The APS Chronicle: Navigating Your Path to Success, One Project at a Time

Pop Over and Win a Gift Card!

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 21:11:00 GMT

Pop Over and Win a Gift Card!

Ever been to a pop-up shop? How about a pop-up shop for project management? APS is planning precisely that! Help me come up with a fantastic name for it…
Pop-up PM? Pop-up Plans Are Us? The Popping PM?
And if your title is chosen, you’ve got a bag of swag headed your way! That lovely prize package might include a $25 Starbucks, Amazon, or Chik-fil-a card. �55357;�56384;
The first 5 to submit an idea will receive a tool tailored to one of their current projects for free + a $5 gift card to one of the above places. I can almost smell the coffee breath now…

Second-Hand High, First-Hand Inspiration

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:57:00 GMT

Second-Hand High, First-Hand Inspiration

Brick by brick. Person by person. Joyful moment, thoughtful lesson, inspiring event by joyful moment, thoughtful lesson, and inspiring event. Thank you for helping me build a community - helping US build a community. This month’s focus is on someone I met during our Spotlight , and she has no idea she’s being featured. If that’s not a lovely start-of-the-week pick-me-up that’s (almost) better than a gallon of coffee with a pint of cream, I don’t know what is.
The lovely Brittany Sweeney-Lawson, or Sweeney as she prefers, who’s the Marketing & Communications Manager for SciTech, became my work bestie while I served as PM for the Youth STEM Congress. “Did we just become best friends? I think so!” (I feel a bit traitorous as this is a tagline for my Bestie Bestie, but she knows my heart, hahahaha). Brittany and I clicked instantly, and we’re now the type of colleagues who’ve developed a friendship that extends beyond the workplace.
Why is she our first community highlight? Because she can say the very cool words, “On my podcast…” She has a podcast, y’all! Anyone who knows me understands my deep and abiding love and appreciation for podcasts. In case you’re interested, I’m listing some of my fave below! “Second-Hand High” is all about the moments of goodness that inspire and uplift us - “the best side of humanity” as she describes it. Normally, our Feature Friday post has to be fairly succinct to fit within the parameters of social media platforms. Thankfully, a blog allows for a much fuller picture of that person and their venture. I hope you’ll enjoy this longer form of Feature Friday .
Business Name : Second-Hand High Podcast, est. 2021
Business Owner : Brittany Sweeney-Lawson
Fave thing about owning her own business : “Hearing the sound of my own voice.” That’s a direct quote. She’s so vain, she probably thinks this song blog is about her. (See? We have very, very similar humor). “It’s a good reminder of how capable I am, because I’ve had to do everything from scratch. From making the intro and outro, to the cover art, to finding out what an RSS feed is and how you connect that to other platforms like Spotify or iTunes in order for it to be broadcast through several different platforms. I’m a one-woman production crew, from recording the pod and putting the podcast outline together to doing the interview, editing the episode, publishing it, and promoting it. It’s a great venture to have started, and a big part of it is hearing from people who have been affected by it. Whenever I get emails or social media messages where people are telling me how cool they find the episodes or how impactful it is to hear stories of good from others. [In a lot of the media], there’s a lot of juicy, bad news; there’s distressing [items], murders, but there’s not a ton of stuff out there that’s like, “hey, this is the best side of humanity.” And I think hearing that is helpful not just for me, but for other people. From what they’ve told me, it’s a good reminder that there’s a reason we keep trying and putting our best foot forward.
Most challenging thing about owning her own business : There are so many aspects of it to consider, like trying to find new guests and just making the time, putting in the effort and the time and the work to try to make it successful and fulfilling and interesting to other people. How she overcomes this challenge: I think a lot of it has to do with having a system, and I feel like that’s the most common answer in the world. But what’s going to work for me is not going to work for Billy Bob down the street. So knowing what works for me, like what are the best times? When do I have time to even do the things that I need to do to make this podcast work? What are the best times for posting; what are the best times to talk with other people, considering scheduling. A lot of it is planning and preparation, knowing the system, knowing the process - having a process - and following it through and adjusting and fine tuning it as needed because things change. Especially with anything media-related, there’s constantly something new and exciting, some new-fangled doodad; (nothing’s going to date me like that sentence; *eye roll* she turns 37 next month). There’s constantly some new update or some new program, software, something to get to now and be on top of.
<Can I pause right here and firmly reiterate how true this is and exactly how overwhelming it can be for one-woman, one-man, one-person business owners? As we work to fit in all the duties that comprise successfully running any business, a persistent, seemingly round-the-clock influx of new tech, new tools, new info floods our channels, and we have to sift through it all ourselves, becoming as versed as possible without attempting to master each item, especially to the detriment of progress. The struggle is so deeply real.>
Back to Sweeney: Having a protocol, but being flexible with the changing of the tide - because it’s always going to change - and a lot of times that is beneficial. It’s the same reason we’re not using typewriters anymore. So that’s part of the excitement of it, figuring it out and then continually honing that process.
Advice for other small business owners : (In response to my callout that so many of us SBOs where it’s just us, and we wear so many hats, precisely all the hats). Get a good hat rack. [Know that] it’s going to be hard no matter what. When your biggest boss and driver to success is yourself, be gracious with yourself, be willing to know there’s going to be a lot of mistakes made along the way, and be willing to experiment and ask for advice and help from other people who have been there. With podcasting, I got lucky because I wasn’t joining in on the very front lines of it. There were already tons of podcasts, so I was able to do a little bit of homework. I was able to look at what other podcasts did; I was aable to ask for advice from people who were early listeners, get feedback and stuff. But I thnk most importantly is just remembering why you want to do what you do. You could always work for someone else; you could always do just about anything else. But what it is that is driving you to work so hard to have your own business? What is your why? What is the purpose? Not losing sight of that amongst all the chaos and frenetic energy that surrounds you all the time when you’re trying to make it work from day to day.
To listen to Second-Hand High : https://www.buzzsprout.com/1787332 which will link you to all the streaming platforms on which you can find the podcast. Your's Truly will be featured in an upcoming episode!! Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070042946557 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/secondhandhighohmy/ To contact or share your second-hand high : secondhandhi.ohmy@gmail.com

A Few Fave Podcasts
The Amelia Project - comedy sc-ifi Mockery Manor - comedy sci-fi Old Gods of Appalachia - eldritch horror My Favorite Murder - true crime comedy (handled respectfully) The NoSleep Podcast - horror The Read - pop-culture comedy (LGBTQIA+) Birds of Empire - modern folk-epic

Who's in Charge, Here?

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:51:00 GMT

Who's in Charge, Here?

"Who runs the world? Girls!"
Women in project management. That’s a fascinating topic for me. Out of curiosity, and some deep dives and long falls down the rabbit hole, I came across a March 2023 article titled “ The State of Women in Project Management, 2023 ,” published by Project Management Institute (PMI), arguably the most well-known and well-respected professional project management associations. It’s a source of knowledge and offers the PMP - your surefire project management certification that’s globally recognized. Three key insights from the report:

Male project managers outnumber their female counterparts around the world and in every sector, but the gaps differ greatly by region and industry.
Women earn less than men and are slightly less likely to have a project management certification or a project management degree.
While there are far fewer women in the project workforce, they are only slightly less likely than men to have a leadership role.

The first two are standard fare across several industries, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised to see these call-outs or the subsequent information detailing the above conclusions.
What I found curious? First, let me put forth what may be an unpopular or even stereotypical opinion: w omen are soooo much better at organizing . �55358;�56631;�55356;�57341;‍♀️ We're the ones who find all the "lost" things in our households; we know our kids' schedules backwards and forwards six ways from Sunday + the timing it'll take to get from there to there and back here in time for that and this; whose doctor's appointment is when; the upcoming concert we purchased tickets for three months ago; we know ALL THE THINGS. (Okay, I’m laughing as I type this, but also kinda not?) I mean, all we have to do is turn to pop culture to verify this. TV shows, music, movies, etc. absolutely offer a fairly broad and sweeping viewpoint of social dynamics, but they do support the theory that art imitates life . For example, consider many family-oriented sitcoms, and who it is that keeps the household operating smoothly?

Modern Family : Claire - absolutely Claire
Everybody Loves Raymond : It ain’t Raymond! It's for sure Debra.
black-ish : Rainbow all the way.
My Bestie’s house: Natalie. Natalie, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

So in a field that prizes, at its most basic level, the ability to organize, orchestrate, and monitor a project, why is it that such a gap still exists?
Please note: I want to acknowledge that each of these household represent heteronormative settings. The examples above don't include households comprised of same-sex or non-binary parents only because we are then assigning gender norms to those who may not prescribe to those same ideals, and that is a much larger and quite different conversation. I want to respect each person's named identity. Also, I don't believe in a “woman’s role;” the above part of this post is solely a satirical examination of culture at home and in the workplace. I seek to be an ally to our LGBTQIA+ community in all ways, so please reach out if you'd like to have a deeper discussion around anything referenced.
Back to the gap. I don’t pretend to know the answer to the above question. But you know what I did find out? Five of the most prominent project management organizations, as defined by my super authentic, 35-second Google research time, are all helmed by men. If diversity is the goal, and we see a severe lack of representation as a challenge, wouldn’t a significant step forward rest in who’s leading the organization? ***
A Note on the Above Post
Please note: affirmative action is a leveling of the playing field . It focuses on equity (by the way, equity does not disregard qualifications. Such an approach would constitute a predefined ratio where everyone gets a trophy). Affirmative action, however, means access to the same resources, the same positions or opportunities, the same leadership openings, for every player on the team. We can have a conversation about any topic, including DEI, which I prize as the only way for humanity to move forward. That said, if you are anti-DEI, whether that's regarding gender identity, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, I ask that you only direct your comments to me personally and directly .

Priorities, People, Priorities!

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:59:00 GMT

Priorities, People, Priorities!

Is your to-do list absolutely bonkers? Does envisioning the errands, tasks, appointments, meetings, and on and on and on send you into a spiral of sheer overwhelm? Yep, me too! And that’s coming from someone who organizes for fun! (Seriously: I’m currently building a personal library catalog - and I have bookshelves ALL. OVER. MY. HOUSE. In fact, as I write this, I’m leaning on one of my favorite pillows, which happens to reference my love for reading).
So how do you turn your list of 525,600 minutes tasks into a manageable log of items you can accomplish? First step, make the list . No, really, start there. So often, we try and keep everything in our heads. Maybe your memory is a tour-de-force, but I’d like to save that brainpower for writing my next newsletter or creating the perfect asset, not reminding myself I have an important call at 3:15 PM. So make a list. It may seem daunting at first, but stick with me here because the next step is a game changer. Second step, prioritize everything on your list . Prioritization is a must. I like to use the Eisenhower matrix. This is a fancy-sounding title for a simple tool that will help you decide what to do when. There are four quadrants, with everything above the axis noting items that are important and urgent and those below as less important or urgent. And? There’s a WHOLE quadrant dedicated to stuff you can just DELETE. I don’t mean things like taking your dog for her next round of vaccinations; that's important. I mean tasks that are time-wasters. Like, maybe you don’t need to degrease the tiny panels inside your waffle maker today. Maybe you can just wait on that - or toss those suckers in a sink of soapy water instead of using a toothbrush to scrub them. �55358;�56631;�55356;�57341;‍♀️ (Of COURSE I’ve never done anything like that). Ahem. Back to the matrix. The pics at the bottom of this post demonstrate how the tool works, plus my personalized format, so you can get an idea of how a completed matrix might look.
As promised, here are the bite-sized chunks for this section:
Bite 1: Write that list. It’ll be long, but that’s okay! Bite 2: Prioritize your tasks with an Eisenhower matrix. This may seem tedious at first, but I promise: extra care on the front end means much less work on the back end. Or at least, smarter work! �55357;�56841;

The Future Is Bright!

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:51:00 GMT

The Future is Good!

Anyone remember the Whitney Houston song, “ The Greatest Love of All ”? (Remind me to tell you about the time I sang it for a middle school talent show…and lost). �55357;�56876; Trite though it may be, one stanza focuses on a common belief that “the children are our future.” While we might roll our eyes or laughingly recall moments of enthusiastic moms cheering on their children (we ALL get a trophy!), in many ways, this sentiment is true. Literally, it’s today’s children that will be tomorrow’s leaders. Thankfully, there are many organizations that fully invest in this notion and have begun programs investing in the future.
My first client as a solo project manager was with one such organization: the Chief Science Officers , an initiative under SciTech Institute . Many of you may know that my favorite thing (besides re-organizing a cabinet so that all the coffee mugs and thermoses are arranged by height, color, and material) is working with students.
Just last week I got to sit down with one of my former students at Starbucks as she updated me about her life, which now includes being in the Army Reserves and attending college. Since I taught her in 7th and 8th grade, I was so excited to share in her successes and proud of all she has and is working to accomplish. Plus, as an educator, there’s always a feeling of pride when those you taught still want to talk to you, hahaha.
Today, I had a virtual meetup with one of the CSOs I met while working on Youth STEM Congress, the event I managed and led logistics on for SciTech. We chatted for at least an hour - and even made a plan to meet up weekly - so I feel great about myself. I’m like one of the cool kids now, right?
Ahem, back to the topic at hand. The 2024 Changemakers in STEM Virtual Youth Congress was an important, fulfilling, and interesting opportunity in several ways.
The future is taken care of y’all. This event captured the thoughts, plans, and experiences of more than 300 students from around the world, and the amount of creativity and enthusiasm for using STEM to solve social challenges such as sustainable living and the responsible use of AI, while collaborating alongside peers from different backgrounds was nothing short of beautiful and inspiring. There were plans to start a community fridge so that food insecurity would no longer be an issue; creating a student-friendly website regarding job resources, openings, and more to improve the school-to-work pipeline, especially for those who perhaps chose not to attend college; and hosting a community workshop teaching people how to create reusable water bottles, thereby cutting down the use of plastic.“Sit” in a room of 5-8 kids who’ve been working over the last 3 months, (joining 3 Saturday calls and then independently finding time to develop a community service project for each of their different locations), as they pitch their idea to you, and it’s amazingly simple to recall certain lyrics of Whitney Houston’s song and become immediately hopeful about the state of the world.
"I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be"
We’ve taught them well, and I’m so grateful to watch as they lead the way.

The APS Chronicle: Navigating Your Path to Success, One Project at a Time

Pop Over and Win a Gift Card!

Pop Over and Win a Gift Card!

Second-Hand High, First-Hand Inspiration

Second-Hand High, First-Hand Inspiration ﻿

Who's in Charge, Here?

Who's in Charge, Here?

Priorities, People, Priorities!

Priorities, People, Priorities!

The Future Is Bright!

The Future is Good!

Second-Hand High, First-Hand Inspiration