall well-being.

In this episode:

[00:02:00] Insights on creating a Wake Up, Eager Workforce and using the Trimetrix assessment to pinpoint areas where there could be some gaps, as opposed to guessing where the challenge might be.