Session Description:
Everyone has talents and strengths. Everyone does projects. What would happen if you integrated your talents and strengths with project management -- to become a strengths-based project team? Find out by attending this interactive session.
To become a strengths-based project team, it first starts with YOU – by discovering, understanding, articulating, and intentionally applying your own talents and strengths. For there, you can do the same with your project team members – to maximize the collective talents and strengths of everyone.
Together we will:
- Become familiar with StrengthsFinder and your top 5 strengths.
- Map your top 5 strengths to project management.
- Explore the characteristics of a strengths-based project team.
- Show the building blocks for developing a strengths-based project team.
This presentation is an introduction to strengths-based project teams and is based on StrengthsFinder 2.0 (also known as CliftonStrengths) by Gallup. If you have already taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, great. Bring your top 5 strengths to the session. If not, don’t worry. You will have time in the session to “select” your top 5!
You don’t want to miss this session! It will be fun and informative!
Connie Plowman is well-known within PMI.
As a volunteer leader, Connie served on the Board of Director for PMI-Portland Chapter in various roles. She was our Chapter President in 2005. At that time, the Chapter had 750 members! From there, she became our Region 1 Mentor, then continued volunteering for PMI Global. After 20+ years, she “retired” her PMI volunteer hat.
As a corporate leader, Connie was the COO for Cadence Management Corporation, an international project management training & consulting firm. She was with Cadence for 22 years. While at Cadence, she became a frequent guest speaker for college students studying project management – which opened the door to
academia.
As an education leader, Connie began her education career as the Interim Executive Director for the CLIMB Center at Portland Community College. Today, Connie teaches project management classes at Clackamas Community College.
Connie has published two books with Business Expert Press – “Developing Strengths-Based Project Teams” and “Project Communications: A Critical Factor for Project Success.” In 2016, she received the PMI Eric Jenett Project Management Excellence Award – a highlight in her career.
Connie seems to retire, un-retire, retire, un-retire. Today, she is definitely un-retired!
Keynote: 1.0 Power Skills
Session Description:
A recent Gallup study identified 2 of the 3 major reasons organizational projects fail (technical, individual and stakeholder) are related to people or change factors. Oftentimes, organizations rely solely on the change professional to address these factors. In this engaging hands-on session, we make the case for why project managers need to be personally invested in organizational change as part of their project efforts. Participants learn how to position change as absolutely essential to project success as well as how to engage project managers to help action critical change moments that matter that have a significant impact on project success.
Participants walk away with practical learning that can immediately be applied to enhance any project professional's toolkit:
Define the Project Manager’s role in change
Explore key change moments that matter for project managers and how they can best support change
Gain learning and tools to put into immediate practice
Attendees will be able to:
- Understand the change through the lens of the project lifecycle
- Access aides for post-session reinforcement
Michelle Yanahan, Principal and Owner of ChangeFit 360, is a passionate organizational change management facilitator, strategist, and thought leader with proven expertise in executing change programs that grow organizational change management as a strategic business competency. Michelle has 20 +years of progressive business experience in leadership roles in operations, change IT execution, and project management office (PMO) development. Michelle holds a Masters in Organizational Behavior as well as CCMP and Prosci ADKAR change management certifications. Michelle has been a featured presenter and contributor for numerous professional organizations including ACMP, ATD, Change Management Institute, Change Management Review, PMI, OD Network, and SHRM. ChangeFit 360 is recognized by both ACMP and SHRM as a qualified education provider in support of their professional certifications and is proud to hold a >90% customer satisfaction rate.
Keynote: 1.0 Business Acumen
Session Description:
LinkedIn is your own personal virtual billboard and it is increasingly becoming the center of the job search and networking universe. Why is it then that 9 out of 10 profiles on LinkedIn are leaving so much to be desired? It’s because a) people don’t realize the importance of effectively marketing themselves on that platform and b) people don’t know what to do to actually win on LinkedIn. In this workshop, ‘Maximize Your Profile to Win on LinkedIn,” career coach, author, and U of O marketing instructor, Merryn Roberts-Huntley, will teach you how to take your profile to the next level. You’ll learn easy-to-execute tips to make yourself stand out on LinkedIn.
Together we will:
Maximize Your Profile to Win on LinkedIn
-
Learn easy-to-execute tips to make yourself stand out on LinkedIn.
Merryn Roberts-Huntley has 20 years of experience marketing global brands and helping people market themselves. She works as a career coach, teaches graduate-level marketing at the University of Oregon, and is the author of the book, “Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want”. Her clients and students call her their secret weapon. Learn more about Merryn at madetohire.com or connect with her on LinkedIn
Keynote: 1.0 Ways of Working
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the challenges and experiences of an executive struggling with mental illness.
- Learn about strategies and approaches for supporting employees with mental health issues.
- Discover how the services offered by Simple Mental Health Leadership Consulting help organizations create mentally healthy cultures.
- Explore the role of leadership in promoting mental wellbeing and reducing stigma surrounding mental illness in the workplace.
Adam Nemer will share his experiences as an executive struggling with mental illness and his journey to recovery. He will discuss the importance of mental health in the workplace and strategies for supporting employees with mental health challenges. Adam will speak of his work with the consulting company he created called Simple Mental Health Leadership Consulting. They help leaders and organizations create mentally healthy work environments by addressing the root cause of mental health issues and reducing stigma surrounding mental illness. He will discuss their mission to facilitate the creation of mental health literate and psychologically safe organizations. The presentation will conclude with Adam's vision to "transform organizational culture into stigma-free mental wellbeing environments."
This topic is particularly important for project managers because they play a key role in creating psychological safety within their teams and organizations. A focus on mental health can improve employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention, ultimately leading to project success. Project managers who understand the importance of mental health and have strategies for promoting it can create a positive and supportive work environment that benefits both individuals and the organization.
Adam Nemer spent 19 years as a CFO and Sr Operations executive at Kaiser Permanente, the largest integrated healthcare organization in the US. He struggled with severe yet undiagnosed depression, anxiety and panic, but was eventually helped by a colleague who recognized his struggles and encouraged him to seek help. As part of his recovery, Adam spoke for years across the Kaiser organization and MBA programs about life as an executive struggling with mental health and what leaders can do to support their employees struggling with mental health challenges. Subsequently, Adam led his teams in a way that brought cultural change to the organization. He now runs Simple Mental Health Leadership Consulting, www.simplementalhealth.com which helps leaders and organizations improve employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention by creating mentally healthy work environments. Their mission is simple: facilitate the creation of mental health literate and psychologically safe organizations. Adam's vision for the company is to "transform organizational culture into stigma-free mental wellbeing environments.
Keynote: 1.0 Power Skills
Speaker: Tim Runcie
Description: As technology is rapidly evolving, the need for delivering projects results has never been more important. Understanding how to include flexibility and best practices across any type of project is a key function of delivering on-time and exactly as promised. Come learn about how to apply an agile mindset or process in a waterfall world, or waterfall management while being agile.
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
Speaker: Natalia Kay O'Brien
Where to Find Natalia
Affinity Projects
https://www.affinityprojects.net/
Description:
Successful project management relies on more than just good planning. There are invisible inter personal dynamics and larger social forces at play creating barriers for some and biases that favor others. Set your team up for success by understanding each teammate comes with identities that inform specific experiences that shape their perspective and how they participate.
This presentation will provide attendees with an overview of some basic tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work while you learn ten concrete things you can do to make your project management more inclusive and accessible. People do their best work when they feel their best, and that means being seen, heard, respected, and feeling safe, while being resourced and supported appropriately. Learn why DEI matters and and how to walk the talk through key strategies, skills and tools essential for creating a space where your team excels.
We will identify biases and discrimination that are built into our work culture, discuss the difference between safety and comfort, and review best practices that, when implemented and/or operationalized, create safer and more inclusive spaces. You will also become familiar with the principles and practices of trauma-infromed care and how they can help improve communication, increase sense of safety, and ultimately build trust with your team.
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
Speaker: Adam Nemer
Where to Find Adam
https://simplementalhealth.com/
Description:
Twenty percent of Americans annually experience a clinically diagnosable mental illness that hurts the person, and impacts project delivery, as much as any physical illness. But less than half seek care.
Post-pandemic, it’s so dire, the US Surgeon General identified "Workplace Wellness" as a top 5 population health risk for America.
Unfortunately, from CEO’s to project managers, leaders don't know what to do. Their training was informed by the myths and stigmas of mental illness. (eg: "Leave emotions at the door.”) Traditional leadership culture is suffocating widely adopted workplace wellness strategies.
The Simple Mental Health model presented here awakens within you an inspired perspective on the prevalence and impact of the myths and stigma surrounding mental illness, a deeper understanding of how mental illness affects project delivery, and empowers you with simple steps to immediately make a difference that will change the lives of everyone around you.
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
Speaker: Sam MorganWhere to Find Sam
https://www.illuminatecoach.com/
Description:
You are tired of putting in all the long hours on that project, feeling energized by the work you are doing. Knowing you are making a real impact on people in your organization. Excited for the possibilities ahead in your career. Hoping for so much more…and then nothing.
You don’t feel seen. You don’t feel heard. And you certainly don’t feel valued.
So what do you do when you are drained and ready to quit on your dreams? Quietly walk away…
There is another way…you don’t have to throw in the towel just yet.
The way isn't quick or easy. It will take bravery, intention, time and commitment to the process. But you are up for it.
Sure you can keep spinning….stuck in a rut and never making real progress on your dreams. Living in the land “if only”...”shoulda, woulda, coulda” is your refrain. Rather than confidently taking steps every day toward opportunity….where the mantra is “so what…i’ll handle it!”
During this session I’m going to share the 4 steps of this simple pattern, my story of how practicing this pattern not only helped me launch my own coaching business …and most importantly how you can apply this pattern in your life to change the way you think and move forward in your career today and beyond.
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
Speaker: Steven Granese - Apex
Scaling Agile Roundup - A Comparison of the Most Popular Frameworks
Adopting an agile approach can be a true challenge for a software team. Frameworks like Scrum help teams begin their Agile journey. A more significant challenge is coordinating multiple Agile teams to build a unified enterprise product. Luckily, there are frameworks to help solve this problem too! "Scaled Agile" frameworks provide guidance when three or more teams need to work in a unified Agile way.
While there are many Scaled Agile frameworks on the market, massive confusion remains about which framework is appropriate for individual organizations or specific situations. Common questions from leaders are "What is the best way to scale?" and "When is the right time to scale?". Since there are no simple answers to these questions, the confusion about scaling persists.
This session addresses the most common questions that leaders have with scaling Agile. First, we review the most popular scaling frameworks like Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), and Nexus to provide a high-level overview of the market. Second, we compare these frameworks to help understand which ones solve similar problems and which ones may be appropriate for your situation. Finally, we discuss how to get started with any scaling approach to maximize your chances for success.
After this session, you should feel confident to discuss how a scaled framework could help your organization. Also, you should be able to identify which frameworks might solve your specific problems.
Where to Find More Info
https://www.apexsystems.com/
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
Speaker: Lisa DiTullio - Apex
Mind Over Matter: Tips for Driving Focus and Productivity
Excessive stress. An avalanche of emails. Too many meetings. Competing deadlines. Conflicting personalities. Managing projects in an increasingly complicated and ambiguous world is highly complex and extremely stressful.
This session will help you work smarter, be more focused and productive, stay cool under pressure, alleviate stress and anxiety and perhaps help you live longer.
Bridging the latest advances in neuroscience with the study of high performance, participants are introduced to practical approaches to help them work and lead more mindfully and deliver projects more successfully. Participants will learn how to increase resilience and improve productivity by adopting simple techniques that will improve:
- Focus and concentration
- Stress tolerance & impulse control
- Managing competing priorities
Where to Find More Info
https://www.apexsystems.com/
PDU(s): 1 (self-reporting code at end of video)
